Contracts Associate x3 - INTERNAL ONLY - Strand, London, WC2R 2LS

About us

We are looking for three Contracts Associates to be an integral member of the Contracts Team, which provides a professional, effective and efficient service for King’s researchers by drafting, reviewing, negotiating and advising on contracts from private and public sector organisations for King’s research and consultancy activity. 

The candidates should have experience of negotiation with different stakeholders and preferably be familiar with issues relating to legal. Experience of costing and pricing project budgets is desirable but not essential. Applicants also require excellent organisational and communication and literacy skills, proven decision-making ability and be able to work well under pressure, both individually and as part of a team.

About the role

The primary role is to support our Senior Contracts Associates through drafting, reviewing and negotiating research-related agreements on behalf of King’s with external organisations and institutions and to provide an efficient and effective service to King’s academic community.  The Contracts Associates will be required to support the negotiation of the following agreements types:-

• Agreements for Research collaborations and contracts
• Confidentiality Agreements / Data Agreements
• Material Transfer Agreements (MTAs)
• Consultancy and fee for service agreements

The Contracts Associates will secure optimum terms in research or research related agreements (including publication and intellectual property rights, institutional risk and liability exposure, strategic value general provisions, apportionment of risk and reward, reputational management), referring to the Senior Contracts Associates and Director of Research & Consultancy Agreements where appropriate.  This will involve collaboration with partner organisations as well as service providers. To ensure the contracts they negotiate comply with King’s regulations and policies and, where relevant, those of external funding organisations and NHS collaborators.

The post holders will draft legal agreements for projects and provide a level of expertise in contractual negotiation. To recommend the acceptability of contracts in their area for signature in conjunction with Senior Contracts Associates and the Director of Research & Consultancy Agreements.

The post holder will have the delegated authority and responsibility within certain limitations to negotiate contractual conditions, draft agreements and submit official costs.

The role will develop and deploy an expertise in external funders’ terms and relevant costing/pricing methods in the context of King’s policy and negotiate the price to maximum advantage to King’s with particular attention to the recovery of full costs, using King’s Worktribe costing tool, and favourable payment terms.

To foster a strong working relationship with the academic community, the Contracts Associate will disseminate information on King’s policy and procedures and explain them as appropriate to academic and research support staff, including participating in seminars as necessary and hold meetings with academic and departmental staff, senior managers and/or external organisations as necessary to develop relationships and negotiate terms for activity.  To give academic staff accurate, clear advice on legal / contractual and policy matters - working in conjunction with the Senior Contracts Associates, Director of Research & Consultancy Agreements and senior managers and deliver training where required.

The Contracts Associate will be personally responsible for their own work and ensure that proper records of their activity are maintained and contribute to the preparation of Divisional and Directorate reports and analyses of activity. They will prepare detailed information and instructions as may be necessary for the financial administration of contracts they negotiate so they can be administered and managed properly and efficiently by the Award Management Team

To work closely with King’s staff on all campuses, including other colleagues in the Research Management & Innovation Directorate to ensure a consistent and integrated approach and response in policy and practice, and undertake such other duties as are consistent with the role of a Contracts Associate as required by the Senior Contracts Associates and Director of Research and Consultancy Contract and to work on such campuses as may be required.

These are full time (35 hours per week) roles, offered on fixed term contracts to cover leave within the team until January 2027.