Assistant Contracts Manager

Princeton University•Princeton, NJ

5d•$108,000 - $118,000

About The Position

The Assistant Contracts Manager drafts, reviews, and negotiates research-related agreements in partnership with ORPA staff and leadership, Technology Licensing and New Ventures, the Office of the General Counsel, and other campus stakeholders. Working under the direction of the Assistant Director, the position manages an assigned portfolio of funded and unfunded research agreements from intake through negotiation and execution coordination. Complex or high-risk matters receive senior guidance and review. The role helps protect the University’s interests and rights while providing timely, responsive service to faculty and staff. The position also contributes to improvements in ORPA agreement management, including maintaining standard agreement templates and related tools, improving systems and business processes, supporting internal training, and collecting agreement metrics and key performance indicators. A remote work arrangement may be considered for qualified candidates with appropriate background and experience. This full-time position has standard weekly hours of 36.25 and is not eligible for overtime. It is benefits-eligible and has a 180-day probationary period. A physical capacity exam and valid driver’s license are not required. The stated salary range is $108,000 to $118,000.

Requirements

Bachelor’s degree and at least 4 years of related experience in research administration, contract administration, sponsored programs, technology transfer, or a related field, or an equivalent combination of education and experience.
Working knowledge of research contracting principles, policies, procedures, and nationally recognized best practices in a university environment.
Demonstrated experience reviewing, drafting, and negotiating research contracts and other research-related agreements, including identifying issues that require senior review.
Working knowledge of relevant federal requirements and research-compliance considerations, such as the Federal Acquisition Regulation, intellectual property, export control, and risk or audit requirements.
Familiarity with nonfederal sponsors and research-contracting best practices involving industry, foundations, and foreign sponsors.
Strong written and oral communication skills, analytical ability, attention to detail, and sound judgment.
Ability to organize and prioritize multiple assignments, meet deadlines, maintain accurate records, and work independently and collaboratively.
Ability to provide responsive service while appropriately applying University policies and escalating complex or high-risk matters.

Nice To Haves

Experience using an enterprise-level system to support research administration and/or research contracting in a university setting, such as Huron, and Visual Compliance.
Knowledge of Princeton’s objectives, policies, organizational structures, and procedures.
Experience in sponsored programs administration, research contracting, and/or technology transfer at a Research I university.
J.D. degree and/or master’s degree.

Responsibilities

Draft, review, and negotiate assigned research-related agreements using University templates, guidance, policies, and escalation pathways, potentially including outgoing subawards and related compliance requirements.
Work with faculty, staff, ORPA colleagues, and campus stakeholders to gather information, identify contractual issues, and support timely review and execution.
Evaluate non-standard or negotiated terms, identify concerns, and recommend revisions or escalation in consultation with the Assistant Director or senior colleagues.
Coordinate with the Office of the General Counsel and Technology Licensing and New Ventures on legal, intellectual property, and other complex issues.
Explain agreement terms, obligations, and risks to faculty and staff and assist with documenting decisions and required approvals.
Maintain effective working relationships with campus offices and external parties involved in assigned negotiations.
Contribute to improvements in systems and business processes supporting agreement processing, including the Huron agreements module.
Maintain and refine standard contract terms, templates, and negotiation guidance in alignment with ORPA leadership direction.
Monitor trends, emerging issues, and regulatory developments affecting research agreements and raise significant developments for consideration.
Collaborate with Research Integrity and Assurance, the Office of Information Technology, Procurement, Audit, and other offices to support contract-related internal controls and compliance.
Maintain accurate and timely negotiation-status documentation in tracking systems through drafting, negotiation, and final execution.
Assist with collecting, validating, and reporting agreement-lifecycle metrics and key performance indicators.
Support Grant and Contract Administrators with ancillary contracting reviews, including complex proposal issues, proposal-stage contract reviews, and post-award contracting questions.
Contribute to projects involving contracting activities, process improvement, templates, data quality, or records management.
Assist with reporting information to sponsors and collaborators in compliance with agreement terms and regulations.
Participate in and support formal and informal agreements training for internal stakeholders.
Develop knowledge through professional meetings, webinars, and research-administration resources, and share useful information with colleagues.
Coordinate with internal research and development support offices, including the Office of Innovation, Strategic Partnerships and Engagement, and Technology Licensing and New Ventures, as well as academic departments, to facilitate early-stage sponsored-project collaboration.
Perform other duties as assigned.