Contracts and Budget Specialist
Providence Health Care
Contracts and Budget Specialist - Providence Research
Join our Research team at Providence Research as a Contracts and Budget Specialist. If you've had prior experience in research and are eager for a fresh opportunity to both expand your horizons and support a wide-ranging research portfolio, this role might just be tailor-made for you. We're particularly keen on individuals with a solid grounding in industry-sponsored clinical trials and budget planning – your expertise could be pivotal in enhancing our processes and ensuring the triumph of diverse research projects we undertake. Though prior experience with contracts is desirable, we are equally invested in nurturing candidates with an unyielding zest to learn and evolve. This newly minted position offers a unique chance to influence the trajectory of our research operations. If you're poised to leave an indelible mark in research and healthcare, we invite you to be a part of our dynamic ensemble.
About the Role:
As you report to the Clinical Contracts Manager, your role will play a vital supportive role for Providence Research. Collaboration will be key; you'll liaise closely with PHC, PR staff, UBC, industry sponsors, CROs, researchers, and an array of internal and external stakeholders. Your responsibilities will include prompt review and negotiation of clinical research agreements and budgets, coupled with the effective initiation of clinical trials administrative actions. As the Contracts and Budget Specialist, while teamwork is central, you'll also be expected to operate with a measure of autonomy, always adhering to the overarching guidelines set by the VP Research and President of Providence Research.
About Providence Research:
Serving as the research heartbeat of Providence Health Care, Providence Research predominantly operates from St. Paul’s Hospital – an esteemed teaching institution affiliated with both the University of British Columbia (UBC) and Simon Fraser University (SFU). But our reach is expansive. We have research initiatives that span across more than 30 programs and disciplines at 17 distinct sites scattered across Greater Vancouver. Driven by the holistic health and well-being needs of patients and communities, our mission intertwines teaching, knowledge creation, and translation. Our aim? To pioneer preventative measures against diseases and significantly elevate the quality of care.
Qualifications / Skills and Education
Education, Training and Experience:
- Undergraduate degree in Business Administration or equivalent professional designation.
- Minimum of three (3) years of experience in a research setting in the health sector, or an equivalent combination of education, training and experience.
- Familiarity with contract and financial administration in a hospital or university setting is required.
- Clear understanding of issues related to academic research, contract law, ethics and research on human subjects.
Skills and Abilities:
- Demonstrated strength in successfully negotiating business arrangements, contractual matters and budgets required.
- Demonstrated experience in account reconciliation and knowledge of accounting principles and practices is required.
- Experience using UBC RISe is preferred.
- Ability to identify and manage risk to organization and researchers of actual and potential non-compliance with contract and regulatory framework and with institutional policies for research involving humans.
- Ability to communicate effectively, both verbally and in writing.
- Ability to deal with others effectively, at all levels of the organization.
- Ability to organize work of self and others, identifying and managing multiple and complex competing priorities.
- Knowledge of universities policies and procedures relating to research, technology transfer and intellectual property.
- Ability to maintain accuracy and attention to detail.
- Ability to use office equipment and computer programs essential to the job, including presentation software, word processing, spreadsheets, and databases.
- Physical ability to carry out the duties of the position.
Duties and Responsibilities
- Participates in the long-term planning process for PR Contracts and Grants Administration, helping to identify research administration workload needs. This involves setting priorities, developing processes, and identifying errors/deficiencies in the system applications. Issues related to corrective action, testing, and validation are communicated to the relevant parties.
- Reviews and negotiates written clinical research agreements with industry sponsors and CROs, ensuring compliance with federal and local regulations, as well as PHC and UBC policies. Attention is given to terms regarding confidentiality, publication, intellectual property, liability, indemnification, insurance, financial reporting, payment terms, and human ethics approval. Consults various departments as necessary for evaluation and guidance and seeks approval from the Clinical Contracts Manager before executing research agreements.
- Oversees the administration of clinical research agreements to protect the interests of PHC and UBC, including aspects like intellectual property, publication restrictions, risk and liability, overhead, and departmental approval of research. Negotiates amendments and coordinates closeout requirements.
- Develops a functional understanding of hospital administrative and research staff needs for industry-sponsored and investigator-initiated clinical research arrangements. Recommends systems and procedures to enhance interactions between PR and industry sponsors/CROs.
- Maintains knowledge of PHC and UBC policies and procedures applicable to industry-sponsored and investigator-initiated clinical research. Provides guidance to principal investigators/research staff on requirements and implications of various terms in research agreements.
- Supports marketing strategies for PHC's research capabilities and clinical trial resources to industry sponsors/CROs. Assists principal investigators and research groups in identifying new research opportunities.
- Assists in reviewing clinical research budgets and negotiates them with industry sponsors/CROs on behalf of principal investigators, PHC, and UBC.
- Gathers and maintains data on current clinical research fees for services at PHC to ensure accurate budgeting for clinical trials and grants.
- Compiles metrics on PHC's clinical research activity from various sources, including research agreements, budgets, and databases.
- Represents PR on provincial committees and working groups related to clinical trials management. Acts as the internal subject matter expert on clinical research budgeting and financial management for clinical trials at PHC.
- Drafts required documents and prepares presentations as needed.
- Performs other related duties as assigned by the Manager, including administrative coverage support for the PR Contracts & Grants team.
Vaccination Flag
As per the current Public Health Orders (Long Term Care/Seniors Assisted Living Provincial Health Order and the Health Sector Order), as of October 26, 2021, all employees working for Providence Health Care must be fully vaccinated against COVID-19. Proof of vaccination status will be required.