Research Contracts Budgets Analyst

Job Title: Research Contracts and Budgets Analyst (1-2 days onsite per week)

Job Description

The Research Contracts and Budgets Analyst (Grants and Contracts Administrator) analyzes clinical trial documents and partners with clinical teams to develop, negotiate, and manage comprehensive budgets that cover institutional research costs. This role works closely with pharmaceutical and medical device companies, clinical research organizations, and external vendors to negotiate study-specific budgets, contract payment terms, master agreements, master fee schedules, and vendor service agreements. The analyst also supports the training and development of junior Grants and Contracts Administrators.

Responsibilities

• Coordinate study agreements from initiation to completion, including study contracts, Study Start-Up Agreements, Accelerated Start-Up Agreements, Service Agreements, Physician Agreements, Master Contracts, and Master Fee Schedules.
• Prepare and provide tracked changes to contracts that require legal review, submit documents for review, monitor progress, and partner with legal teams to finalize and prepare contracts for execution.
• Review clinical trial protocols and complete the internal Qualifying Clinical Trial (QCT) checklist, determining the appropriateness of a Coverage Analysis (CA) on a study-by-study basis and collecting Principal Investigator signatures as needed.
• Develop and negotiate financially feasible budgets that ensure full cost coverage of internal research expenses while adhering to strict project timelines.
• Collaborate with site teams to confirm resource and expense allocations within budgets, facilitate vendor cost estimates, and clearly document resources and payees for Clinical Trial Management System (CTMS) development.
• Apply a strong understanding of billing compliance, fair market value, coverage analysis, study essential documents, organizational policies and procedures, and internal quality controls in daily work.
• Review protocol amendments, protocol letters, and study communications to determine impacts on coverage analysis, contracts, and budgets, and implement necessary changes resulting from these amendments.
• Use Microsoft Office applications, primarily Excel, to support enhancements to budget templates and tools for improved efficiency and ease of use.
• Collaborate effectively with post-award teams to resolve issues, understand downstream impacts of finalized budgets and contracts, and support process improvements that streamline post-award workflows.
• Adapt to changes in standards and processes, support implementation of new practices, and contribute thoughtful ideas and feedback for improvements.
• Support special projects that require data analysis and data mining to inform decision-making and process optimization.
• Maintain complete, accurate, and organized files of all project documents and related documentation within internal platforms.
• Cultivate and maintain positive working relationships with internal stakeholders and external sponsoring agencies to facilitate smooth negotiations and ongoing collaboration.
• Track clear metrics and maintain or enhance metric dashboards to support KPI reporting and leadership review.
• Respond to questions and queries within expected timelines, provide clear feedback, and offer updates when delays or changes occur.
• Assist in the training and development of lower-level Grants and Contracts Administrators by sharing knowledge, best practices, and guidance on processes.

Essential Skills

• Over 4 years of experience working with clinical trials.
• At least 3 years of experience working with contracts and budgeting in a clinical research setting.
• Required: Bachelor's degree, preferably in Accounting.
• Required: Minimum of 2 years of research experience.
• Experience with billing processes and negotiating with study sponsors.
• Strong understanding of clinical research and clinical trials operations.
• Knowledge of billing compliance, fair market value, and coverage analysis practices.
• Ability to review clinical trial protocols and complete Qualifying Clinical Trial (QCT) checklists.
• Ability to develop and negotiate financially sound study budgets that ensure internal cost coverage.
• Proficiency with Microsoft Office applications, particularly Excel, including the ability to support template and tool enhancements.
• Strong analytical skills for data analysis, data mining, and impact assessment of protocol amendments on budgets and contracts.
• Excellent organizational skills to maintain complete and accurate project documentation.
• Effective communication skills for collaborating with legal teams, site teams, sponsors, and internal stakeholders.
• Ability to work within strict timelines and manage multiple projects simultaneously.
• Capability to track and report key metrics and maintain KPI dashboards.

Additional Skills & Qualifications

• Exp in Accounting or a related field.
• Experience working with pharmaceutical companies, medical device companies, clinical research organizations (CROs), and external vendors.
• Familiarity with Clinical Trial Management Systems (CTMS) and documenting resource and payee information for system development.
• Experience with master agreements, master fee schedules, and vendor service agreements.
• Understanding of institutional policies, procedures, and internal quality controls related to clinical research.
• Ability to contribute to process improvement initiatives and support implementation of new standards.
• Experience supporting special projects that involve data analysis and data mining.
• Ability to train and mentor junior Grants and Contracts Administrators.
• Strong relationship-building skills with internal stakeholders and external sponsoring agencies.

Work Environment

This position follows a hybrid work model based in Orange County, with 1-2 days per week spent in the office. During the initial onboarding period, the first two weeks may be fully in-office to support training and integration into processes and systems. The role involves frequent collaboration with clinical site teams, legal departments, sponsors, and post-award teams, primarily using standard office technologies and Microsoft Office applications, especially Excel. The work environment emphasizes organized documentation practices, adherence to timelines, and cross-functional communication, offering the potential for long-term permanent employment after successful completion of the initial contract period.

Job Type & Location

This is a Contract to Hire position based out of Anaheim, CA.

Pay and Benefits

The pay range for this position is $35.00 - $45.00/hr.

Individual compensation offered for this position within this range will depend on many factors, including qualifications, skills, relevant experience, job knowledge, geographic location, internal equity, and other pertinent job-related factors.

Eligibility requirements apply to some benefits and may depend on your job classification and length of employment. Benefits are subject to change and may be subject to specific elections, plan, or program terms. If eligible, the benefits available for this temporary role may include the following: • Medical, dental & vision • Critical Illness, Accident, and Hospital • 401(k) Retirement Plan - Pre-tax and Roth post-tax contributions available • Life Insurance (Voluntary Life & AD&D for the employee and dependents) • Short and long-term disability • Health Spending Account (HSA) • Transportation benefits • Employee Assistance Program • Time Off/Leave (PTO, Vacation or Sick Leave)

Workplace Type

This is a hybrid position in Anaheim,CA.

Application Deadline

This position is anticipated to close on Sep 12, 2026.

About Actalent

Actalent is a global leader in engineering and sciences services and talent solutions. We help visionary companies advance their engineering and science initiatives through access to specialized experts who drive scale, innovation and speed to market. With a network of almost 20,000 consultants and 5,000 clients across the U.S., Canada, Asia and Europe, Actalent serves many of the Fortune 500. We are proud to be an Engineering News-Record (ENR) Top 500 Design Firm for our engineering design services and a ClearlyRated Best of Staffing winner for both client and talent service.

The company is an equal opportunity employer and will consider all applications without regard to race, sex, age, color, religion, national origin, veteran status, disability, sexual orientation, gender identity, genetic information or any characteristic protected by law.

If you would like to request a reasonable accommodation, such as the modification or adjustment of the job application process or interviewing process due to a disability, please email actalentaccommodation@actalentservices.com for other accommodation options.

San Francisco Fair Chance Ordinance: Pursuant to the San Francisco Fair Chance Ordinance, for all positions located in the city and county of San Francisco, we will consider for employment qualified applicants with arrest and conviction records.

Massachusetts Lie Detector: It is unlawful in Massachusetts to require or administer a lie detector test as a condition of employment or continued employment. An employer who violates this law shall be subject to criminal penalties and civil liability.

Use of Artificial Intelligence (AI): We may use Artificial Intelligence (AI) to support parts of our hiring process, including sourcing, screening, and evaluating candidates. AI helps assess applications and qualifications, but final decisions are made by our hiring team. By applying, you acknowledge and agree that your application may be reviewed using AI tools.