FSP Site Budget & Contracts Specialist

Role Summary

FSP Site Budget & Contracts Specialist is a home-based role (USA or Canada) within Fortrea’s FSP team. The position requires budget/contract negotiation experience at CRO level, direct site-facing experience, and experience building global budget templates. The role involves preparing country site budgets and study financial appendices, and assisting with negotiation of site agreement budgets and financial exhibits of varying complexity as part of a global team.

Responsibilities

• Develop Clinical Trial Agreements (CTAs) utilizing standard templates and information from Contract Information Sheets. Ensure CTAs are executed in a timely manner to meet study start-up timelines. Liaise with legal departments to ensure content changes to CTAs are mutually agreeable and in accordance with approved standard language. Participate in Study kick-off meetings to obtain necessary information for CTA execution.
• Understand standard contract language to enable decision making on CTA sections when modifications are proposed. If language is not compliant, discuss with legal and work with the legal department, sites, contractors or vendors to resolve.
• Generate site budgets based on final approved country budgets for distribution to sites and follow up with investigators. Research medical procedure costs using local or global databases to provide data for site budgets, enabling Country Lead Monitors/Study Managers to calculate latest average costs.
• Manage CTAs ensuring changes to agreements and components are updated per client standards and Global SOPs.
• Ensure annual review of templates with Legal and Local Head of Monitoring and Site Management.
• Manage the contract tracking database, coordinate timely updates for CTAs, reconcile discrepancies, and post fully executed contracts in the designated systems.
• Process internal approval forms and other documents required to ensure compliance with Internal Signatory Process and for annual audits.
• Maintain excellent communication and collaboration as the point person among clinical trial site personnel, client leadership, Clinical Operations, Legal Counsel, and Insurance during contract negotiation.
• Prepare for internal audits by maintaining a complete and accurate paper trail for each site contract negotiation.
• Negotiate Master Services Agreements (MSAs) with Institutions where Clinical Trials have been conducted and ensure they are reviewed prior to renewal dates.
• Support country site budget templates, parameters, and payment terms to enable timely setup of individual site budgets.
• Manage and execute assigned site budget maintenance activities through the life of the study.
• Negotiate directly with globally assigned site master clinical trial agreement rate cards.
• Partner with site payment departments to ensure site budget and payment terms are compatible with payment systems and EDC requirements.
• Partner with internal Study Startup teams, Clinical Operations teams, and TAU partners to improve SB&C metrics and implement processes.
• Ensure standards are applied to SB&C processes across projects and portfolios, and support continuous improvement while developing TA-aligned strategies.
• Leverage industry tools and data sources to provide budget and payment terms feedback aligned with parameters and fair market value guidance.
• Promptly recognize and address potential delays and escalate non-performance.

Qualifications

• Required: 2+ years of budget/contract negotiation experience at CRO level; direct site-facing experience; 2+ years of global experience building budget templates.
• Required: Site-facing role experience; Bachelor's degree or equivalent scientific or commercial higher education.
• Preferred: Experience in healthcare field, pharmaceutical industry, or clinical research.

Education

• Bachelor’s degree or an equivalent scientific or commercial higher education.

Skills

• Contract negotiation
• Budget development and management
• Clinical Trial Agreements (CTAs) and Master Services Agreements (MSAs)
• Regulatory and legal coordination with internal teams
• Project coordination and cross-functional collaboration
• Data research for cost benchmarking
• Strong communication and documentation practices
• Attention to compliance with internal standards and SOPs

Additional Requirements

• Physical requirements: Frequently stationary for 6-8 hours per day; ability to perform repetitive hand movements; occasional crouching and twisting; light to moderate lifting up to 15-20 lbs; regular attendance; varied hours may be required.