Investigative Site Budget Specialist - FSP (Dedicated to client office)

Key Accountabilities:

Investigator Budget Development

• Lead the creation of global site budgets to ensure timely and actionable delivery to business partners
• Draft, review, and finalize global clinical trial budget templates in accordance with FMV and industry standards
• Manage amendments based on protocol changes
• Apply benchmarking tools, ICD-9/10 and CPT codes to standardize budget formats
• Track timelines to ensure budgets are built and delivered on schedule for both initial and amended protocols
• Support ad hoc cost benchmarking and budget template requests from business partners

Budget Oversight and Negotiation Support

• Develop tools and parameters for the Contracting Team to use in budget negotiations
• Provide input and support for global site budgeting and negotiation processes
• Update Master Budget Templates with current benchmarks and exchange rates
• Align templates with internal systems such as the site payment platform
• Maintain documentation and approval records for Master templates

Leadership

• Serve as a Subject Matter Expert in cost benchmarking, providing global training and support
• Oversee Investigator Budget Analyst team, managing workload and quality of deliverables
• Contribute to onboarding and training plans for the Clinical Contracts team
• Identify training gaps and lead initiatives to address them
• Drive process improvement and quality initiatives related to site budget development
• Mentor peers and train teams on budget processes, client best practices, and negotiation strategies
• Develop guidelines for acceptable budgetary standards
• Address complex problems requiring evaluation of diverse data and factors

Collaborative Relationships

• Work with Clinical Development Operations, Finance, Legal, Site Contracting, Functional Service Providers (FSPs), and Clinical Research Organizations (CROs) to ensure proper budget development and training
• Lead meetings with cross-functional teams to explain budget templates and parameters
• Support colleagues in site budget negotiations and document preparation
• Provide education and clarification on budget rationale to Clinical and Global Site Operations

Skills and Competencies

• Strong understanding of benchmark cost data and trends
• Knowledge of cost drivers in clinical site budgets
• Ability to articulate and defend budget decisions
• Proficient in summarizing feedback and identifying budget risks
• Exercises sound judgment within defined policies
• Keeps up with industry changes and contributes to process improvements
• Excellent written and verbal communication
• Strong analytical and presentation skills
• Effective cross-functional collaboration to support site activation
• Fluent in English; proficiency in local language as applicable

Knowledge and Experience

• Minimum 8 years of professional experience, including 5 years in clinical research, contracting, outsourcing, or finance
• Proven ability to train and quality control peer work
• Skilled in negotiation, project management, and relationship building
• High-level expertise in contracts and budgeting across multiple therapeutic areas
• Preferred experience in scientific contract negotiation and clinical study performance

Education:

• Bachelor’s degree or equivalent or relevant and qualifying training/experience