Contracts Manager

Job Description

Job Description

Job Title: Contract Manager Federal Health Research Programs

Job Description

The Contract Manager oversees the full lifecycle administration, negotiation, and management of complex federal contracts, subcontracts, and research-related agreements that support health research and public health programs. This role serves as a key contracts resource for projects funded by agencies such as NIH, CDC, FDA, and HHS, ensuring strict compliance with contractual requirements, federal regulations, and organizational policies. The Contract Manager independently manages a portfolio of federal awards, provides expert guidance on contract administration and compliance matters, supports audits, and partners closely with program teams, finance, legal, and research operations to ensure successful contract execution and ongoing performance.

Responsibilities

• Manage the full lifecycle of federal contracts, subcontracts, task orders, and research-related agreements, from initial negotiation through closeout.
• Negotiate, structure, and administer complex contractual agreements with federal agencies, subcontractors, and research partners.
• Ensure all contractual obligations, deliverables, reporting requirements, and funding actions are accurately documented and properly executed.
• Support proposal submissions by reviewing contract terms, contributing to pricing and proposal reviews, and assisting with contract transition activities for newly awarded work.
• Ensure compliance with the Federal Acquisition Regulation (FAR), agency-specific requirements, federal cost principles, and internal organizational policies.
• Monitor contract performance to identify potential compliance risks and recommend appropriate mitigation strategies.
• Support internal reviews, sponsor audits, and government audits by preparing documentation and responding to audit inquiries.
• Maintain accurate and complete contract records, documentation, and files in accordance with organizational standards.
• Draft, review, and administer research-related agreements, including subcontracts, Data Use Agreements (DUAs), Data Transfer Agreements (DTAs), research collaboration agreements, and confidentiality agreements.
• Coordinate closely with legal, compliance, finance, and operational stakeholders to facilitate timely execution of contracts and research agreements.
• Serve as a contracts subject matter expert to project managers, principal investigators, and operational leaders, providing guidance on contract requirements, compliance, and risk management.
• Interpret contractual terms and conditions and advise project teams on obligations, limitations, and risk mitigation strategies.
• Track contract funding, periods of performance, option years, and key contractual milestones to ensure continuity of operations and timely actions.
• Support issue resolution between sponsors, vendors, and project teams, including addressing contract disputes, clarifications, and modifications.
• Maintain contract data and documentation within enterprise contract management systems such as Deltek Costpoint.
• Generate contract status reports and portfolio updates to inform leadership and project teams of current obligations, risks, and opportunities.
• Assist with contract forecasting and resource planning activities to support organizational growth and program sustainability.
• Review NIH and FDA contract modifications to assess impact on scope, funding, and compliance requirements.
• Negotiate subcontract terms with research partners to align with prime contract requirements and organizational policies.
• Coordinate with finance teams regarding funding actions, invoicing requirements, and cost principles to ensure proper financial management.
• Review compliance requirements and audit documentation to maintain audit readiness and support continuous improvement in contract administration practices.
• Manage data-use and research collaboration agreements involving complex health data sets and research partnerships.
• Advise project teams on contractual obligations related to federal health research contracting environments and agency-specific processes.
• Maintain up-to-date contract records and data within Deltek Costpoint and other enterprise systems to support accurate reporting and decision-making.

Essential Skills

• Masters degree or equivalent education and experience in business, contracts, management, or a related field.
• 1015 years of experience in Federal Government contracting and contract management, including extensive leadership responsibility overseeing teams and a diverse portfolio of health-related federal contracts, or equivalent experience.
• Proven experience supporting federal health research agencies such as NIH, CDC, FDA, and/or other similar federal health research organizations.
• Demonstrated expertise in developing, negotiating, and administering complex federal contracts, subcontracts, and research-related agreements.
• Strong knowledge of government contractor compliance requirements, including FAR, agency-specific regulations, and federal cost principles.
• Experience preparing for and supporting audits, including sponsor and government audits, and maintaining audit readiness.
• Deep understanding of contract administration best practices and risk management in a federal contracting environment.
• Ability to immediately navigate federal health research contracting environments, including agency acquisition processes, stakeholders, and regulations, without extensive onboarding.
• Experience with enterprise project and contract management software, particularly Deltek Costpoint.
• Demonstrated ability to serve as a contracts subject matter expert and provide guidance to project managers, investigators, and operational leaders.
• Strong analytical, negotiation, and communication skills, with the ability to interpret complex contractual language and convey clear guidance.
• Proven track record managing a portfolio of federal awards and maintaining accurate contract records and documentation.

Additional Skills & Qualifications

• Experience supporting government-funded clinical research, public health, biomedical research, health informatics, or research services programs.
• Deep understanding of NIH contracting processes, clinical research operations, and federal health research environments.
• Experience supporting contracts for clinical research, biomedical research, real-world data (RWD), real-world evidence (RWE), health informatics, and public health programs on behalf of NIH, HHS, CDC, FDA, and other federal health agencies.
• Experience negotiating and administering data-related agreements, including data licensing, Data Use Agreements (DUAs), Data Transfer Agreements (DTAs), research collaboration agreements, and partnerships involving healthcare claims, electronic health records (EHR), registries, and other research datasets.
• Knowledge of health data privacy, security, and regulatory requirements, including HIPAA, human subjects research protections, data governance, and compliance requirements associated with federally funded research and public health initiatives.
• Experience using GSA schedules (MAS-PSC) and Best-In-Class contracting vehicles.
• Ability to work effectively in a lean contracting team with high visibility and exposure to executive leadership.
• Strong organizational skills and attention to detail, with the ability to manage multiple complex contracts and deadlines simultaneously.

Work Environment

The role operates in a hybrid work environment, with time split between on-site and remote work. The Contract Manager works in an office setting at least two days per week and may work remotely up to three days per week, collaborating closely with program teams, finance, legal, and research operations. The position involves regular use of enterprise contract management systems such as Deltek Costpoint and other project and document management tools. The work focuses on federal health research and public health programs, offering exposure to complex research contracting, data-related agreements, and interactions with sr leadership in a lean, highly engaged contracting team.

This is a Contract to Hire position based out of Rockville, MD.

The pay range for this position is $67.00 - $69.00/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)

This is a hybrid position in Rockville,MD.

This position is anticipated to close on Oct 3, 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 withoutregard to race, sex, age, color, religion, national origin, veteran status, disability,sexual orientation, gender identity, genetic information or any characteristic protectedby law.

If you would like to request a reasonable accommodation, such as the modification oradjustment of the job application process or interviewing process due to a disability,please email View email address on ziprecruiter.com for other accommodation options.

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

Massachusetts Lie Detector: It is unlawful in Massachusetts to require or administer a lie detector test as acondition of employment or continued employment. An employer who violates this lawshall 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 applicationsand qualifications, but final decisions are made by our hiring team. By applying, youacknowledge and agree that your application may be reviewed using AI tools.