Research Agreements Associate, Senior

School of Medicine

Established in 1930, Duke University School of Medicine is the youngest of the nation's top medical schools. Ranked sixth among medical schools in the nation, the School takes pride in being an inclusive community of outstanding learners, investigators, clinicians, and staff where interdisciplinary collaboration is embraced and great ideas accelerate translation of fundamental scientific discoveries to improve human health locally and around the globe. Composed of more than 2,600 faculty physicians and researchers, nearly 2,000 students, and more than 6,200 staff, the Duke University School of Medicine along with the Duke University School of Nursing, and Duke University Health System comprise Duke Health, a world-class academic medical center. The Health System encompasses Duke University Hospital, Duke Regional Hospital, Duke Raleigh Hospital, Duke Health Integrated Practice, Duke Primary Care, Duke Home Care and Hospice, Duke Health and Wellness, and multiple affiliations.

The Federal Contracting Associate provides cradle-to-grave management of federal contracts on behalf of the Office of Research Administration.  The Federal Contracting Associate also provides the Associate Director, and Senior Leadership with expertise in federal contracting processes, assists in the development of SOP’s and technical tools for the management of federal contracts, and provides educational sessions for Duke’s research-oriented community.  

DUTIES and RESPONSIBILITIES - 30%

Proposal Review and Submission:

a. Support School of Medicine (SOM) departments in the review and submission of federal contract proposals. b. Ensure that proposals adhere to University, agency, and federally mandated requirements, including compliance with federal and international laws and guidelines governing clinical research, effort reporting, costing principles, cost sharing commitments, Institutional Review Board (IRB) and Institutional Animal Care and Use Committee (IACUC) approvals, and conflicts of interest. c. Coordinate with departments and Procurement Office in the preparation of small business subcontracting plans when required. d. Facilitate contact between departments and Information Security Office (ISO) when solicitations include information security terms requiring Duke Health Technology Services (DHTS) review and approval.

Contract Negotiation and Execution: 30%

a. Analyze and interpret federal regulations, including FAR, DFAR, CFR and other government contracting terms and conditions.

b. Apply firm understanding of academic principles including Duke University policies, procedures, and guidelines in negotiating contract terms.

c. Maintain a positive working relationships with the Sponsoring Agencies while ensuring that, prior to award, all contract terms and conditions are acceptable to Duke University and PIs.

d. Work with departments to ensure that their PIs’ needs are compatible with Sponsor requirements and that Duke SOM guidelines are met.

e. Advise PIs and departments of any problematic terms prior to contract execution.

f. Work with other Central Offices to review and negotiate terms and conditions that require specialized input.

g. Alert supervisor/Senior Leadership when a resolution cannot be reached in a timely manner, or when the sponsor will not accept requested terms and a solution cannot be agreed upon.

h. Ensure that the project has all required approvals and compliance requirements in place prior to execution.

Subcontracting: 6%

a. Independently draft, negotiate, and execute complex federal subcontracts (incoming and outgoing), including those containing federal contract funding flowing through other universities, foundations and corporate entities.

b. Determine appropriate flow-downs for outgoing federal subcontracts.

c. Work with departments to issue and negotiate subsequent subcontract modifications

Award Management: 30%

a. Assist departments, PIs and other Central Offices in project administration during the life of contracts.

b. Serve as the administrative point of contact for Sponsors, and review/submit all official administrative correspondence.

c. Coordinate with departments, PIs, and other Central Offices to respond to Sponsor and subcontractor requests.

d. Aid departments in obtaining Sponsor prior approvals.

e. In association with other Central Offices, represent Duke SOM in audits, administrative site visits, and other contract-related meetings as they arise.

f. Have a working understanding of each projects’ finances as they relate to sponsor regulations, rebudgets, effort management, and CAS (Cost Accounting Standards) requirements.

g. Review and negotiate all contract modifications, working with PIs, departments, and other Central Offices if necessary.

h. Support departments, PIs, and other Central Offices in the completion of Sponsor-required closeout documents at the end of each contract.

Training and Procedure Development: 2%

a. Work with the Associate Director, Senior Leadership, and other SOM offices to develop and maintain federal contracting standard operating Procedures (SOPs) for Duke SOM.

b. In association with Research Costing Compliance (RCC) develop, schedule, and provide training to ORA and other Duke constituents on the federal contracting process and newly-developed SOM SOPs.

c. Assist in the creation of tools and technologies to aid in the submission, tracking, award and management of federal contracts.

d. Ensure relevant federal contracting information and materials are available on the ORA webpage.

Miscellaneous Duties as Assigned: 2%

This position will perform other duties as assigned, including subawards on federal grants, foundation agreements, CRADAs, and industry-funded agreements, as needed

PREFERRED SKILLS

Demonstrate skills in data analysis and formulating conclusions

- Adapt to changing grants and contracts management technologies

- Full command of grants and contracts systems; requires solid working knowledge of MS Office Suite (Word, Access, Excel, Power Point)

- Clearly and effectively communicate both verbally and in writing within all levels of the organization

- Manage and prioritize multiple projects/tasks simultaneously

- Able Create and present verbal and written reports

- Understand national compliance issues and apply this knowledge to circumstances at Duke University

- Understand and apply basic concepts of export controls as these relate to proposal submission and award management

- Understand and apply federal rules to contract negotiations and management

- Understand and apply financial management requirements to proposals and contracts

- Understand and help others understand common contract terminology

- Understand and comply with requirements for managing Federal contracts

- Understand and be able to help others understand the basic Federal rules, regulations, and requirements of IRB, IACUC, COI, IBC and Misconduct in Science

- Clearly communicate with faculty to inform them of obligations in meeting federal requirements when there are compliance concerns

- Escalate issues to higher levels at the appropriate time when unable to obtain a resolution

- Understand and apply basic internal control concepts to daily federal contract management

- Understand and translate concepts to actual practice

- Understand and apply federal and University rules to management of effort allocation for individuals compensated in whole or in part from federal contracts

- Understand and manage complex effort scenarios resulting from multiple appointment types (Private Diagnostic Clinic, Veterans Affairs, University)

- Understand the management requirements of broadly represented aspects of Federal financial research compliance and develop strategies for meeting compliance expectations within a dedicated unit and/or assigned portfolio

MINIMUM QUALIFICATIONS

Education

Bachelor degree required.

Experience

Minimum of five years of relevant experience related to legal and contracting or research in an academic, pharmaceutical, or contract research setting. A J.D., or M.S., or Ph.D. in a scientific field is strongly preferred.

An advanced degree (J.D., M.S., Ph.D.) may substitute for two (2) years of experience at the Offices discretion.

Duke is an Affirmative Action/Equal Opportunity Employer committed to providing employment opportunity without regard to an individual's age, color, disability, gender, gender expression, gender identity, genetic information, national origin, race, religion, sex, sexual orientation, or veteran status.

Duke aspires to create a community built on collaboration, innovation, creativity, and belonging. Our collective success depends on the robust exchange of ideas—an exchange that is best when the rich diversity of our perspectives, backgrounds, and experiences flourishes. To achieve this exchange, it is essential that all members of the community feel secure and welcome, that the contributions of all individuals are respected, and that all voices are heard. All members of our community have a responsibility to uphold these values.

Essential Physical Job Functions: Certain jobs at Duke University and Duke University Health System may include essentialjob functions that require specific physical and/or mental abilities. Additional information and provision for requests for reasonable accommodation will be provided by each hiring department.