Contracts Specialist

**About SickKids**:
Dedicated exclusively to children and their families, The Hospital for Sick Children (SickKids) is one of the largest and most respected paediatric healthcare centres in the world. As innovators in child health, we lead and partner to improve the health of children through the integration of healthcare, leading-edge research and education. Our reputation would not have been built - nor could it be maintained - without the skills, knowledge and experience of the extraordinary people who come to work here every day. SickKids is committed to ongoing learning and development, and features a caring and supportive work environment that combines exceptionally high standards of practice.

When you join SickKids, you become part of our community. We share a commitment and determination to fulfill our vision of _Healthier Children. A Better World_.

Don’t miss out on the opportunity to work alongside the world’s best in paediatric healthcare.

**Position Description**:
The Hospital for Sick Children (“SickKids”) Research Institute is one of the largest hospital-based research institutes in Canada with approximately 600 basic research and clinical Scientists. The activities of the Research Institute are critical to SickKids’ mission of improving child health.

The Contracts Specialist will review, negotiate, and administer a high volume of funding and related research agreements and proposals with granting agencies, collaborating institutions, research consortia and pharmaceutical companies, medical device companies or Contracts Research Organizations (CROs). Working closely with the legal department and consulting with other internal parties and negotiating with external parties as required, the Contracts Specialist will ensure that such agreements are consistent with SickKids’ institutional and funding agency policies and do not expose SickKids or its researchers to excessive administrative or financial risk. The Contracts Specialist will protect the interests of SickKids while at the same time maintaining a customer-service outlook toward researchers and their staff. This position will directly support Scientists and their teams in the review, negotiation and drafting of research funding agreements. The Contracts Specialist’s will also be supporting clinical trial budget negotiations in collaboration with research teams by reviewing protocols to identify costs required to implement and conduct the trial and ensuring all SickKids costs are adequately covered in the budget. This position will develop and streamline institutional processes and documentations to support Scientists and their teams, in conjunction with Clinical Research Services, to ensure consistent and transparent budget negotiations institutionally.

While the primary responsibilities are as described above, this position will also be opportunities for exposure to and development in the areas of business process analyses, process improvement, documentation and information management, and project management.

**Here’s What You’ll Get to Do**:

- Review, negotiate, and administer a high volume of funding and related research agreements with granting agencies, collaborating institutions, research consortia, pharmaceutical companies and Contracts Research Organizations (CROs).
- Provide support and advice on the financial/business aspects of research agreements. This includes support on project budgets and coordinating multi-site subgrant agreements with other universities, hospitals, institutions, pharmaceutical companies, CROs and medical device companies.
- Develop processes for clinical trial budget costings and create internal documentations/training manuals for consistency and transparency
- Ensure that agreement terms are consistent with SickKids and funding agency policies and do not expose SickKids or its researchers to excessive administrative or financial risk.
- Learn, invent, and implement new processes, tools, and procedures to help us gain efficiencies within the department.

**Here’s What You’ll Need**:

- An Undergraduate degree or completion of a formal post-secondary education program is required.
- Experience with drafting, reviewing and/or negotiation of contracts in an academic, research, or healthcare environment is an asset.
- Experience with the administration of clinical trial agreements and budget negotiations with a pharmaceutical/medical device company, or CRO.
- Previous experience in grant management is an asset.
- Strong negotiation and conflict management skills with a diverse variety of stakeholders.
- General resourcefulness and an ability to quickly find, learn, and assimilate new information is a must.
- Strong critical thinking and analytical skills
- Ability to prioritize and handle a high volume of diverse projects simultaneously is a must.
- Excellent interpersonal skills, tact, judgment, and discretion.

**Employment Type**:
Temporary Full-time, 1.0 FTE, with modified heal