Associate Director of Contracts - Grants & Contracts, Office of Sponsored Programs

The Office of Sponsored Programs (OSP) at the University of Virginia (UVA) seeks an Associate Director of Contracts to serve in a key leadership role for OSP. Reporting to the Associate Vice President for Research Operations and Executive Director for Sponsored Programs, the Associate Director leads an experienced and high-performing team of 13 negotiators, handling contract negotiation and related services for the University’s academic and research community. The position has signing authority for the University and provides guidance to the Lead Contract Negotiators on signatory issues. The position oversees the negotiation of both funded and unfunded contracts such as clinical trial agreements, license agreements, sponsored research agreements, federal contracts, confidentiality, and intellectual property agreements.

The Associate Director’s responsibilities include liaising with institutional leadership, including school leadership and the Office of University Counsel. The Associate Director coordinates with administrative and compliance offices in both the academic division and health system and works closely with the research administration community to support and facilitate research and meet ever-changing compliance requirements more effectively.

UVA has a growing research enterprise and is developing infrastructure to meet the demand. The Associate Director of Contracts will help shape the future of sponsored programs at UVA by working collaboratively with OSP Leadership to implement and lead process changes and participate in initiatives to meet the University’s research goals. The Associate Director will be expected to establish performance expectations for the Contracts team, actively manage individual and team performance, and transparently report aggregate performance metrics to the University community.

OSP at UVA operates as a hybrid work environment. The Associate Director of Contracts has the option of a hybrid work arrangement. A regular presence in Charlottesville and on Grounds will be expected.

Responsibilities

• Serve in a senior leadership role as a direct report to the Associate Vice President for Research Operations and Executive Director for Sponsored Programs; inform leadership of emerging issues and opportunities as identified by the team; provide input into unit budget requests and reports on team activities for senior leadership.
• Direct and coordinate contracts staff, systems, and business processes related to negotiation and execution of agreements, and other research-related activities.
• Manage personnel actions including hiring, performance appraisal, promotions, transfers, and vacation schedules for direct reports. Actively recruit qualified candidates for open positions from professional networks.
• Promote the professional development and work satisfaction of team members, who range in experience from early career through highly experienced contract negotiation professionals.
• Provide expert guidance on contractual matters to faculty, research administrators, external colleagues, and sponsor personnel.
• Lead efforts to develop and improve business processes, procedures, and policies.
• Maintain partnerships across units and schools/central leadership for effective operations and strategic initiatives.
• Provide and conduct training sessions for the team and constituents.
• Clarify, interpret, and disseminate information related to sponsored programs to colleagues with varying knowledge, experience, and focus.
• Serve as an OSP representative on relevant committees.
• In addition to the above job responsibilities, other duties may be assigned.

Minimum Requirements

Education: Bachelor's degree.
Experience: At least seven years of grant and contract experience, typically in an academic environment. Four additional years of experience may be accepted in lieu of degree.

Physical Demands: This is primarily a sedentary job involving extensive use of desktop computers. This role does occasionally require traveling some distance to attend meetings and/or programs.

Preferred Qualifications

• An advanced degree.
• Additional credentials such as Certified Research Administrator (CRA), project management certification, and/or data protection certification.
• Experience with research administration, including a broad knowledge of sponsor terms and federal regulations and other research compliance areas.
• Background negotiating non-clinical contracts with foundation, industry, and international entities.
• Strong background in contract negotiation, including significant experience with government and industry clinical trial negotiations.
• Expertise in industry/university partnerships, including managing international collaborations and complex multi-party contracts or subawards.
• Demonstrated knowledge of governmental regulations (e.g., FAR, Uniform Guidance, FERPA, HIPAA, GDPR).
• Experience with leading a team, facilitating professional development, and promoting a culture of inclusiveness, mentorship, collegiality, and support.
• Familiarity with medical research and Intellectual Property issues.
• Previous institutional signing authority.
• Experience negotiating and facilitating internal data security and privacy reviews (e.g., HIPAA, FERPA, CUI, GDPR, etc.)
• Active with professional organizations such as National Council of University Research Administrators and Society of Research Administrators.
• Strong written and oral communications skills.
• Demonstrated proficiency in Microsoft and web-based tools.

This is an exempt-leve l, benefited position. Learn more about UVA benefits .

This position is located in Charlottesville, VA, and provides an option to work in a hybrid environment following the University's flex-work guidelines. To learn more about UVA and in the Charlottesville area, visit UVA Life and Embark CVA .

Anticipated salary iscommensurate with qualifications and experience.

Application review will begin after June 16.

This position will not consider candidates who require immigration sponsorship at this time.

How to Apply

Please apply online , by searching for requisition number R0073267 . Complete an application with the following documents:

• Resume
  
• Cover Letter
  

Upload all materials into the resume submission field . You can submit multiple documents into this one field or combine them into one PDF . Applications without all required documents will not receive full consideration.

Internal applicants: Apply through your Workday profile by searching “Find Jobs.”

Reference checks will be completed by UVA’s third-party partner, SkillSurvey, during the final phase of the interview. Five references will be requested , with at least three responses required .

For information regarding the position or the application process, please contact Lyndsay Thaxton at enn9zv@virginia.edu.

The University of Virginia is an equal opportunity employer. All interested persons are encouraged to apply, including veterans and individuals with disabilities. Click here to read more about UVA’s commitment to non-discrimination and equal opportunity employment.