The Role

This is a newly created role to formalise and professionalise the Programme's contracting function as it scales across multiple award cycles and institutional partners. The Contracts Manager will be the Programme Office's primary point of expertise on documentation, wording and negotiation strategy, working across research, legal, finance and institutional stakeholders.

• Lead the formalisation of documentation, contractual wording and negotiations across the Programme's agreements with research institutions, award recipients, vendors, and implementation partners.
• Draft, review and negotiate award letters, collaboration agreements, material and data transfer agreements, service contracts, and other legal and contractual documentation required to give effect to award decisions and partnerships.
• Work closely with the Director (Programme Strategy & Infrastructure) and Associate Director (Programme Operations) to ensure contractual terms align with the Programme's funding governance requirements and strategic intent, and with the Manager (Office and Finance) to ensure contractual and financial terms are consistent.
• Liaise with legal counsel, institutional offices (e.g. research offices, technology transfer offices, procurement) and external partner organisations to resolve contractual issues and ensure timely execution of agreements.
• Maintain a central repository of executed contracts and agreements, tracking key terms, renewal dates, obligations and compliance requirements across the Programme's award portfolio.
• Develop and maintain standard contract templates, playbooks and negotiation positions to improve consistency and turnaround time for recurring agreement types across award cycles.
• Advise Programme Office leadership on contractual risk, precedent and options during negotiations with research institutions, industry partners, and other external offices.

What We're Looking For

• A degree in law, contract management, business administration or a related field; a legal qualification is an advantage but not required.
• Substantial experience drafting, reviewing and negotiating contracts, ideally within a research, academic, grant-funding, or biomedical/life sciences setting.
• Strong understanding of the types of agreements common to multi-institutional research programmes, such as collaboration agreements, material/data transfer agreements, and award terms and conditions.
• Excellent negotiation skills, with the ability to represent the Programme's interests confidently while maintaining constructive relationships with partner offices.
• High attention to detail and strong written communication skills, with the ability to produce clear, precise contractual language.
• Ability to work across multiple stakeholders — legal, finance, research leadership, and external institutions — and to manage a portfolio of concurrent negotiations.

Experience

Experience required: 7+ years of relevant contracts, legal, or agreement negotiation experience, ideally within a research or grant-funded environment.