Agreements Manager
St. Jude Children's Research Hospital
Summary
The Agreements Manager is a strategic member of the Technology Development and Industry Engagement (TDIE) department responsible for advancing St. Jude Children's Research Hospital's research, innovation, and technology commercialization objectives through the development, negotiation, and management of complex research and intellectual property agreements.
Job description
Serving as a trusted partner to investigators, institutional leaders, and external collaborators, the Agreements Manager oversees a diverse portfolio of agreements that facilitate research partnerships, technology transfer activities, intellectual property management, and industry engagement.
Job Responsibilities
- Manage and monitor complex agreements, including confidentiality, material transfer, inter-institutional, option, license, and corporate collaborative research, to disseminate and protect SJCRH intellectual property.
- Interact with SJCRH investigators.
- Interact with outside academic and industry representatives.
- Monitor existing license agreements for compliance with terms.
- Assist in development of strategies for licensing of inventions.
- Provide recommendations for structuring of license and collaboration deals to accomplish objectives.
- Manage material transfers into and out of SJCRH, and supporting documents; monitor these transactions for compliance with terms.
- Ensure researchers are aware of their obligations under new agreements.
- Compose correspondence and reports as needed.
- Manage reporting federally funded inventions to the federal government, including election of title to inventions, patenting and licensing activities, as required by federal law.
- Maintain a knowledge base of institution's research activities.
Requirements
- Bachelor's Degree in life science required
- Advanced degree in life science, law, or business preferred
- Five (5) – Seven (7) years of related experience with agreements
- Drives and monitors clear goal setting, accountability, and feedback for the department (and matrixed teams)
- Manages ER issues as they arise
- Guides performance of direct reports (or indirect if managing people indirectly) through coaching and development
- Consistently evaluates and addresses the team’s overarching development needs in line with the talent strategy
- Proactively builds and maintains key relationships within and outside the organization
- Guides structured evaluation of priorities with stakeholders for critical decision-making with a long term focus
- Facilitates communication and solutioning between stakeholders to address needs and perspectives
- Explores, identifies, and implements best practices around project management tools and risk management frameworks
- Leads complex/ long-term projects with a focus on resources, contingencies, and budgets
- Proactively engages with internal and external project leadership/ cross functional teams to optimize project outcomes
- Drives development of project management capabilities within organization to increase efficiency and effectiveness
- Strategizes value-based messaging and storytelling approaches through compelling narratives that influence the audience and inspire action
- Exhibits thought leadership in brand management practices, actively contributing to advancing the brand's long-term success and functional practices and standards
- Builds internal connections and external partnerships across executive/leadership levels
- Strategically understands stakeholder needs and manages expectations and relationships on a regular basis
- Can handle highly sensitive or tough situations with social and emotional grace and maturity
- Models resourcefulness by reaching out to people within and outside functional groups to get work done effectively
- Keeps large teams/ departments energized and focused on high-quality results by leveraging data/ analytics-based approaches
- Builds systems, processes, and capabilities that can set and deliver a high-performance culture
- Shows strong skills in thinking critically with a systemic view
- Shows expertise in taking a structured approach to analyze and resolve issues
- Able to distinguish between different sets of issues, set priorities, and make decisions
- Can craft the functional strategy aligned with business outcomes by understanding the needs of the business and helping them see the longer-term value from the function
- Demonstrates a strong understanding of the healthcare landscape and the internal customer's needs to consistently make data-driven decisions that drive strategic value for the business
- Has a strong grasp of the budgeting process and understands where the function can make or lose money to make the right choices that drive business value
- Strong breadth of expertise across multiple sub-functional areas within communications, and some across functional areas at St Jude
- Proactively tracks industry trends and emerging communications technologies and practices
Benefits
- Remote work eligibility
- Professional development
Company overview
St. Jude Children's Research Hospital is a world-renowned pediatric research and treatment institution headquartered in Memphis, Tennessee, dedicated to advancing cures for childhood cancer and other catastrophic diseases. Founded in 1962 by entertainer Danny Thomas, it stands as the first and only National Cancer Institute-designated Comprehensive Cancer Center devoted exclusively to children. The hospital operates on a unique funding model where families never receive bills for treatment, travel, housing, or food, with costs exceeding $2 billion annually primarily supported by donations through its fundraising organization ALSAC. St. Jude treats approximately 8,600 patients each year from all 50 states and around the world, with a focus on acute lymphoblastic leukemia, brain tumors, sickle cell disease, and infectious diseases. The institution employs over 7,000 staff members and maintains eight affiliate clinics across the United States. Through its St. Jude Global initiative, the hospital shares research and treatment protocols internationally, partnering with more than 350 institutions in over 90 countries. St. Jude has been instrumental in increasing childhood cancer survival rates from 20% in 1962 to over 80% today, while maintaining a robust research program that includes gene therapy, bone marrow transplantation, and precision medicine approaches.