Contracts Manager

You will enjoy stimulating and challenging work, playing a key contributing role in enabling UCL’s world-changing research. While holding significant individual responsibility, you are also likely to thrive on working collaboratively and building strong relationships, and will be comfortable challenging and negotiating, bringing a supportive but resilient approach. You will be comfortable advising a range of UCL colleagues on complex points of law and policy, though will look to senior team members for support with the most complex and demanding cases. The role will also suit those keen to develop their skills and contribute to an exciting change agenda.

You will be able to demonstrate the following key skills and experience:

– Knowledge of key contract topics (e.g., intellectual property, performance, publication, confidentiality, warranties, liability and indemnity, data protection/privacy, governing law and jurisdiction) and an understanding of how these can be addressed when reviewing, drafting and negotiating research contracts or legal agreements.
– Commercial and pragmatic contract negotiation skills.
– Ability to convey complex information to a non-specialist audience.

In partnership with colleagues across UCL and a range of partners and funders, Contract Managers represent UCL in contractual negotiations for a wide range of UCL’s research and innovation activity. The role holder will work as part of a high-profile team and will provide advice to UCL Academics and Departments on the contractual obligations, responsibilities and risks arising from research-related activity.

Specific duties and responsibilities include:

– Reviewing, drafting and negotiating a wide variety of research and research related agreements supported by Research and Innovation Services, including but not limited to funding agreements; research collaborations; sub-contracts, framework agreements, studentships; sharing of confidential information for pre-contractual discussions; transferring materials; accessing data; and loaning and accessing equipment.
– Providing advice on the rights, obligations, and risks of engaging in research and research related activities under an agreement and to ensure compliance with relevant domestic legislation.
– Reaching a commercially acceptable position for UCL in relation to liability and indemnity, the right to publish, protection in intellectual property, licences and general commercialisation rights, and other key contract related issues.

Research and Innovation Services (RIS) provides UCL’s academic and professional services community with the tools, support, and expertise they need to deliver cutting-edge research and innovation:

– We support UCL Academics to submit more than 4,000 applications each year
– Our service supports UCL Researchers to secure around £470million in funding every year
– There are around 6,000 active awards and contracts in our portfolio
– UCL is No. 2 in the UK for research power and No.1 in London – REF 2021

Our Contract Services team in Research and Innovation Services (RIS) plays a pivotal role in managing, facilitating, and negotiating contracts for research and innovation activity across UCL. UCL has seen unprecedented success in the volume of successful grants in recent years. This, alongside growth in complexity of the international research environment, has increased the scope and reach of UCL’s contracting team.

In response to this growth and complexity, and as part of a suite of strategic changes to UCL’s research and innovation support, we are we are investing in a programme of transformation around UCL’s research and innovation contracting, bringing in additional capacity, expertise and development opportunities.