Contracts Officer

UCL is a world-leading research-intensive university, consistently ranked among the top universities globally. Our Research and Innovation Services (RIS) directorate plays a vital role in supporting UCL's academic community throughout the research and innovation lifecycle, providing specialist advice and expertise on research funding, collaborations and contracts.

Within RIS, the Contract Services team provides a central service for research and innovation-related contracts, ensuring agreements comply with UCL policies, external regulations and funder requirements. The team plays an important role in enabling research collaborations while protecting UCL's interests and supporting the delivery of world-class research.

We are seeking a Contracts Officer to join our Contract Services team within Research and Innovation Services. This is an opportunity to support UCL's research activities by drafting, reviewing and negotiating a range of research-related agreements.

The role involves managing contracts including Material Transfer Agreements, Data Sharing Agreements and Confidentiality/Non-Disclosure Agreements, ensuring appropriate contractual protections are in place. Key responsibilities include advising stakeholders on contractual terms and risks, negotiating commercially acceptable outcomes and protecting UCL's intellectual property interests.

Working closely with academic departments, research support teams and colleagues across UCL, the successful candidate will manage a portfolio of contract requests, maintain accurate records using Worktribe and contribute to the continuous improvement of contracting processes.

The role is based at UCL's Bloomsbury Campus, with hybrid working arrangements available.

We are looking for a proactive, organised and detail-oriented individual with a relevant undergraduate or postgraduate degree, or equivalent qualification, and an understanding of contractual principles and associated risks.

The ideal candidate will have knowledge of key contractual areas, including intellectual property, confidentiality, publication rights, warranties, liabilities and indemnities, alongside the ability to assess risks and approach contractual matters pragmatically.

Strong communication and interpersonal skills are essential, as is the ability to manage competing priorities, work independently and maintain high standards of accuracy in a busy environment. A collaborative approach, sound judgement and the ability to build effective relationships with a range of stakeholders will be important.

Experience of research contracts, research funding or research support within higher education or a commercial research environment would be advantageous. A recognised professional legal qualification, or progress towards one, is also desirable.

We welcome applications from candidates who can demonstrate a commitment to equality, diversity and inclusion, continuous improvement and delivering a high-quality service.

As London’s Global University, we know diversity fosters creativity and innovation, and we want our community to represent the diversity of the world’s talent. We are committed to equality of opportunity, to being fair and inclusive, and to being a place where we all belong.

We therefore particularly encourage applications from candidates who are likely to be underrepresented in UCL’s workforce.

These include people from Black, Asian and ethnic minority backgrounds; disabled people; LGBTQI+ people; and for our Grade 9 and 10 roles, women.

You can read more about our commitment to Equality, Diversity and Inclusion here : https://www.ucl.ac.uk/equality-diversity-inclusion/