Clinical Trial Contract Manager

Job Title: Clinical Trial Contract Manager Job Description The Clinical Trial Contract Manager ensures that clinical trial site budgets are of high quality and aligned with fair market value guidelines. This role develops and maintains the Sites Fee Framework and oversees the timely, accurate coordination, processing, monitoring, and administration of payments to clinical sites according to agreed budgets and contractual terms. The Clinical Trial Contract Manager supports the goals and objectives of the department and collaborates closely with cross-functional teams to enable efficient, compliant, and customer-focused clinical trial operations. Responsibilities

- Prepare, negotiate, and execute a wide range of clinical trial agreements with investigative sites and related partners.
- Review contract language and draft clear, persuasive responses to negotiate contract modifications in line with business policies and objectives.
- Maintain organized and up-to-date contract files and systems to ensure accurate documentation and audit readiness.
- Build detailed clinical trial site budgets that are of high quality and within fair market value, using protocol flowcharts to create costings, payment strategies, budget estimates, and negotiation parameters.
- Drive the development and ongoing maintenance of the Site Fee Framework to support consistent and transparent budgeting practices.
- Set up, close, re-open, and submit payments within all grants, ensuring accuracy, timeliness, and compliance with contractual terms.
- Use budget-specific and trial metrics and tools to report on performance, provide visibility into financial status, and analyze deliverables.
- Promote a culture of continuous improvement by identifying and implementing strategies and priorities that enhance the Budget groups operational effectiveness and value delivery.
- Stay current with industry standards, trends, and competitive intelligence related to clinical budgeting and contract best practices.
- Maintain close working relationships with Clinical Operations, Legal, Ethics & Compliance, and Clinical Development & Medical Affairs to ensure alignment and effective collaboration.
- Interface across Medical, therapeutic areas, Finance, Legal, and external parties such as investigators, site personnel, and third-party vendors to resolve issues and support smooth trial execution.
- Collaborate with Clinical Trial Managers and Therapeutic Area Leads for the review and approval of site budgets.
- Liaise with Clinical Finance/Accounting, Legal (as needed), and Clinical Operations leadership for approval of payment-related decisions, such as standard payment frequency, and maintain proper documentation of these decisions.
- Represent contract and budget processes in local and global working groups, sharing best practices and contributing to process harmonization.
- Demonstrate commitment to customer-centric behaviors by providing excellent service to internal stakeholders and external partners.
- Respond promptly and professionally to internal and external requests, ensuring a high degree of responsiveness and follow-through.

Essential Skills

- Clinical budgeting expertise, including the ability to build and negotiate site budgets within fair market value guidelines.
- Strong contract negotiation skills with experience managing and executing clinical trial agreements.
- Advanced analytical thinking skills to interpret protocols, solve complex problems, and analyze financial and operational metrics.
- Excellent organization and attention to detail to oversee payments, documentation, and timelines accurately.
- Strong written and verbal communication skills, with the ability to be clear and concise across different communication settings.
- Demonstrated customer service skills and the ability to maintain a high level of professionalism in stakeholder interactions.
- Proven track record in setting priorities, managing multiple tasks, and using problem-solving skills to support sound decision making.
- Experience working with systems and applications related to clinical and/or project management planning and reporting.
- Excellent proficiency in computer applications, including Excel, Word, and Access.
- Bachelors degree and a minimum of five (5) years of relevant business experience in the regulated pharmaceuticals or healthcare industry.

Additional Skills & Qualifications

- Understanding of cost drivers and benchmarks for clinical site budgets, including knowledge of fair market values.
- Ability to think strategically and formulate strong, persuasive contractual arguments to support business objectives.
- Experience with tools and platforms used for clinical budgeting, contract management, and performance reporting.
- Knowledge of Veeva or similar clinical and document management systems is a plus.
- Experience in procurement, purchasing, and contract administration in a clinical or healthcare setting.
- Demonstrated ability to work effectively with cross-functional teams, including Clinical Operations, Finance, Legal, and Medical.
- Commitment to continuous learning and staying updated on industry standards, trends, and best practices in clinical trial budgeting and contracts.

Work Environment This position operates in a remote work environment, providing flexibility in location while requiring reliable access to secure systems and communication tools. The role involves regular collaboration with global and local cross-functional teams through virtual meetings and digital platforms. Work is primarily performed using standard office productivity software such as Excel, Word, and Access, along with clinical and project management systems, and may include the use of Veeva or similar applications. The environment emphasizes a collaborative, science-driven, and patient-focused culture, with a strong commitment to career development, innovation, sustainability, and long-term investment in people and processes.
Job Type & Location
This is a Contract position based out of Ridgefield, CT.
Pay and Benefits
The pay range for this position is $60.00 - $67.50/hr. Individual compensation offered for this position within this range will depend on many factors, including qualifications, skills, relevant experience, job knowledge, geographic location, internal equity, and other pertinent job-related factors. Eligibility requirements apply to some benefits and may depend on your job
classification and length of employment. Benefits are subject to change and may be
subject to specific elections, plan, or program terms. If eligible, the benefits
available for this temporary role may include the following:

Medical, dental & vision
Critical Illness, Accident, and Hospital
401(k) Retirement Plan Pre-tax and Roth post-tax contributions available
Life Insurance (Voluntary Life & AD&D for the employee and dependents)
Short and long-term disability
Health Spending Account (HSA)
Transportation benefits
Employee Assistance Program
Time Off/Leave (PTO, Vacation or Sick Leave)
Job Type & Location
This is a Contract position based out of Ridgefield, CT.
Application Deadline
This position is anticipated to close on Nov 21, 2026.
Workplace Type
This is a fully remote position. About Actalent

Actalent is a global leader in engineering and sciences services and talent solutions. We help visionary companies advance their engineering and science initiatives through access to specialized experts who drive scale, innovation and speed to market. With a network of almost 20,000 consultants and 5,000 clients across the U.S., Canada, Asia and Europe, Actalent serves many of the Fortune 500. We are proud to be an Engineering News-Record (ENR) Top 500 Design Firm for our engineering design services and a ClearlyRated Best of Staffing® winner for both client and talent service.

The company is an equal opportunity employer and will consider all applications without
regard to race, sex, age, color, religion, national origin, veteran status, disability,
sexual orientation, gender identity, genetic information or any characteristic protected
by law.

If you would like to request a reasonable accommodation, such as the modification or
adjustment of the job application process or interviewing process due to a disability,
please email [email protected] for other accommodation options.

San Francisco Fair Chance Ordinance:
Pursuant to the San Francisco Fair Chance Ordinance, for all positions located in the
city and county of San Francisco, we will consider for employment qualified applicants
with arrest and conviction records.

Massachusetts Lie Detector:
It is unlawful in Massachusetts to require or administer a lie detector test as a
condition of employment or continued employment. An employer who violates this law
shall be subject to criminal penalties and civil liability.

Use of Artificial Intelligence (AI):
We may use Artificial Intelligence (AI) to support parts of our hiring process,
including sourcing, screening, and evaluating candidates. AI helps assess applications
and qualifications, but final decisions are made by our hiring team. By applying, you
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