Proposal & Contracts Associate

Innovative Trials Limited; Letchworth; Hybrid; GBP 42,000 - 62,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Flexible working

Pension scheme

Healthcare

EV Car Scheme

Cycle to Work

On-site parking

Job summary

Innovative Trials Limited is seeking a proactive Proposals and Contracts Associate to support high-quality bids and commercial agreements across our clinical trial patient recruitment portfolio. You will collaborate with the Proposals and Contracts team to build budgets, manage contractual documents, and support end-to-end processes from inception through study award and beyond.

The role emphasizes strong communication, attention to detail, and the ability to interface with internal and external

Qualifications

• Proposals and budgets experience with high-quality bids and commercial budgets.
• Strong writing, editing, and formatting skills for bid responses and proposals.
• Ability to lead smaller proposals from receipt to completion.
• Excellent communication and time-management for multiple deadlines.

Responsibilities

• Write, compile, and format bid responses and proposals with high quality.
• Develop cost proposals aligned with pricing parameters and business strategy.
• Draft and oversee MSAs, SOWs, POs, and COs to protect scope and commercial integrity.
• Coordinate handovers between Business Development and Service Delivery for SOW clarity.
• Analyse KPI data and support governance of proposal, contracting, and forecasting practices.

Skills

Bid writing

Budgeting

Contract drafting

MS Office

Tools

Google Workspace

Job description

Job Description

At Innovative Trials, we believe our greatest asset is our people. We are currently going through an exciting period of growth and are looking for a proactive, detail-oriented Proposals and Contracts Associate to assist with delivering high-quality commercial bids and commercial agreements across our clinical trial patient recruitment portfolio. We operate with strong values at our core, ensuring that as we grow, we remain a collaborative, inclusive, and high-performing environment where everyone’s contribution is valued.

In this role, you will work closely with our Proposals and Contracts team to deliver high-quality proposals for new and existing business opportunities, build accurate budgets, and manage key contractual documentation from inception through study award and beyond.

What You Will Achieve

• Compelling Bid & Proposal Creation: Contribute to writing, compiling, and formatting high-impact bid responses and proposal presentations, ensuring exceptional quality in written documentation, formatting, and graphics.
• Commercial Budgeting & Pricing: Develop robust cost proposals aligned with our business strategy and defined pricing parameters, leading on smaller proposals end-to-end and briefing third-party vendors for accurate pass-through estimates.
• Contract Development & Execution: Draft and oversee essential contractual agreements, including Master Services Agreements (MSAs), Statements of Work (SOWs), Purchase Orders (POs), and Change Orders (COs) to protect project scope and commercial integrity.
• Seamless Operational Handovers: Bridge the commercial and delivery phases by coordinating Business Development handovers, facilitating review meetings, and ensuring Service Delivery teams have complete clarity on SOWs ahead of Kick-Off Meetings (KOM).
• Process & Analytics Optimisation: Analyse KPI data and study metrics within final study reports, maintain active tracker databases (SOW/PO details), and actively contribute to evolving our proposal, contracting, and forecasting best practices.

Who We Are Looking For

• Proposal & Budgeting Background: Proven experience creating high-quality, industry-competitive RFPs and detailed commercial budgets, with the demonstrated ability to lead smaller proposals from receipt to completion.
• Exceptional Communicator & Organiser: Outstanding written and verbal communication skills, paired with sharp attention to detail and strong multitasking and time-management capabilities when balancing competing deadlines.
• Collaborative Stakeholder Partner: A self-motivated team player comfortable interfacing with diverse internal and external stakeholders, from BD and Service Delivery to external vendors.
• Technical Proficiency: Highly proficient across Microsoft Office (advanced Excel and PowerPoint) and Google Workspace equivalents.
• Industry Familiarity (Desirable): Prior experience within clinical research, clinical trials, or clinical outsourcing environments is highly advantageous.

How We Support You

We know that to take care of our business, we must first take care of you. We offer a comprehensive benefits package designed to support your life inside and outside of work:

• Your Time & Flexibility: Flexible working arrangements, 24 days annual leave plus Bank Holidays, and regular company events to celebrate our collective success.
• Financial & Future Security: A competitive salary, discretionary bonus, People's Pension, a recruitment referral programme, and long service rewards.
• Health & Wellbeing: Comprehensive healthcare, life assurance, flu jabs, and a dedicated Employee Assistance Program (EAP) to support your overall wellbeing.
• Lifestyle & Commute: An EV Car Scheme, a Cycle to Work scheme, and free on-site parking.