Senior Contracts Specialist; R26-49

About RF for SUNY at the University at Albany:

Employment is with The Research Foundation for the State University of New York, a private, nonprofit, educational corporation that provides essential sponsored program administration and innovation support services to SUNY faculty and students whose ideas and research generate ground-breaking discovery and translate to entrepreneurial and economic development opportunities for New York State.

Working at the SUNY Research Foundation for the University at Albany, you will be part of a team that provides essential services to the University as it moves to the front ranks of American higher education, supporting the advancement of education, research and discovery. The University at Albany, a nationally recognized research university with outstanding faculty, researchers and staff, offers challenging, exciting and rewarding careers to those who seek opportunities to grow and excel.

The University at Albany is at the forefront of innovation and exploration in a wide range of research areas, from the health sciences and engineering to the humanities and fine arts. UAlbany has been recognized as a Carnegie R1 research institution - one of the elite "very high research activity" doctoral universities as ranked by the Carnegie Classification of Institutions of Higher Education.

The Senior Contracts Specialist is a member of the Pre-Award Services team in the Office of Sponsored Programs Administration (SPA). This position is responsible for providing high-quality development, review, and negotiation of contracts with a primary focus on industry-sponsored agreements. This position works closely with university faculty, research staff, legal counsel, and compliance specialists to assess complex contractual conditions involving intellectual property, export controls, data security, confidentiality, and other regulatory requirements.

This position facilitates the contracting process from initiation through execution to support compliant award administration, protect institutional interests, mitigate risk, and foster productive partnerships with industry and other external organizations.

Description of Duties:
Contract Negotiation & Risk Assessment

• Review, draft, and negotiate agreements, with a primary focus on industry-sponsored agreements, such as research, consulting, master services, evaluative testing, teaming, and facilities use agreements.
• Manage timely agreement processing from inception through execution using SUNY Research Foundation electronic research administration systems, ensuring accurate records, documentation, and tracking.
• Collaborate with faculty, research staff, and compliance partners to evaluate and negotiate complex contractual provisions involving intellectual property, confidentiality, data security, export controls, and other regulatory requirements.
• Analyze contractual risk, provide recommendations to leadership and investigators, and communicate agreement status, issues, and outcomes to key stakeholders

Collaboration & Communications

• Provide expertise and guidance on industry and other sponsored agreements, compliance requirements, and regulatory interpretation.
• Review sponsor solicitations and contractual requirements, advising proposal and award-related compliance considerations.
• Partner with pre-award and post-award teams to ensure sponsor requirements are accurately interpreted and applied throughout the award lifecycle.
• Support continuous improvement of SPA policies, procedures, and best practices.

Institutional Initiatives

• Support strategic priorities, initiatives, special projects, and other duties as assigned.
• Participate in RFSUNY and University programs such as research-related presentations, webinars, and workshops (when offered virtually for fully remote staff).
• Engage with SPA teammates, University faculty, and research staff through meetings and working groups to share knowledge and advance SPA's mission.

• Bachelor's degree and at least three years of experience negotiating agreements, preferably industry-sponsored agreements in a higher education or research environment; or an equivalent combination of education and experience.
• Formal training in contract administration, contract law, or related disciplines is required;
  Juris Doctorate (JD) preferred.
• Must have experience in interpreting and applying federal regulations, sponsor requirements, and institutional policies and procedures.
• Demonstrated knowledge of federal contracting…