Assistant Director, Clinical Trials Contracts

The UCLA Clinical and Translational Science Institute (CTSI) is seeking an Assistant Director, Clinical Trials Contracts to provide strategic leadership for the Clinical Trials Contracts & Strategic Relations unit within the Office of Clinical Research. Reporting to the Director, this role oversees the negotiation, execution, and administration of complex industry-sponsored clinical trial agreements while ensuring efficient, compliant, and high-quality pre-award contracting operations. The Assistant Director supervises and mentors a team of contract professionals, manages daily operations and workflow, and partners with faculty, sponsors, and research administration stakeholders to support timely study start-up. This position also plays a key role in advancing operational excellence through process improvement initiatives, policy and procedure development, performance metrics, and strategic planning in support of UCLA's clinical research enterprise.

Annual range: $128,500.00-$298,100.00

Required:

• Bachelor's Degree.
• At least 10 years recent experience negotiating industry supported clinical trials, 3 years management experience.
• Demonstrated expertise in industry clinical trial agreement drafting and negotiation.
• Strong working knowledge of the full range of pre-award activities related to clinical trials research (e.g.,IRB, CIRC, Coverage Analysis, other regulatory approvals, etc.)
• Knowledge of pharmaceutical, biomedical, and/or medical device company research and development trends.
• Demonstrated mature clinical and independent administrative judgment and decision-making skills.
• Experience working with faculty, administrators, and staff in an academic medical center, health care or university environment.
• Knowledge of research regulatory requirements (including FDA and other federal and state regulations), GCP/ICH guidelines, and special requirements for drug and medical device trials.
• Demonstrated knowledge of industry contracting and subcontracting practices, including demonstrated experience in drafting contracts and subcontracts.
• Demonstrated excellence in negotiating skills, including the ability to resolve conflict among various groups and individuals with diverse backgrounds and goals concerning sensitive and important issues. Proven ability to participate effectively in the planning and development of multidisciplinary, cross-departmental research programs and committees.
• Ability to communicate effectively regarding the health sciences campus research process and related details to a wide audience (scientists, physicians, nurses, staff, sponsors, and the general public.)
• Ability to design and manage efficient work processes, set and meet expected turnaround time goals on an ongoing basis and monitor, analyze, and improve processes on an ongoing basis.
• Ability to be flexible and adapt within an ever-changing, dynamic, service-oriented environment.
• Ability to operate effectively in a team environment.
• Ability to set priorities of assignments to complete work in a timely manner when there are changes in workload, pressures of deadlines, competing requirements and changes in assignments.
• Ability to establish and maintain cooperative and mutually supportive working relationships with faculty, administrators, staff, other campus units, UC system units, and sponsoring agencies and companies.
• 18. Skill in analyzing information, problems, situations, policies or procedures to define the problem, need or objective, identify relevant issues or concerns, formulate alternatives for resolution or new program development, and recommend alternative choices and implications for implementation.
• Excellent written and verbal communications skills.
• Familiarity with UCLA Medical Center (preferred) or similar organization computing systems and demonstrated ability to learn and utilize other databases and administrative software, including a future clinical trials information system.
• Proven supervisory skills.

Preferred:

• Graduate degree - Juris Doctorate, Paralegal Degree with focus in contract management, or Master in Public Health or Master of Business Administration.