Description
The Division of Research and Innovation is seeking a Senior Manager of Industry Contracts. This is a full-time (1.00 FTE), 12-month professional faculty position.
The Division of Research and Innovation supports OSU’s commitment to engaging in exceptional research by collaborating with faculty, staff, and students to facilitate ethical research, ensure regulatory compliance, and support the University’s strategic plan: Prosperity Widely Shared. Under the general supervision of the Director of Intellectual Property & Commercial Agreements, the Senior Industry Contracts Manager will support the strategic goals and tactical operations of the office by providing proactive support for proposals, negotiation, and life-cycle administration of industry sponsored research contracts and certain government-funded prime contracts and subcontracts having industry components.
The primary objective of the position is to support the growing culture of industry engagement at OSU through efficient negotiation and execution of industry contracts, development of industry relationships, and involvement with other strategic efforts across OSU’s campus.
This position must understand and be able to clearly articulate at a high level the differences between government and industry funding, industry research contracts, university research and administrative processes and policies, and intellectual property in an academic and industry environment. This individual, in conjunction with the Director and other members of the office, will be responsible for contributing to and interpreting principles of the organization, policies, and specific guidelines as they pertain to industry sponsored projects and strategic government subcontracts.
This position will have the authority to act in the Director’s absence and to independently drive actions and outcomes as necessary.
50% Contract Negotiation and Relationships
Support the development of relationships with industry partners and other strategic partners for OSU through effective negotiation of contracts.
Negotiate, draft, and finalize (a) complex industry funded agreements, (b) complex collaboration agreements amongst university, non-profit and commercial parties, © certain NIH, NSF, DOD, DOE, SBIR, or STTR federally funded prime contracts and subcontracts through industry prime contractors, and (d) foreign government research contracts. This requires negotiation of complex legal and business terms, including intellectual property and publication rights, confidentiality, indemnification, taxation issues, performance milestones and related financials.
Negotiate industry-facing contracts for Centers and Institutes under Division of Research and Innovation governance as required.
Manage flow of HIPAA data into university through negotiation of Data Use Agreements and teaming with Information Technology on negotiation and implementation of Business Associate Agreements.
Negotiate, draft, and finalize nondisclosure and material transfer agreements in support of both pre-award discussions and proposals, and post-award support for existing research projects.
Remove and reduce the negative effects of publication restrictions in industry sponsored contracts and federally funded contracts by having more proactive role in the proposal development, contract negotiation and life cycle administrative support for all such awards.
Work collaboratively with faculty and the Office for Sponsored Research and Award Administration on industry research proposal development and post-award management. Learn the policies and procedures of proposal development, help faculty create appropriate budgets, and connect them with university offices for compliance if needed for efficient proposal development.
Team with staff in the OSU Advantage on industry sponsored research, licensing and other agreements involving intellectual property.
Nurture positive relationships both inside and outside the University. Interact with a wide variety of faculty, staff, administration, students, companies, during the negotiation process for specific solutions to complex issues.
Identify contractual issues, potential risk or conflict in projects such as compliance, conflicts-of-interest, export controls, and accounting terms, and provide follow through until resolved by the respective offices.
This position is granted institutional signature authority on the range of industry research agreements and related agreement types as defined for the position.
Manage the resolution of contractual problems that develop in the course of projects by consulting with faculty, staff, sponsors and other offices within OSU, while maintaining a mindfulness around diversity, equity and inclusion.
30% Industry Engagement Strategies, Tactics, and Policies
Create and implement contracting strategies and tactics to grow industry sponsored project engagement across campus in support of college level efforts.
Develop processes and procedures to implement best practices learned from national organizations – such as the University Industry Demonstration Partnership (UIDP) or Association of University Technology Managers (AUTM) – as well as through relationships with top-tier universities who are heavily engaged with industry.
Propose and prepare draft policies in collaboration with OSU Advantage staff that allow OSU to implement best practices while staying within laws, regulations, other OSU policies, and develop guidelines for best practices.
10% Faculty Training
As needed, convene seminars and attend departmental and other campus meetings to provide education on the difference between government and industry funding; industry proposal development; industry funded agreements, government subcontracts; and OSU policies and procedures.
Team with the Intellectual Property and Licensing staff within the OSU Advantage, and others as joint training opportunities arise.
Advise and assist OSU department administrators, faculty, and staff members prior to, during, and after agreement negotiation and execution; interpret and explain contract terms and conditions.
Contribute written educational materials and update the OSU Advantage industry associated web page as needed.
Continue education about each aspect of the university industry partnership process through attendance of outside meetings and conferences.
Maintain an ongoing commitment to promoting and enhancing diversity, equity, inclusion and access in the training environment.
5% Database Management
Working with office support staff, maintain office databases, such as Inteum C/S and Cayuse to maintain accurate records and tracking of agreements.
5% Other Duties as Assigned
Perform other duties as assigned by the Director.
Requirements
Bachelor’s degree or higher, preferably in science, engineering, business, public administration, government policy or law.
Five years of experience in a university or industry research contracts position, sponsored research administration contracting experience, or university/industry research partnering; or five years of experience of demonstrated ability to draft, negotiate and conclude a variety of contracts pertaining to the exchange of information, materials and intellectual property in a higher education or corporate environment.
Exceptional analytical and organizational skills and attention to detail.
Evidence of strong oral and written communication skills. Must have the ability to articulate and explain university principles to industry and both to faculty.
Demonstrated ability to be a detail-oriented self-starter who thrives in an environment that encourages strategic thinking.
Must be able to work on multiple projects despite frequent interruptions.
Must be a team player who can work collaboratively with others to produce win-win solutions.
Demonstrable commitment to promoting and enhancing diversity in a professional environment.
Preferred qualifications:
Training or experience in an engineering or physical science discipline.
Advanced degree in a STEM field, public administration, policy, business administration or law (JD or LLM).
Experience in managing relationships between industry and academia.
Ten-plus years of direct experience in contracting with industry on research and development issues.
Ten years of direct experience with or demonstrated understanding of complex issues related to the licensing or protection of intellectual property as pertains to industry sponsored research and development.
Experience with developing or reviewing SBIR/STTR, NIH, NSF, DOD, DOE and other US Government flow-through subcontracts including strong comprehension of FAR, DFAR or other agency regulations.
Experience with drafting material transfer, confidentiality, data use or technology license agreements.
Demonstrated understanding of the structure, purpose, functions and goals of a public university.
Understanding how existing and evolving university, federal, and state policies affect industry sponsored projects.
Demonstrated ability to work well with a wide variety of people, including faculty, industry representatives and legal counsel, as well as administrative staff, accountants and colleagues.
Demonstrated understanding of the role of confidential information in agreements and how it affects Oregon State University’s right to publish research results; property issues such as vesting of title to and accountability for tangible property; financial implications of payment terms; and liability issues.
Demonstrated ability to take initiative, prioritize workload, and work independently, under pressure.
Demonstrated ability to negotiate effectively to find win-win solutions. Excellent judgment, creativity, interpersonal skills, and common sense required.