Director, Research and International Agreements

• Provides contractual expertise and leadership to advance collaborations with industry, government, non-profit, academic, and international partners.
• Develops and maintains meaningful interactions with other support groups, both within the Office of Vice-President, Research and International, and across the University.
• Contributes to the development, negotiation, and execution of agreements for strategic projects that advance the objectives of the VPRI portfolio and the University.
• Counsels and resolves as required on issues, conflicts, and disputes pertaining to intellectual property and agreement terms for sponsored research.
• Represents the University on internal and external committees, boards, and advisory groups as appropriate.
• Champions projects and initiatives to improve contract management and services related to the support of research projects and research programs.
• Fosters strong, trust-based relationships with external partners by ensuring timely communication, transparency, and a seamless experience throughout the agreement lifecycle.

• Oversees the efficient execution of all stages of the funding cycle for partnerships within the VPRI portfolio, from agreement preparation, matching grant submissions, to administration of funding.
• Manages contractual matters arising from partnerships within the VPRI portfolio in collaboration with the Partnerships Team.
• Supervises contractual operations and matters that may arise in research grants in collaboration with the Grants and Proposal Development Team.
• Addresses funding administration matters arising from agreements within the VPRI portfolio in collaboration with the Research Finance Team.
• Leads the negotiation of agreements with external partners, including ones that are of strategic importance to the VPRI portfolio and to the University, as required.
• Ensures that all agreements and contracts to be signed are compliant with the University’s policies and procedures.
• Develops and implements appropriate operational practices and protocols to effectively manage and administer agreements and contracts within the VPRI portfolio.
• Oversees record-keeping operations related to agreements within the VPRI portfolio in collaboration with the Data Analytics Team.

• Work in collaboration with the Safeguarding Research team to support the management of the Institution’s exposure to partnership-related risk
• Identifies and mitigates security risks in agreements and contracts within the VPRI portfolio.
• Negotiates contract terms and intellectual property rights in alignment with institutional policies and national and international compliance requirements.
• Supports the Safeguarding Research team to ensure compliance with relevant federal, provincial, and international requirements.

• Provides leadership, direction, and mentorship to the Agreements Team, fostering a collaborative and high-performance culture.
• Assigns work, sets priorities, and ensures optimal workflow across the team’s operations.
• Coaches and develops staff through feedback, training, and professional development opportunities.
• Designs and delivers onboarding and capacity-building programs for team members to strengthen expertise in agreement management.
• Develops, revises, and periodically reviews standard operating procedures to ensure efficient administration of agreements and contracts within the VPRI portfolio.

• Advanced Degree(s): research-based post-graduate degree with additional legal and/or business degrees are preferred.

• 10 years of experience in business or research administration, including a minimum of 5 years at an academic institution and with progressive leadership responsibilities.
• Extensive experience in drafting agreements and contracts related to research partnerships, international partnerships, intellectual property management, commercialization, and knowledge mobilization.
• Broad experience in working with senior leaders, academics, researchers, students, and staff in a university environment.

• Demonstrated knowledge of University policies and procedures related to research and international agreements.
• Effective communication skills (both written and oral), including the ability to: draft and edit legal documents; prepare and deliver presentations to large, diverse audiences.
• Exceptional negotiating skills, situational awareness, and ability to compromise with competing priorities.
• Outstanding critical thinking and decision-making skills.
• Outstanding interpersonal skills, including the ability to manage both internal and external relationships. Must be comfortable working with students, faculty members, academic leaders, and senior executives from small, medium and large multinational corporations, government officials, and international partners.
• Strong analytical skills, including the ability to identify and articulate contractual trends affecting the priorities of research sponsors and how they will impact the research funding process and the execution of funded research projects.
• Extraordinary team management ability, including motivation, leadership, mentorship, conflict management, and intervention.
• Demonstrated ability to understand and manage intellectual property issues, legal issues, risk and academic requirements in research and international agreements.
• Ability to balance competing demands and manage priorities.
• Understanding of the research process, and an ability to understand complex research projects to a level required to identify potential issues that may arise.
• Multidisciplinary technical knowledge and ability to recognize and develop research opportunities with potential industry partners and Principal Investigators.
• Advanced IT skills and technical proficiency with MS Word, MS Excel, MS PowerPoint, MS Outlook, Adobe Acrobat, and electronic signature platforms.

University of Waterloo