Department Summary: At the VCU Office of the Vice President for Research and Innovation, our mission is to foster transformative research, discovery, and innovation at Virginia Commonwealth University through excellence in service.
We partner with faculty in all schools and departments as they seek funding, plan studies, establish collaborations, calculate budgets, submit grant applications, negotiate industry contracts, and secure patents and licensing agreements.
Our commitment to supporting and elevating the research community at VCU has resulted in record levels of sponsored research and has placed VCU among the nation’s premier public research universities.
Through our passion for discovery and willingness to take on challenges, we continue to advance the work that matters most and position the university as a national leader in research, innovation, creativity, and scholarship.
Duties and Responsibilities:
The Contracts and Grants Administrator is a professional position within the Division of Sponsored Programs (DSP), operating under the Office of the Vice President for Research and Innovation (OVPRI) at Virginia Commonwealth University. The incumbent functions as a key member of a collaborative team dedicated to advancing the growth, integrity and compliance of VCU’s research enterprise. The Contract Administrator serves as a liaison between internal OVPRI units, university stakeholders, external sponsors, and institutional collaborators—ensuring the efficient review, negotiation, execution, and management of research proposals and sponsored agreements. The Contract and Grants Administrator will be responsible for the following duties:
Manage a comprehensive portfolio of clinical trial and industry-sponsored research agreements across all academic units to ensure institutional protection and regulatory compliance. The incumbent will independently review and negotiate a wide array of contracts, including Clinical Trial Agreements (CTAs), Confidentiality Agreements (CDAs/NDAs), Master Agreements, Subcontracts, and consortium and collaborative research contracts.
Provide expert drafting and negotiation of contractual terms to ensure the expedited execution of both internally and externally supported industry agreements, including the administrative processing of research proposals and related administrative actions. This role requires demonstrated proficiency in the alignment and reconciliation of Informed Consent Forms (ICF) with clinical trial agreements, alongside the negotiation of critical legal terms such as subject injury, indemnification, intellectual property, and publication rights.
Serve as a primary liaison between the University and for-profit sponsors. The Administrator reconciles technical contract language with regulatory mandates to ensure all agreements align with university policy and applicable laws. In this capacity, the incumbent must critically analyze and interpret complex requirements, maintaining full compliance with sponsor stipulations, institutional policies, GCP guidelines, and federal, state, and local laws governing industry-supported projects and clinical trials.
Foster collaborative relationships with external sponsors to accelerate contracting timelines; utilize Master Agreements and institutional templates to streamline negotiations and advance study start-up and study activation. Advise the university research community as a strategic resource, providing expert guidance on clinical and non-clinical industry collaborations and other sponsored activities to ensure alignment with VCU’s comprehensive mission and institutional objectives. Serving as a primary liaison between the University and for-profit sponsors, the Administrator facilitates a seamless 'study start-up' process by providing faculty with proactive, solution-oriented guidance.
Provide comprehensive, personalized support to the University research community—including faculty and research administrators—through multiple platforms (RAMS-SPOT, virtual meetings, email) to streamline the process for obtaining and managing industry-supported funding. This includes active problem-solving and administrative oversight to ensure the efficient lifecycle management of clinical trial agreements and research projects.
The incumbent will manage the pre-award and post-award functions including proposal review, administrative action processing, modifications, and extensions with for-profit industry sponsors as well as non-industry sponsors (non-profit and federal flow-through). A key responsibility is coordinating the formal hand-off to the Post-Award team to ensure a seamless transition from contract execution to financial awarding.
Typical Duties:
Contract Review and Negotiation
Review and negotiate clinical trial agreements, subject injury informed consent (ICF), research agreements and confidentiality agreements to identify acceptable contractual language; flag unacceptable or undesirable terms in agreements and propose alternative language as appropriate and collaborate with Sponsors to resolve conflicts.
Demonstrate proficiency by independently drafting contracts that meet institutional checklist standards. Seek appropriate guidance on contract terms and negotiation strategies. Advise and provide guidance to faculty and staff on contractual terms related to processing for-profit industry and non-industry (federal flow through and non-profit) clinical trial agreements and for-profit industry research agreements.
Complete all applicable checklists appropriately track and document activities in RAMS SPOT. Review requests for supplements, amendments, extensions and modifications to existing contracts from internal and external sources. Determine appropriate action and proceed accordingly ensuring contractual standards and compliance with regulations and University policies.
Apply office procedures and practices related to for-profit industry sponsored research and for-profit and non-profit (federal flow through and non-profit) clinical trials. Provide guidance to faculty and staff on issues related to processing of clinical trial and research agreements.
Research Administration
Review internal documentation, budget submissions, and exhibits from departments
for new awards and supplements ensuring accuracy and contractual alignment. Identify and apply relevant university and Office of Research policies (e.g., F&A rates, COI compliance, AAHRPP compliance) and sponsor proposal requirements; verify and ensure that faculty’s research submissions are consistent with those policies.
Complete all applicable checklists and appropriately track and document activities in RAMS SPOT. On a regular basis, provide investigators and coordinators with updates on negotiation progress, evidenced by emails, telephone contacts and/or other written documentation.
Notify and remind investigators of important obligations set forth in their agreements, evidenced by emails, telephone contacts and/or other written documentation. Provide answers to faculty/staff questions in a timely manner.
Manage the pre-award and post-award functions including proposal review, administrative action processing, modifications, and extensions with for-profit industry sponsors as well as non-industry sponsors (non-profit and federal flow-through). A key responsibility is coordinating the formal hand-off to the Post-Award team to ensure a seamless transition from contract execution to financial awarding.
Stakeholder Engagement
Serve as an Institutional contracting liaison for units and participate in study activation and planning discussions to resolve complex contracting issues. Collaborate with internal partners, including VCU Innovation Gateway, the Office of Research Integrity and Ethics, the Office of Research Subjects Protection, Export Control, and VCUHS stakeholders, as applicable, to ensure coordinated, efficient, and compliant research activation. Represent the Division of Sponsored Programs in a professional manner during discussions with external sponsors, contract research organizations, and partner institution.
Miscellaneous
Perform other duties as assigned by the supervisor.
Qualifications:
Minimum Qualifications
Demonstrated ability to work in and foster an environment of respect, professionalism and civility with a population of faculty, staff, and students from all backgrounds and experiences, or a commitment to do so as a staff member at VCU.
Only applicants who do not require current or future sponsorship for employment will be considered.
Communication & Collaboration: Excellent written and oral communication skills with a demonstrated ability to contribute effectively within a team-oriented environment.
Organizational Expertise: Strong analytical and problem-solving skills, with a rigorous attention to detail and the ability to prioritize and execute multiple concurrent tasks in a dynamic, fast-paced setting.
Problem-Solving & Innovation: Demonstrated ability to creatively resolve complex issues related to sponsored programs administration, particularly in the negotiation and management of clinical trials and research contracts.
Regulatory Fluency: Proven ability to accurately interpret and apply complex regulations, university policies, and intricate contractual terms.
Customer Service Excellence: Commitment to providing high-level customer service to a diverse population of faculty, staff, and external stakeholders.
Technical Proficiency: Advanced proficiency in Microsoft Office, Google Workspace, Zoom, and Adobe applications; with the ability to quickly adapt to specialized research administration databases (e.g., RAMS-SPOT).
Education & Experience: Bachelor’s degree from an accredited institution or an equivalent combination of education and professional experience that demonstrates the required knowledge, skills, and abilities.
Preferred Qualifications
Working knowledge of academic research operations and generally accepted business practices.
Experience using an online tracking system or comparable sponsored program electronic database.
Experience working in research administration in an institution of higher education
At least one year of relevant professional experience in a related field.
Salary Range: 45,000 - 60,000
Benefits: All full-time university staff are eligible for VCU’s robust benefits package that includes comprehensive health benefits, paid annual and holiday leave, generous tuition benefits, retirement planning and savings options, tax-deferred annuity and cash match programs, employee discounts, well-being resources, abundant opportunities for career development and advancement, and more.
Unit: VP Research MBU
Department: Division of Sponsored Programs - Industry/Clinical Trials
FLSA Exemption Status: Exempt
Hours per Week: 40
Restricted Position: No
ORP Eligible: No
Flexible Work Arrangement: Fully Remote
University Job Title: 26211 - 26213 - Open
