Overview

The Contracts Manager will take overall responsibility for agreements processed through ORPA, supporting the drafting and negotiation of complex provisions for research-related agreements in partnership with ORPA staff and leadership, the Office of Technology Licensing, the Office of the General Counsel, and numerous other campus stakeholders, while ensuring the University’s interests and rights are protected. The Contracts Manager will focus on agreements with high strategic value to the University, high complexity and/or risk, and agreements requiring significant or expert resources in negotiation and/or post-execution oversight. These agreements of focus include master agreements and other platform agreements such as affiliate agreements and membership agreements, service agreements, international agreements, and all non-funded agreements, including confidential disclosure agreements (CDAs), material transfer agreements (MTAs), data use agreements (DUAs) and visiting scholar agreements. The Contracts Manager will also serve as the primary contact for the campus community regarding these types of agreements.

The negotiation of agreements not listed above will continue to be undertaken broadly by skilled ORPA staff, and ORPA staff will benefit from the advice and assistance of the Contracts Manager. The Contracts Manager will additionally enhance agreement management in ORPA via developing and continuously refining a set of standard and benchmarked agreement templates and agreement-related tools (including ORPA’s Federal Acquisition Regulation matrix), ensuring the effectiveness and efficiency of systems and business processes supporting agreement processing (including the successful implementation/use of the agreements module in Huron), and leading internal and external training related to research-related agreements. The Contracts Manager will additionally define, collect and benchmark metrics and key performance indicators (KPIs) relating to agreement processing in ORPA.

Responsibilities
Agreement Drafting & Negotiation:

• Support Grant & Contract Administrators, as well as ORPA staff and leadership, and a broad range of campus stakeholders in the drafting and review of agreements
• Provide expertise and recommendations regarding the evaluation and acceptance of non-standard/negotiated terms and conditions, consistent with Princeton policy/culture and informed by best practices nationally
• Serve as a liaison to the Office of the General Counsel in the analysis/resolution of complex legal issues
• Meet with campus stakeholders as needed to explain relevant contractual benefits, risks, and risk mitigation approaches, as well as make and document appropriate business decisions in support of a variety of research-related agreements
• Be the single point of contact for campus stakeholders for non-funded agreements, as well as agreements of high strategic value, high complexity and/or risk, and agreements requiring significant or expert resources in negotiation and/or post-execution oversight
• Maintain relationships with campus stakeholder groups and identify appropriate stakeholders for specific contract discussions; Define and implement contracting work-flow and engagement models

Agreement Management:

• Ensure the effectiveness and efficiency of systems and business processes supporting agreement processing, including the successful implementation/use of the agreements module in Huron, the successor system to Coeus
• Partner with ORPA leadership as well as campus stakeholders in the development and maintenance of standard contract terms and conditions, template and clause libraries and other tools supporting knowledgeable and efficient agreement processing
• Work with internal and external parties (including national organizations such as the UIDP) to understand trends and emerging issues, legislation and risks in agreement negotiation and processing
• Partner with key offices such as Research Integrity and Assurance, Office of Information Technology and Audit to ensure contract-related internal controls and compliance
• Adopt a data-driven approach to agreement management in ORPA; define, collect and benchmark metrics and key performance indicators (KPIs) relating to agreement processing in ORPA; produce regular and periodic reporting/analyses on agreement processing

Training and Outreach:

• Develop and conduct formal and informal training related to agreements to internal audiences ranging from novice to advanced
• Present at national meetings of professional organizations relating to research administration

Administration/other duties as assigned:

• Management of strategic projects relating to agreements
• Assist in reporting of information to sponsors and collaborators in compliance with agreement terms/regulations

Qualifications

Required

• Bachelor’s degree and 7 + years of related experience
• Sophisticated knowledge of research contracting principles, policies, procedures and nationally-recognized best practices in a University environment, as well as pertinent federal regulations (such as the Federal Acquisition Regulation), patent and copyright law, and the overall risk and audit environment.
• Exceptional capabilities in composing and negotiating complex research contracts and other research-related agreements, effectively using knowledge of prime award terms, core University principles, policies and processes.
• Strong knowledge of nonfederal sponsors and best practices in research contracting with nonfederal sponsors, including industry, foundations and foreign sponsors
• Strong knowledge of export control regulations, including understanding of the Fundamental Research Exclusion
• Strong knowledge of research compliance-related regulations
• Strong knowledge of the Federal Acquisition Regulation, Code of Federal Regulations, Federal circulars, and major agency policies and regulations.

Preferred

• Knowledge of an enterprise-level system supporting research administration and/or research contracting in a university setting, and Visual Compliance.
• Understanding of Princeton's objectives, policies, organization and procedures.
• Experience in sponsored programs administration and/or technology transfer at a “Research I” university highly desirable.
• Master’s degree.

Princeton University is an Equal Opportunity/Affirmative Action Employer and all qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to age, race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, national origin, disability status, protected veteran status, or any other characteristic protected by law. EEO IS THE LAW.

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