Senior Counsel - Research and Innovation

Cincinnati Children's Office of Academic Affairs and Career Development; Cincinnati (OH); On-site; USD 141,000 - 184,000; Full time

Job summary

Cincinnati Children’s is seeking a Senior Counsel, Research Innovations to provide lead transactional legal support for the organization’s research enterprise. You will structure, draft, negotiate, and manage complex research and innovation related agreements, with deep expertise in federal research compliance and sponsored programs.

This role advises faculty investigators, innovation partners, and administrative stakeholders, operating with autonomy on high-impact matters and supporting

Qualifications

• Juris Doctor from an accredited law school.
• Maintain licensure to practice law in the State of Ohio.
• 5 years of legal experience, with substantial experience in research and innovation transactions in an academic medical center, research institution, healthcare system, life sciences company, or major law firm.

Responsibilities

• Lead on complex research agreements including sponsored research, clinical trial, collaboration and data use agreements.
• Negotiate sophisticated contracts and advise on transaction structures balancing research integrity, compliance, IP, and institutional risk.
• Improve templates, playbooks, and contracting workflows; contribute to training on contracting practices and risk awareness.

Skills

Negotiation

Contract drafting

Education

Juris Doctor (JD)

Ohio law license

Job description

• Expected Starting Pay Range $141,232.00 - $183,601.60
• Starting pay is based on experience, skills, and equity; exceptions may apply for highly qualified candidates. Additional pay (e.g., shift, on‑call, or weekend differentials) and benefits may apply. Annual pay may vary based on FTE status.

Primary Location

Burnet Campus

Department

Legal

Shift

Day (United States of America)

Schedule

Full time

Weekly Hours

40

FTE

1

Employee Status

Regular

• Expected Starting Pay Range $141,232.00 - $183,601.60
• Starting pay is based on experience, skills, and equity; exceptions may apply for highly qualified candidates. Additional pay (e.g., shift, on‑call, or weekend differentials) and benefits may apply. Annual pay may vary based on FTE status.

Position Summary

The Senior Counsel, Research Innovations provides lead transactional legal support for the organization’s research enterprise, with primary responsibility for structuring, drafting, negotiating, and managing complex research and innovation-related agreements. This is a specialized role for an attorney with deep expertise in federal research compliance, sponsored programs, and the legal and regulatory frameworks unique to academic medical centers and their affiliated research institutions. The role carries a sophisticated, high-stakes practice spanning federal grant law, technology transfer, academic medicine with significant exposure to health system collaborators, and a broad range of institutional stakeholders.

This role serves as a trusted advisor to faculty investigators, innovation partners, and administrative stakeholders, and operates with substantial autonomy on high-impact matters. The Senior Counsel supports institutional priorities across the research enterprise, including collaborations with academic institutions, industry sponsors, foundations, and government agencies.

Job Responsibilities

Research Transactions Leadership

• Serve as lead attorney on complex research agreements, including but not limited to:
• Sponsored research agreements (industry and foundation)
• Clinical trial agreements
• Collaboration and consortium agreements
• Data use and data sharing agreements
• Material transfer agreements (MTAs)
• Confidential disclosure agreements (CDAs)
• Independently negotiate sophisticated contracts and elevate novel or high-risk issues appropriately.
• Advise on transaction structures that balance research integrity, compliance obligations, intellectual property considerations, and institutional risk.

Process Improvement & Mentorship

• Lead developing and improving templates, playbooks, and contracting workflows for research and innovation related agreements.
• Support training initiatives for investigators and research administrators regarding contracting best practices and risk awareness.

Collaboration & Governance Support

• Coordinate with outside counsel on specialized or international research transactions as appropriate.
• Assist the Deputy General Counsel with institutional initiatives, policy development, and complex negotiations involving academic medical center relationships.
• Function as a member of a highly collaborative, collegial in-house team, addressing other legal issues prompted by the research and innovation enterprise as they arise.

Strategic & Cross-Functional Advisory

• May provide guidance on issues involving:
• Human subjects research and regulatory obligations
• NIH and other federal agency requirements, including federal grant and sponsored-programs law
• Intellectual property alignment and publication rights
• Data privacy and security in research collaborations
• Identify emerging legal and regulatory trends affecting academic research and innovation related transactions and proactively advise stakeholders.

Job Qualifications

Minimum Qualifications

• Juris Doctor from an accredited law school.
• Maintain licensure to practice law in the State of Ohio.
• 5 years of legal experience, with substantial experience in research and innovation transactions in an academic medical center, research institution, healthcare system, life sciences company, or major law firm.
• Demonstrated experience negotiating complex agreements in a high-volume environment.
• Substantial and demonstrated expertise in two or more of the following: federal sponsored research and grants regulation; research compliance (NIH, NSF, DOD, or similar federal agencies); government contracts; academic medicine or health system affiliation agreements.

Preferred Qualifications

• Experience supporting biomedical, clinical, or translational research.
• Familiarity with NIH funding mechanisms and federal research compliance frameworks.
• Prior in-house experience at an academic medical center or research foundation.

About Us

At Cincinnati Children’s, we come to work with one goal: to make children’s health better. We believe in a holistic team approach, both in caring for patients and their families, and in advancing science and discovery. We strive to do better and find energy and inspiration in our shared purpose. If you want to be the best you can be, you can do it at Cincinnati Children’s.

Cincinnati Children's Is

• Recognized by U.S. News & World Report as atop 10 best Children's Hospitals in the nation for more than 15 years
• Consistently among the top 3 Children's Hospitals for National Institutes of Health (NIH)Funding
• Recognized as one of America’s Best Large Employers (2025), America’s Best Employers for New Grads (2025)
• One of the nation'sAmerica’s Most Innovative Companiesas noted by Fortune
• Consistently certified as great place to work
• A Leading Disability Employeras noted by theNational Organization on Disability
• Magnet® designated for the fourth consecutive time by theAmerican Nurses Credentialing Center (ANCC)

We Embrace Innovation—Together. We believe in empowering our teams with the tools that help us work smarter and care better. That’s why we support the responsible use of artificial intelligence. By encouraging innovation, we’re creating space for new ideas, better outcomes, and a stronger future—for all of us.

Comprehensive Job Description Provided Upon Request.

Cincinnati Children’s is proud to be an Equal Opportunity Employer committed to creating an environment of dignity and respect for all our employees, patients, and families. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, age, genetic information, national origin, sexual orientation, gender identity, disability or protected veteran status. EEO/Veteran/Disability