Contracts Manager

Integrated Care System; Liverpool; On-site; GBP 40,000 - 60,000; Full time

Job summary

A leading NHS trust in Liverpool is seeking a skilled Contracts Manager to lead contract negotiations and provide legal support for research activities. The ideal candidate should possess a strong legal background, excellent negotiation skills, and experience in a complex organizational environment. This role is crucial for enhancing the efficiency of commercial research engagements within the NHS.

Qualifications

• Demonstrable experience in negotiation of commercial or business contracts.
• Experience drafting research contracts and/or agreements.
• Knowledge of clinical research in the NHS.

Responsibilities

• Provide legal and contractual support to colleagues.
• Lead negotiations with stakeholders to resolve issues.
• Draft contracts to support research services.

Skills

Excellent communication skills

Interpersonal skills

Proactive negotiation

Education

Legal qualification or degree

Post graduate qualification in a relevant subject

Job description

Go back Liverpool University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust

Contracts Manager

The closing date is 07 August 2025

LUHFT are in the privileged position to be in receipt of NIHR funding to be one of twenty new Commercial Research Delivery Centres (CRDC). One of the key objectives of the Liverpool CRDC is to improve efficiency and speed of commercial research set up. The Contracts Officer post is key to the success in achieving this objective.

You will work alongside a close team of highly motivated individuals, sharing knowledge and expertise to deliver an efficient contract service between secondary, primary care and commercial partners.

Alongside UHLG, the centre will bring together Cheshire and Mersey organisations including primary and social care; voluntary organisations and 10 secondary care organisations from the region, including:

o Liverpool Women's Hospitalo Liverpool Heart and Chest Hospitalo Clatterbridge Cancer Centreo The Walton Centre Foundation Trusto Mersey Care NHS Foundation Trusto Alder Hey Children`s Hospitalo Wirral University Teaching Hospital NHS Foundation Trusto The Countess of Chester Hospitalo Mersey and West Lancashire NHS Foundation Trusto Warrington and Halton Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust

The successful candidate must have the ability to be pro-active and take the leading role in negotiations with Partner organisations, stakeholders and external clients. They must have excellent communication and interpersonal skills and demonstrable experience of working to strict deadlines and managing competing priorities

Main duties of the job

The Research Contracts Officer will be responsible, for leading and finalising contract negotiations and arrangements for research activity conducted.

About us

Liverpool University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust comprises Aintree University Hospital, Broadgreen Hospital & Royal Liverpool University Hospital.

We are part of NHS University Hospitals of Liverpool Group, formed on 1 Nov 2024 from the coming together of LUHFT and Liverpool Women's NHS Foundation Trust. The Group was born from a shared aim to improve the care we provide our patients.

UHLG is one of the largest employers in the region, with over 16,800 colleagues dedicated to caring for our communities - from birth and beyond.

For the 630,000 people across Merseyside, we are their local NHS. We provide general and emergency hospital care, alongside highly specialised regional services for more than two million people in the North West.

Aintree University Hospital is the single receiving site for adult major trauma patients in Cheshire and Merseyside and hosts a number of regional services including an award-winning stroke facility. Broadgreen Hospital is home to elective surgical, diagnostic and treatment services, together with specialist patient rehabilitation. Liverpool Women's Hospital specialises in the health of women and babies, delivering over 7,200 babies in the UK's largest single site maternity hospital each year. The Royal Liverpool University Hospital is the largest hospital in the country to provide inpatients with 100% single bedrooms and focuses on complex planned care and specialist services.

For roles at Liverpool Women's, visit their careers page.

Job responsibilities

Provide centralised legal and contractual advice and support to clinical, academic and professional service colleagues, including drafting and/oramending template agreements and contracts.

Lead negotiations with internal and external stakeholders to resolvecontractual issues.

Drafting contracts to a high professional standard to support the provision of research, research funding, research delivery and provision of research services.

Support colleagues in drafting, reviewing and amending legal documentation to identify and protect intellectual property.

Work closely as a team member with other staff including but not limited toclinical and support service staff, research and innovation departments across any Partner Organisations.

Work collaboratively across all stakeholders in line with any Memorandum of Understanding.

Person Specification

Qualifications

• Legal qualification and/or degree in a relevant subject or equivalent
• Post graduate qualification or equivalent in relevant subject

Experience

• Demonstrable experience of the negotiation of commercial or business contracts
• Drafting of commercial or business contracts
• Negotiation of research contracts and/or agreements
• Drafting of research contracts and/or agreements
• Experience of working in a large and complex organisation
• Negotiating and drafting licence agreements to exploit intellectual property
• Experience of working with clinical trials units

Knowledge

• Knowledge and understanding of company formation agreements
• Knowledge and understanding of the patent process
• Knowledge and understanding of intellectual property issues arising in a research context
• Knowledge and understanding of clinical research in the NHS including the role of commercial and public sector organisations, regulatory and governance requirements, NHS R&D strategy, ICH-GCP

Disclosure and Barring Service Check

This post is subject to the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act (Exceptions Order) 1975 and as such it will be necessary for a submission for Disclosure to be made to the Disclosure and Barring Service (formerly known as CRB) to check for any previous criminal convictions.

Liverpool University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust