Grants and Contracts Administrator - Clinical Research

Location: Orange County, CA
Work Arrangement: Hybrid – 1–2 days onsite per week
Training: The first two weeks may be fully onsite
Education: Bachelor’s Degree Required

Position Overview

InSync Consulting Services is seeking an experienced Grants and Contracts Administrator to support clinical research operations within a healthcare organization’s Finance and Research Shared Services team.

This role focuses on reviewing clinical trial documentation, developing and negotiating study budgets, coordinating research contracts, and ensuring institutional research costs are appropriately covered. The successful candidate will collaborate with clinical research teams, pharmaceutical and medical device companies, contract research organizations (CROs), external vendors, legal teams, and internal stakeholders to facilitate study agreements and support financial compliance.

Local candidates in Orange County, CA, only.

Required Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree required.
• More than 4 years of experience working with clinical trials.
• Minimum of 3 years of experience with contracts and budgeting.
• Strong understanding of clinical research budgets, study agreements, and financial processes.
• Proficiency in Microsoft Office, particularly Excel.
• Strong analytical, organizational, negotiation, and communication skills.
• Ability to manage multiple projects, meet strict deadlines, and maintain accurate documentation.

Key Responsibilities

• Coordinate clinical research agreements through completion, including study contracts, study start-up agreements, accelerated start-up agreements, service agreements, physician agreements, master contracts, and master fee schedules.
• Review contracts, prepare tracked changes for legal review, monitor approval progress, and coordinate final execution with legal teams.
• Review clinical trial protocols and complete internal Qualifying Clinical Trial (QCT) checklists to determine whether Coverage Analysis (CA) is required.
• Obtain Principal Investigator signatures on QCT documentation when applicable.
• Develop, review, and negotiate financially sound clinical trial budgets that adequately cover institutional expenses and research costs.
• Collaborate with clinical site teams to validate resource allocations, expense estimates, and vendor costs.
• Document resource and payee information accurately to support Clinical Trial Management System (CTMS) development.
• Apply knowledge of billing compliance, fair market value, coverage analysis, study documentation, internal policies, and quality control standards.
• Review protocol amendments, protocol letters, and related communications to identify impacts on coverage analysis, contracts, and budgets.
• Use Excel and other Microsoft Office applications to analyze financial data, maintain templates, and improve budgeting tools and workflows.
• Collaborate with post-award teams to resolve issues, improve processes, and support efficient downstream financial operations.
• Participate in special projects involving data analysis, data mining, and process improvement.
• Maintain complete, accurate, and organized study files and supporting documentation within internal systems.
• Build and maintain productive working relationships with internal stakeholders, sponsoring agencies, CROs, and external vendors.
• Track performance metrics, maintain KPI dashboards, and prepare data for leadership reporting and review.
• Respond to questions and requests within established timelines and communicate status updates when needed.
• Adapt to evolving processes, support implementation of new standards, and provide recommendations for operational improvements.
• Assist with training and developing junior-level Grants and Contracts Administrators as needed.

Ideal Candidate

The ideal candidate has substantial clinical research experience and a strong background in contract negotiation, clinical trial budgeting, and financial analysis. They are detail-oriented, comfortable interpreting study protocols and agreements, and skilled at collaborating with clinical, legal, finance, and external research partners.

Interested and qualified candidates local to Orange County are encouraged to apply!

InSync is a national staffing firm specializing in education, healthcare, and non-clinical placements. InSync is a verified Service-Disabled Veteran-Owned Small Business (SDVOSB) and a Disabled Veteran Business Enterprise (DVBE). These certifications reflect our commitment to accountability, regulatory compliance, and high standards of Service.