Senior Contracts Manager

Overview

It takes a team of extraordinary talent to propel a University on the Rise. When you work at Stevens, you join a talented, diverse, and inclusive community of employees who work together to support the education, research, and innovation mission of the University. 

We are seeking an accomplished individual to join our team as the Senior Contracts Manager. In this pivotal role, you will assume direct responsibility and oversight for various aspects of contract negotiation and subaward administration, including reviewing and negotiating sponsored research contracts, agreements and subcontracts, making recommendations on terms, compliance risks and other contractual issues by intpreting University as sponsor policies and procedures and applying university, state and federal rules and regulation as they relate to sponsored research The Senior Contracts manager will collaborate with various departments and external partners to facilitate the successful contract negotiations and implementation of subawards.

The Stevens Office of Sponsored Programs (OSP) serves as the University’s central business function that provides research administration services to the research community. The Senior Contracts Manager reports to the Director of the Office of Sponsored Programs. This is full-time hybrid position with the option to work remotely.  In this role, the Senior Contracts Manager provides the following services:

KEY RESPONSIBILITIES:

Contracts/Agreement Negotiation:

• Independently draft, review and negotiate new sponsored research agreements for compliance with University policies, federal and state law and regulations, including terms regarding intellectual property, publication, insurance/indemnification, export control, governing law, disputes, budget, invoicing and payment.
• Independently draft, review and negotiate non-financial research agreements, including non-disclosure agreements, material transfer agreements, data use agreements, teaming arrangements, etc. to align with University policies and federal and state law and regulations.
• Independently submit detail written exceptions and recommendations on contractual language in a timely manner to sponsors; coordinate negotiation meetings, as required, regarding contractual language with sponsor/contracting party legal offices, technical representatives and University researchers.

Research/Compliance

• Review documentation upon receipt of agreement for compliance with University policies, federal and state law, including issues related to environmental health and safety, human subjects (IRB), animal subjects (IACUC), financial conflict of interest (FCOI), and budgetary compliance for cost sharing, time and effort, and facilities and administrative costs. 
• Coordinate with Export Control Officer on review of potential export control risks arising from agreements; coordinate the execution of Technology Control Plans (TCPs) to ensure compliance with export control requirements.
• Coordinate with the Information Security Office in review of potential information security risks arising from agreements; coordinate the execution of Confidential Data Control Plans (CDCPs) to ensure compliance with information security concerns.

Subaward Administration:

• Independently draft, review, and negotiate subaward agreements and modifications to comply with project, sponsor, institutional, state and Federal policies and regulations as appropriate.
• Coordinate subaward negotiation calls and meetings regarding contractual language with appropriate subrecipient and institutional representatives including but not limited to legal and technical representatives, University researchers, and appropriate University offices involved in the review and handling of various contractual issues, if required.

Subaward Monitoring and Compliance:

• Initiate and engage in subrecipient risk assessments at the beginning and throughout the subaward lifecycle.
• In coordination with the Research Compliance Specialist and project teams, develop and implement a monitoring plan for subawards to ensure compliance with project objectives, timelines, and budgets; communicate with the principal investigator and/or subrecipient, when needed, to resolve compliance issues.
• In coordination with the project teams, review and approve subrecipient financial reports, invoices, and expenditure documentation; ensure timely and accurate payments to subreceipents, address financial discrepancies, and ensure proper resolution.
• Identify and mitigate risks associated with subawards; develop and implement risk management strategies to ensure successful subaward implementation.

Communication and Collaboration:

• Foster effective communication and collaboration with  sponsors, subrecipients, project teams, and relevant stakeholders.
• Serve as the main point of contact for agreements and subrecipients.
• Contribute to the development and implementation of policies and procedures for contract negotiation and subawards; make recommendations for policy and process changes or new processes to meet audit requirements. 
• Provide input in the interpretation of federal, state or other contracts, grants and funding regulations, University and OSP policies and procedures. 

Required Qualifications, Skills, and Knowledge:

• Must be a US Person.
• Bachelor's degree in a relevant field.
• 5+ years’ experience in preparation, processing and negotiation of contracts, subawards and/or grants administration experience.
• In-depth knowledge of regulatory, sponsor, and institutional policies related to sponsored research in higher education. in the negotiation of subaward agreements.

Preferred Qualifications, Skills, and Knowledge:

• Graduate or professional degree in business administration, public administration or law. 
• More than the requires years’ experience in preparation, processing, and negotiation of research contracts and subaward agreements. 
• Familiarity with negotiating Department of Defense IDIQ Agreements
• Familiarity with a University Afiliated Research Center (UARC)
• Familiarity with complex agreements
• Familiarity with grants management systems, particularly InfoEd
• Membership in NCURA, SRAI, and/or other professional research administration associations
• Certified (Pre-Award/Financial) Research Administrator