Budget Manager, Industry Sponsored Trials

Position Summary 

All staff are employed through the Research Foundation. This role will be in service to COG.

The Budget Manager will provide scope of work and budget management responsibilities for the full portfolio of the Industry Sponsored Trials Department. The Budget Manager will be responsible for providing bidding/proposal management, budget development and negotiation, scope of work development and negotiation with external vendors, COG’s fiscal sponsor and industry partners. The Budget Manager will help coordinate special projects, which may include and is not limited to the general development and ongoing refinement of standard operating procedures and process improvement related to clinical trials, related scope of work and budget management and will assist with the development of templates, tools, metrics, and reports to provide critical operational information to Leadership.  The Budget Manager will also work with various stakeholders to ensure timely budget negotiations, disbursing, tracking, and monitoring of the industry trials portfolio. This position will report directly to the Associate Director of Industry Sponsored Trials (IST).

The COG Research Foundation, LLC is a 100% remote employer, though some travel may be required. Employee must reside within the United States.

Full salary range for this position: $91,910 to $137,348 per year. The typical hiring range for this position is from $91,910 (minimum) to $114,629 (midpoint), based on 100% FTE. The starting salary is determined based on the candidate’s knowledge, skills, experience, as well as budget availability.

Essential Duties and Responsibilities

• Manage bidding/proposal process with applicable vendors on projects with industry support. Negotiate budget and scope prior to initiation of a trial and oversee any necessary revisions throughout the conduct of the trial.  
• Manage the development of budgets and payment terms (including review of protocols and meeting with applicable stakeholders) and acquire internal budget approval.
• Negotiate budgets/payment schedules with industry partners to ensure appropriate financial terms and conditions prior to initiation of a trial and oversee any necessary revisions throughout the conduct of the trial. When budget revisions occur during negotiations that affect budget structure, cost reallocation, indirect cost allocation or payment terms, work with applicable stakeholders for review and approval.
• Manage budget justifications and fair market value assessments as needed.
• Develop and negotiate scope of works (SOWs) for contracts that address the roles and responsibilities of COG sites, internal operations, statistics, vendors and that of the pharmaceutical industry partner that align with budgets prior to initiation of a trial and oversee any necessary revisions throughout the conduct of the trial.
• Manage the flow down of applicable scope, budgets and terms and conditions from industry supported agreements to vendors and sites to ensure alignment with prime agreements.
• Maintain IST budget trackers and records. Ensure IST folders are updated, organized, and pertinent budget and scope of work documentations are saved.
• Serve as liaison and provide support to industry partners and participating sites regarding scope and budget questions on studies with industry support.
• Analyze, present, and clearly communicate budget information and reports in an accurate and timely manner. Provide regular budget reporting and make any necessary strategic and operational recommendations.
• Collaborate with fiscal sponsor to ensure budgets and allocation calculations are reflected in the financial system according to the approved budget and terms.
• Monitor all contract related updates, not limited to protocol amendments, enrollment closures, and completion of studies that have scope and budget impact.
• Maintain, create and/or optimize metrics, templates, tools, and reports to provide critical scope and budget information and assess current internal process efficiencies and provide recommendations to streamline or establish efficient processes.
• Build and maintain strong partnerships with internal and external leaders and stakeholders, with a strong focus on customer service and continuous quality improvement and assist in executing process changes and overseeing to completion.
• Develop, refine, and maintain standard operating procedures and process improvement related to the scope of work and budget management of clinical trials.
• Support the Associate Director of Industry Sponsored Trials (IST) to ensure that the IST Department’s scope of work and budget responsibilities are handled and optimized.
• Perform other duties as assigned.

Qualifications

To perform this job successfully, an individual must be able to perform each essential duty satisfactorily.  The requirements listed below are representative of the knowledge, skill, and/or ability required.

Minimum Qualifications

• Six (6) years of direct experience developing and negotiating clinical trial budgets and scopes of work.
• Bachelor’s degree in Accounting, Finance, Business or a related field, or substitute with four (4) additional years of related experience.

Other Qualifications

• Experience with Industry budget development and negotiations.
• Experience in financial planning, reporting, and analysis, with knowledge of finance policies, practices, and systems.
• Experience with or knowledge of nonprofit budgeting, including complex clinical trial budgeting, forecasting, compliance, and reporting.
• Experience with bidding/proposals with external vendors.
• Ability to gather, organize, and perform scope and budget negotiations with limited supervision.
• Excellent budget negotiation skills.
• Excellent math skills.
• Strong reasoning and analytical skills.
• Proficient in the use of Microsoft Office, especially Excel, and common desktop/web applications.
• Ability to handle multiple projects and prioritize projects with short deadlines.
• Excellent verbal and written communication skills.
• Ability to be an effective team player with ability to relate well with others.
• Ability to be creative, resourceful, reliable, trustworthy, and discrete.

Fair Labor Standard Act (FLSA) Status

This position is classified as exempt based on the job duties. However, based on the FTE, salary level of the employee, or federal/state/local laws, the employee may be classified as nonexempt.