Senior Contract Officer, Office of Sponsored Projects

The University of Texas at Austin•Austin, TX

1d•Hybrid

About The Position

The Office of Sponsored Projects (OSP) serves as the coordinating office for externally funded research and sponsored projects at The University of Texas at Austin. The mission of OSP is to assist faculty and professional research staff in their efforts to secure and ensure proper stewardship of external funding. We do that by assisting research faculty and staff with the following: proposal review, authorization, and submission; award negotiations and acceptance; account management; close-out, reports, audits, collection; professional development and education; export control, and research compliance. This position will support the Research Community at the University of Texas at Austin in the capacity of Senior Contract Officer within the Office of Sponsored Projects, directly assisting with the research agreement portfolio. Responsible for the management of sponsored project contracts and research-related agreements to include evaluating, drafting, reviewing, negotiating, and executing inbound agreements and outgoing subaward agreements. The Senior Contract Officer will ensure agreements are in compliance with University policies, contractual requirements, federal and state laws and regulations. This position will act as the primary manager handling selected research agreement portfolios, resolving any contractual issues, and advising personnel as needed.

Requirements

Bachelor's or master's degree.
Six (6) years of experience in contract management, preparation, processing, and negotiation of contracts and/or grant administration experience.
Demonstrated experience in contract preparation, including drafting of terms (e.g. intellectual property).
Experience negotiating with federal, state, academic, industry, and other partners.
Extensive knowledge of federal, state, local and University guidelines and regulations.
Highly skilled in complex contract negotiations and management of contract portfolios, with strong analytic and critical thinking skills, accustomed to a fast-paced environment with competing deadlines.
Exceptional customer service and excellent verbal and written communication skills.
Extensive experience with the use of MS Word and MS Excel software.
Must work well with others and contribute positively to the organization, team and University.
Must be authorized to work in the United States on a full-time basis for any employer.
Relevant education and experience may be substituted as appropriate.

Nice To Haves

Graduate or professional degree in business administration, public administration or law.
More than six (6) years of experience in management, preparation, processing, and negotiation of research contracts.
University or UT System experience.
Expert knowledge of University intellectual property policy.
Demonstrated knowledge in the development of research budgets.
Ability to work independently.
Experience with Huron Research Suite product.

Responsibilities

Independently and expertly draft, review and negotiate sponsored research agreements, outgoing subaward agreements, non-financial agreements, and other research related agreements to ensure compliance with University policies, federal and state law and regulations, including terms regarding intellectual property, publication, insurance/ indemnification, export control, governing law, disputes, invoicing and payment, etc.
Prepare and submit in a timely manner detailed written exceptions and recommendations on contractual language to the other party; coordinate negotiation meetings, as required, and keep stakeholders informed of the contract negotiation status until all contractual issues are resolved.
Evaluate, mitigate, and outline financial and compliance risks in research contracts to OSP management, including outlining all risks associated with clauses not conforming to University of Texas System Board of Regents Rules and/or University policy.
Coordinate with appropriate University offices in the review and handling of various contractual issues (e.g. the Discovery to Impact, Risk Management Office, Research Security Office, Office of Legal Affairs).
Provide expert written and verbal advice regarding the interpretation of federal, state or other contract, grant and funding regulations, University and UT System policies and procedures, and Office of Sponsored Project's policies.
Contribute to the development and implementation of procedures and/or policies to improve contract workflow and ensure compliance.
Daily oversight and management of assigned agreement portfolio to ensure timely actions and workload efficiency.
Responsible for prioritizing agreement assignments with appropriate consultation with OSP management.
Enter and maintain thorough and accurate documentation, data and negotiation notes related to agreements and related actions into UT Research Management Suite (UTRMS) and E-Share Repository.
As needed, provide direct supervision/coordinate and expert training of professional and/or administrative staff responsible for review and negotiation of terms and conditions of research contracts, subcontracts, and associated non-financial research agreements to ensure successful contractual operations.
Special projects as assigned by Director of Contracting and Assistant Director.