Research Access Contracts Manager

We have an exciting opportunity for an experienced, organised and collaborative Research Access Contracts Manager to join Our Future Health. This role is central to enabling world-class health research by ensuring that research access agreements are managed efficiently, compliantly and in line with legal, regulatory and organisational standards.

Working across Legal, Data Protection, Commercial, Strategic Partnerships and the wider Access team, you will oversee the lifecycle of research agreements, support governance processes, improve contract management systems and help scale our research access operations as Our Future Health continues to grow.

Despite big improvements in healthcare in our lifetimes, today millions of people in the UK still live in poor health as they get older. Diseases like cancer, dementia, diabetes and heart disease affect the lives of many people in our communities. Our goal is to create a world-leading resource for health research, to improve our understanding and spot the patterns of how and why common diseases start, so treatments can begin sooner and be more effective.

Our Future Health will be the UK's largest ever health research programme, bringing people together to develop new ways to detect, prevent and treat diseases. We are a charity, supported by the UK Government, in partnership with charities and industry. We work closely with the NHS and with public authorities across all nations and regions of the UK.

This role will be fully hybrid with the expectation we get together in our Holborn, London office at least once per month. 

What you'll be doing

In this role, you will take ownership of the management and governance of research access agreements, helping ensure researchers can access Our Future Health's data, samples and participants safely, ethically and efficiently. Your key responsibilities will include, but are not limited to:

• Managing the full lifecycle of research access agreements, including Resource Terms & Conditions, International Data Transfer Agreements (IDTAs), side letters and deeds of accreditation.
• Acting as the main point of contact for issuing, tracking and maintaining research agreements with external researchers.
• Coordinating bespoke and non-standard research agreements, ensuring they align with organisational governance and access frameworks.
• Working closely with Legal, Data Protection, Commercial and Strategic Partnerships teams to ensure contractual arrangements are compliant and fit for purpose.
• Monitoring compliance with relevant legal and regulatory frameworks, including UK GDPR and international data transfer requirements.
• Managing queries relating to research agreements and providing clear, practical guidance to internal and external stakeholders.
• Supporting supplier contract oversight for the Access function, including renewals and procurement activities.
• Identifying opportunities to improve contract management processes, systems and tooling to support an increasing volume and complexity of agreements.
• Strengthening governance controls and helping mitigate contractual and operational risk across the Access function.
• Building strong relationships with researchers and internal stakeholders to support an effective, collaborative and scalable research access process.

We welcome applications from all who may not feel they match the full criteria, so if you have most of the below, we'd like to hear from you:

• Experience managing research contracts, data sharing agreements, clinical trial agreements or similar contractual arrangements within health, life sciences, academia or another regulated sector.
• A good understanding of contract types such as data sharing agreements, IDTAs, material transfer agreements and research collaboration agreements.
• Knowledge of UK GDPR, international data transfer requirements and wider data governance principles.
• Experience coordinating multiple contracts and managing complex workflows with excellent organisational skills.
• Strong stakeholder management skills, with experience working alongside legal, compliance, commercial and technical teams.
• The ability to identify opportunities to improve contract management processes and implement practical solutions.
• Strong analytical skills with excellent attention to detail and the ability to interpret contractual terms and assess risk.
• Excellent project and change management skills, with the ability to prioritise competing deadlines in a fast-paced environment.
• Strong written and verbal communication skills, with the ability to explain complex contractual matters clearly to a range of audiences.
• A collaborative, proactive approach and a commitment to maintaining high standards of governance, professionalism and continuous improvement.

Hiring Process 

We feel hiring should be transparent and give you a real sense for what Our Future Health is like. Here's what you can expect from our remote process: 

• Initial chat with our Talent team (30 min) to get to know each other, discuss the role, and answer any questions you have.
• 1st interview with our Head of Access Governance (30 min) - this is an opportunity to meet your potential line manager and for you both to align on role expectations.
• Competency based interview with with a small cross-functional panel of your potential new stakeholders (75 min). This will include a short task you’ll need to prepare in advance of the interview and is designed to get a sense of how you collaborate and with stakeholders, and how you'd approach the real-world responsibilities of this role.

• From £55,000 per annum basic salary.
• Generous Pension Scheme – We invest in your future with employer contributions of up to 12%.
• 30 Days Holiday + Bank Holidays – Enjoy a generous holiday allowance with the flexibility to take bank holidays when it suits you.
• Enhanced Parental Leave – Supporting you during life's biggest moments.
• Cycle to Work Scheme – Save 25–39% on a new bike and accessories through salary sacrifice.
• Home & Tech Savings – Get up to 8% off on IKEA and Currys products, spreading the cost over 12 months through salary sacrifice.
• £1,000 Employee Referral Bonus – Know someone amazing? Get rewarded for bringing them on board!
• Wellbeing Support – Access to Mental Health First Aiders, plus 24/7 online GP services and an Employee Assistance Programme for you and your family.
• A Great Place to Work – We have a lovely Central London office in Holborn and offer flexible and remote working arrangements.

Join us – let's prevent disease together.

Closing date: 03 August 2026 at 5:00pm

At Our Future Health, we recognise the importance of having a diverse workforce and ensuring that all candidates, regardless of their background, have equitable access to our application process. We proactively encourage applicants who identify as having a disability, neurodiversity or long-term health conditions to let us know if they require any reasonable adjustments as part of the application process.

If you do require any reasonable adjustments, please email [email protected]