Contracts Manager- Clinical Site Contracting

Emmes Group•Rockville, MD

5h•Remote

About The Position

The Contracts Manager is responsible for the full lifecycle of contract management, including drafting, negotiation, execution, and compliance oversight of agreements for Public Sector organizations, such as government and nonprofit entities, and biopharma. The role primarily focuses on clinical site contracting and other site management support that is directly billable to projects. The Contracts Manager supports business development, legal, finance, procurement, and operations teams to ensure agreements align with corporate policies and applicable local law. The position works closely with the legal team, project analysts, and project managers, and calls for expertise in contract law, negotiation strategy, risk mitigation, and stakeholder management. The role includes negotiating and administering a range of agreements, coordinating with internal teams and external parties, monitoring agreement status, assessing and mitigating contractual risks, and contributing to contract templates and workflow improvements. The position is US remote.

Requirements

Bachelor's degree, preferably in Law, Business Administration, or a life-science field.
5–7 years of experience in legal, paralegal, or contract management work.
Strong understanding of legal terminology and contract law, including business, government, and international contexts.
Strong understanding of contract law, regulatory compliance, and risk assessment.
Excellent negotiation, drafting, and communication skills.
Experience administering and negotiating contractual documents.
Good communication skills.
Ability to apply analytical reasoning when reviewing documents.
Ability to identify system and process efficiency improvements and work effectively in a team environment.
High proficiency with database, spreadsheet, and word-processing software.
Ability to quickly understand processes and ensure adherence to them.
Detail-oriented, highly organized, and able to manage multiple priorities under tight deadlines.
Ability to work systematically, coherently, and in a timely, well-organized manner without constant oversight.

Nice To Haves

Experience in a CRO, pharmaceutical, biotechnology, or clinical trials industry environment.
NCMA CCCM or CPCM certification, or equivalent.

Responsibilities

Negotiate with clinical sites on nondisclosure agreements (NDAs), clinical trial agreements (CTAs), and other required legal documents.
Maintain up-to-date tracking of agreement activity, status, and communications with sites.
Participate in client and team calls, project meetings, and departmental meetings.
Perform risk assessments and assist project managers with mitigation planning in accordance with company policy by structuring terms carefully and resolving issues proactively.
Identify problems and communicate potential solutions and recommendations to project managers and customers to mitigate issues while avoiding unnecessary delay or disruption to project performance.
Maintain contract templates and contribute to improvements in contract workflows.
Lead contract negotiations with clients, vendors, subcontractors, and government agencies, balancing legal risk with business objectives.
Escalate high-risk or nonstandard terms and collaborate with legal counsel on complex issues.
Serve as a key point of contact for internal departments, including Legal, Finance, Business Development, Operations, and Procurement, on contract matters.
Work with legal, project, subcontract, vendor, consultant, clinical site, principal investigator, proposal, pricing, business development, finance, and other department stakeholders, as well as sponsors.
Draft and negotiate terms and conditions for agreements such as NDAs, subcontracts, clinical site agreements, statements of work, task orders, and grants, coordinating with internal management, legal counsel, and business units in accordance with project requirements, client needs, industry standards, and company strategy.
Ensure contract terms and conditions align with national and international laws and regulations, including FAR, DFARS, UCC, E-Verify, export control, and data processing and import/export requirements.
Participate in internal or external professional training.
Perform other duties as assigned and comply with all policies and standards.