Helping businesses, government and charities access the expertise of Cambridge University Academics

Provide administrative and strategic advice and support to the Director of the Wellcome Trust Sanger Institute and the Board of Management.

The True Colours Trust Project is a pilot project for the development of a 24/7 symptom management advice service for children with life-threatening illnesses. The project is funded with a view to rolling out the service model to other hospices. The role of Project Administrator is to:- Monitor and prepare for project reporting milestones by collating and analysing data.-Liaise with health economists to analyse the impact of the service on costs to NHS.-Implement and design all administrative procedures for the TCT team of nurses.-Handle all telephone enquiries to the TCT team, including dealing with families and health professionals.-Prepare and circulate agendas, compile minutes and follow up actions for committee meetings-Keep marketing material up to date

The Research Office administers all external research funding on behalf of the University. This includes providing advice to academics in relation to bid writing, contract negotiation and financial administration of active projects. As Assistant Director as well as being a key member of the senior management team I had personal responsibility for leading the Clinical School Team. The team administers all external funding for Clinical Research in the University dealing with applications with a total value of �235 million per year and providing financial administration for an annual expenditure of �77.3 million. The role involved:-Setting the strategic direction of the Research Office and operational direction for the Clinical School Team in particular.-Leading the office through a program of culture change drawing on project management and change management skills.-Reviewing existing and implementing new processes and procedures to ensure the service we were providing academics was as efficient and effective as possible-Creating and establishing the Clinical School Team and relocating the office to the hospital site.-Managing the day-to-day operations of the team and monitoring performance.-Developing strong working relationships with senior internal customers (i.e. Head of School and Heads of Departments) providing strategic advice on research administration. -Building relationships with national funding bodies in order to help shape and influence their policies and processes.-Representing the University in wider forums for the sector, for example presenting at the annual Association of Research Managers and Administrators (ARMA), contributing to Brunswick meetings.-Contributing to training for the sector, for example speaking at the Praxis Research Contracts training course (a Solicitors Regulation Authority accredited CPD course).-Chairing and presenting at the internal discussion forum for research administration.

This role involved managing and negotiating contracts for externally funded research for a group of Departments, mainly in the School of Physical Sciences and School of Technology. In addition to this I deputised for the Head of the Contracts Group. The role involved:Negotiating deals with funding bodies ranging from industrial companies such as GSK to government departments in a pragmatic and efficient manner.Drawing on my excellent communication and negotiation skills.Recruiting, training and advising the Contracts Managers.Acting as project manager through the contract negotiation phase to help academics and sponsors navigate through the University and to ensure all elements are considered including an appropriate budget.

The role of Pre-Award Services Manager was to lead the Applications Group and Contracts Negotiation Group and to have overall responsibility for the management, direction and policies in relation to all pre-award aspects of research administration. The role involved deputising for the Director of Research and:Providing strategic direction for the Pre-Award team.Managing and motivating a team of 25 people.Communicating with representatives from the Schools, Departments and Senior Academics.Liaising with major national funding bodies.Representing the University in external forums such as the Brunswick Group.

As Senior Contracts Manager I led the Contract Negotiation Group (CNG) within RSD. CNG was responsible for negotiating contracts for externally funded research worth more than �43m per year. Duties included:Aiding and advising the Contracts Managers on more complex negotiations.Monitoring performance and workload of the members of the team.Reporting on performance indicators and service standards.Maintaining good working relationships with external customers such as sponsors, departments, and academics.

As Contracts Manager I was responsible for the negotiation of contracts for externally funded research in a number of University Departments. This involved:Negotiation and drafting contracts in order to protect the University's ownership or access to the resulting intellectual property from research projects, reduce legal liability, seek optimal payment terms and preserve academic publication rights.Building and maintaining effective relationships with academics, department administrators, company representatives, and other sponsors.Reviewing proposed budgets for research projects and giving advice on cost and price.Recruiting, training and managing a Contracts Assistant.