Contracts Specialist

At AstraZeneca, we pride ourselves on crafting a collaborative culture that champions knowledge-sharing, ambitious thinking and innovation – ultimately providing employees with the opportunity to work across teams, functions and even the globe.

About the role:

We are seeking a highly motivated individual to join AstraZeneca’s Global Business Services (GBS) organization as a Contracts Specialist and provide a wide variety of legal and operational support services for the GBS Contracts, Content, and Templates Team (CCT). The Contracts, Content and Templates Team is responsible for managing and developing all core contract content and templates and driving contract standardization across the AstraZeneca enterprise. The Contracts Specialist position requires a driven, organized, creative, and detail-oriented individual who will contribute to the CCT’s vision and mission and will drive projects to accomplish team objectives. This is a highly visible role that offers excellent development opportunities.

We are a diverse, inclusive and innovative group who identify, build and deliver excellent shared services (which everyone can leverage) to enable AstraZeneca to grow and change at speed. We are passionate about simple processes – making it easier to get vital repeatable services done – for our patients, for our customers, for our teams.

We focus on providing exceptional value that contributes to our company’s success and future by freeing up the business (our customers) to push the boundaries of science to deliver life-changing medicines for patients. With the accomplishments, commitment, and passion that you

bring, the CCT is excited about what we will achieve together towards realizing AstraZeneca’s bold ambition.

You will be responsible for:

• Serving as the primary point of contact for contract template inquiries and feedback. Providing guidance, legal advice and necessary escalation, while also training internal stakeholders in the legal aspects of the template, to empower stakeholders to address similar queries independently.
• Managing CCT contract template support activities, this includes contract management, repository organization, template drafting and creating, project management, and the development of playbooks to align with changes implemented in templates.
• Leading various knowledge management and best practice sharing initiatives within the team, including updates to contract templates, guidance documents, and other tools and resources.
• Facilitating collaboration with the internal team, key stakeholders, and external resources to deliver seamless service while actively nurturing relationships to strengthen engagement and support and providing exception service to ensure stakeholders’ contracting needs are met.
• Championing innovative technology and automation initiatives while creating engaging multimedia resources that leverage digital content creation and engagement materials to enhance stakeholder communication and streamline the contracting process. Overall, fostering an interactive and creative environment for knowledge sharing across the team and with stakeholders.
• Provide dedicated support for contracting redlines, and reviews of agreements, and the development and implementation of strategies to address pushbacks while ensuring alignment with AstraZeneca’s processes and objectives. Ensure thorough and effective evaluation of contractual terms and conditions. Identify, assess, and mitigate risks associated with contract agreements, and provide recommendations for risk avoidance and reduction.
• Proactively conceptualizing innovative ways to streamline the contracting process for stakeholders, leveraging creative thinking and out-of-the-box solutions to simplify complex procedures and enhance user accessibility.
• Prepare and present comprehensive reports on stakeholder attendance and participation, leveraging data analysis to identify trends, measure engagement and provide insights for continuous improvements. Utilize data to support the team’s growth and ensure positive feedback from our stakeholders, in our legal support.
• Foster a culture of continuous improvement by consistently evaluating the contracting process and proactively seeking opportunities to enhance efficiency and effectiveness.

You will need to have the following qualifications and capabilities:

• Bachelor's degree in law
• 5+ years of contract management experience, including review, analysis, and drafting
• Demonstrated ability to communicate efficiently, work effectively in diverse and cross-functional teams and stakeholders, and possess strong collaboration skills.
• In-depth knowledge of contract law, legal terminology, and contract negotiation principles.
• Excellent analytical and problem-solving skills with attention to detail, with the ability to propose innovative solutions and implement needs of the CCT Team.
• Strong communication, negotiation, and interpersonal skills.
• Proven ability to manage multiple contracts and prioritize tasks in a fast-paced environment, while also maintaining a keen focus on quality, accuracy and stakeholder satisfaction.

Desirable skills and experience:

• Experience working within the pharmaceutical or medical industry, hospital or other healthcare sector organizations.
• Experience in Research and Development Agreements, Clinical Trial Agreements, Research Sponsored Agreements will be considered a plus.
• Experience working in a global legal environment