Sr. Clinical Contracts Specialist

Actalent is seeking a Clinical Contracts Specialist to manage the full lifecycle of clinical contracts and support vendor operations and financial processes within a clinical research or healthcare environment.

About the role

The Clinical Contracts Specialist partners closely with Clinical Operations, Finance, Legal, and external vendors to ensure timely, compliant, and efficient contracting and vendor management activities. This role requires strong contract negotiation skills, attention to detail, and the ability to drive process improvements in a fast-paced, global setting.

Responsibilities

• Manage the end-to-end lifecycle of clinical contracts, including drafting, reviewing, negotiating, executing, and amending agreements.
• Lead and support clinical trial contract negotiations to align terms with organizational, financial, and regulatory requirements.
• Support vendor operations by coordinating vendor onboarding, ensuring required documentation is complete, and maintaining accurate vendor records.
• Oversee purchase order creation, tracking, and management to support timely and accurate vendor payments.
• Process and monitor vendor invoices, working with Finance and stakeholders to resolve discrepancies and ensure timely payment.
• Partner cross-functionally with Clinical Operations, Finance, Legal, and external vendors to align on contracting, budgeting, and financial processes.
• Ensure all contracting activities comply with internal policies, financial controls, and applicable regulatory requirements.
• Track, maintain, and update contract and financial data in relevant systems and repositories, ensuring accuracy, completeness, and proper documentation.
• Generate and provide reports and insights related to contracts, budgets, spend, and vendor performance to support operational and strategic decision-making.
• Serve as a key point of contact for contracting and vendor-related inquiries, providing guidance and resolving issues in a timely manner.
• Contribute to process improvements and standardization initiatives across Global Clinical Affairs contracting and vendor management.
• Identify opportunities to enhance operational efficiency, streamline workflows, and improve consistency in contracting and vendor management practices.
• Collaborate with global, cross-functional teams to support clinical trial start-up and ongoing operations from a contracts and vendor management perspective.
• Manage multiple concurrent priorities and projects while maintaining high standards of quality, accuracy, and compliance.

Requirements

• Strong experience in clinical contract management and vendor coordination, ideally within clinical research or healthcare environments.
• Proven expertise in clinical trial contract negotiation and management, including drafting, reviewing, and amending agreements.
• Demonstrated ability in cross-functional stakeholder management, working effectively with Clinical Operations, Finance, Legal, and external vendors.
• Working knowledge of financial processes, including budgeting, invoicing, and purchase order management.
• High level of attention to detail with strong organizational and documentation skills.
• Ability to manage multiple priorities and projects in a fast-paced environment with minimal supervision.
• Strong communication skills, both written and verbal, to support clear contract discussions and stakeholder alignment.
• Effective negotiation skills to facilitate contract discussions and resolve issues.
• Proficiency in contract management systems, financial tools, or ERP platforms.
• Proactive mindset with the ability to identify and drive process improvements and operational efficiencies.
• Solid organizational and project management capabilities to support end-to-end contract lifecycle management.

Qualifications

• Experience working in global clinical research environments.
• Vendor financial management experience, including purchase orders, invoicing, and payment tracking.
• Background in Clinical Operations, clinical site start-up, or experience as a Clinical Research Associate (CRA).
• Experience contributing to or leading process standardization and continuous improvement initiatives.
• Comfort collaborating across global, cross-functional teams and managing multiple stakeholders with varying priorities.

Work Environment

The Clinical Contracts Specialist works in a professional, fast-paced environment that supports global clinical research activities. The role involves frequent collaboration with Clinical Operations, Finance, Legal, and external vendors, often across different time zones, requiring clear communication and strong coordination skills.

Work is primarily performed using contract management systems, financial tools, and ERP platforms to manage contracts, purchase orders, and invoices, as well as to maintain accurate records and reporting. The position requires regular use of standard office technology and productivity tools, and it emphasizes structured documentation, adherence to internal controls, and compliance with regulatory requirements. The work setting encourages continuous improvement, cross-functional partnership, and a high degree of accountability and ownership over contracting and vendor management processes.

Pay

The pay range for this position is $33.00 - $38.00 per hour.

Benefits

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, and vision
• Critical Illness, Accident, and Hospital insurance
• 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)

Schedule

This is a contract position based in San Diego, CA, and is fully remote.