Research Agreements Specialist

Case Western Reserve University; Cleveland (OH); Hybrid; USD 53,000 - 67,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Healthcare

Retirement plans

Tuition assistance

Paid time off

Winter recess

Job summary

Case Western Reserve University is seeking a Research Agreements Specialist to support the review, negotiation, and processing of research and service agreements. You will ensure terms align with university policies, sponsor requirements, and institutional risk standards, handling data use, MTAs, and other contracts.

You will work with the executive director of research compliance and the agreements team, advancing AI-driven automation while maintaining thorough records and cross‑functional

Qualifications

• 3–5 years administrative experience in law, management, or health care.
• Bachelor's degree required; LLM or JD preferred.
• Ability to learn AI automation techniques and apply them to workflows.

Responsibilities

• Review, negotiate, and process research and service agreements in compliance with policies and laws.
• Identify regulatory, IRB/IACUC involvement, and draft/modify terms accordingly.
• Lead AI automation initiatives to streamline contract reviews and approvals.

Skills

Contract analysis

Legal/technical negotiation

AI automation

Research compliance

Policy adherence

Documentation & record-keeping

Independent judgment

Attention to detail

Communication skills

Education

Bachelor's degree

LLM or JD preferred

Tools

MS Office

Google Sheets

Google programs

Computerized databases

Job description

Case Western Reserve University is committed to providing a transparent estimate of the salary range available for this position at the time of its posting. The salary range is between $52,705 and $66,672, depending on qualifications, experience, department budgets, and industry data.

Employees receive more than just a paycheck. University employees enjoy a comprehensive benefits package that includes excellent healthcare, retirement plans, tuition assistance, paid time off, and a winter recess.

POSITION OBJECTIVE

The Research Agreements Specialist is responsible for assisting the Executive Director of Research Compliance with the review, negotiation, and processing of research and service agreements for the university. Serving as an integral member of the agreements team, this position ensures that all agreements are executed in alignment with university policies, sponsor requirements, and the appropriate agreement type. The portfolio includes a wide range of agreement mechanisms from sponsored research and service agreements, material transfer agreements, data use agreements, and other specialized or miscellaneous research-related contracts. Negotiation of these agreements is a highly technical activity requiring both scientific and legal fluency, as well as a strong commitment to upholding the university's positions on key terms while balancing faculty needs and institutional risk. This role also contributes to the university's conflict-of-interest and research integrity compliance programs by offering support with transactional responsibilities as needed.

ESSENTIAL FUNCTIONS (The responsibilities described below reflect the core functions of this position within Agreements and Conflict of Interest. As institutional priorities, regulatory requirements, and operational needs evolve, specific duties may be modified or rebalanced to support departmental objectives, provided such changes remain consistent with the position's functional role and classification.)

• Manage agreements in accordance with university policies and federal, state, and local laws and regulations. Review all sections of research agreements for sponsored projects administration. Evaluate requests in terms of compliance, circumstances, terms and conditions, appropriate templates, language, legal implications, and more. Identify appropriate risk level, Institutional Review Board (IRB) and/or Institutional Animal Care & Use Committee (IACUC) involvement, and necessary revisions. Prepare and negotiate the terms and conditions of all research-related agreements. Assist in the preparation of various types of agreements, including Data Use Agreements and Material Transfer Agreements. Manage the intake and storage of Addgene agreements. Meet with external stakeholders to negotiate terms and conditions. Propose and facilitate appropriate amendments. Develop and implement automation using AI in the workflow around the review and processing of all agreements. (75%)
• Support conflict-of-interest and research integrity compliance programs by assisting with ensuring federal regulations, sponsor requirements, and institutional policies are met. Lead the AI automation efforts in these spaces. Maintain thorough records. (20%)

Nonessential Functions

Perform other duties as assigned. (5%)

CONTACTS

Department: Daily contact with the executive director of research compliance, and the other staff of the pre award and compliance offices.

University: Daily contact with CWRU principal investigators, researchers, and staff.

External: Regular contact with investigators at our affiliate hospitals, and contracting agents at partner organizations, companies, educational institutions, and other collaborators to negotiate and/or monitor agreements as appropriate.

Students: Occasional contact with graduate students and postdocs as needed for an agreement review.

SUPERVISORY RESPONSIBILITY

No staff supervisory responsibility.

Qualifications

Experience: 3 to 5 years administrative experience, preferably in administrative areas such as law, management, or health care.

Education: Bachelor's degree required. Prefer LLM or JD.

Required Skills

• Technical and administrative leadership skills to analyze, evaluate, and communicate contractual matters relating to areas of research compliance.
• Ability to learn and execute AI automation techniques to improve process.
• Maintains confidentiality and communicates tactfully regarding sensitive information.
• Works independently and is able to balance a variety of tasks.
• Solid critical thinking skill with excellent attention to detail.
• Ability to prioritize workload to meet deadlines.
• Excellent communication, writing, and interpersonal skills with the demonstrated ability to achieve common goals. Communicate effectively and professionally, orally and in writing.
• Ability to create a supportive, advocacy-oriented environment.
• Service-oriented, collaborative approach to customers and peer relationships.
• High degree of maturity, independent judgment, and critical thinking.
• Sophisticated understanding of academic and medical organizational cultures across institutions.
• Advanced competence utilizing MS Office suite, Google Sheets and other Google programs, and other various computerized databases.
• Ability to meet consistent attendance.

WORKING CONDITIONS

General office environment.

This position is eligible for hybrid work arrangement up to two remote days per week at the discretion of the department. New employees may begin a hybrid schedule upon approval from the supervisor, successful completion of an orientation period and signing the remote work checklist certification form.

Case Western Reserve University is an equal opportunity employer. All applicants are protected under federal and state laws and university policy from discrimination based on race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, national or ethnic origin, protected veteran status, disability, age and genetic information.

Case Western Reserve University complies with the Americans with Disabilities Act regarding reasonable accommodations for applicants with disabilities. Applicants requiring a reasonable accommodation for any part of the application and hiring process should contact the CWRU Office of Equity at 216-368-3066 to request a reasonable accommodation. Determinations as to granting reasonable accommodations for any applicants will be made on a case‑by‑case basis.