Job Description

Discover Vanderbilt University Medical Center Located in Nashville, Tennessee, and operating at a global crossroads of teaching, discovery, and patient care, VUMC is a community of individuals who come to work each day with the simple aim of changing the world. It is a place where your expertise will be valued, your knowledge expanded, and your abilities challenged. Vanderbilt Health is committed to an environment where everyone has the chance to thrive and where your uniqueness is sought and celebrated. It is a place where employees know they are part of something that is bigger than themselves, take exceptional pride in their work and never settle for what was good enough yesterday. Vanderbilt’s mission is to advance health and wellness through preeminent programs in patient care, education, and research.

Organization:

OLA (Legal Affairs) 10The Vanderbilt Health Executive Search Team is conducting a national search for a Division Counsel – Research. The Division Counsel, Research provides a broad range of legal support to Vanderbilt University Medical Center’s research enterprise, with a strong emphasis on research regulatory compliance and research-related contracting. This role is responsible for delivering timely legal guidance, reviewing, and negotiating a wide variety of research agreements, and advising on compliance matters that impact sponsored research activities. The successful candidate will be a strategic thinker, an approachable adviser, and a collaborative relationship-builder who thrives in an intellectually challenging environment and demonstrates alignment with VUMC’s values.

Shift: First Shift; Remote

General Responsibilities:

Legal & Compliance Advisory

• Provide legal analysis and counsel on federal and institutional research compliance rules and regulations.
• Advise on compliance with terms and conditions of federal awards, including the Common Rule, PHS Policies on Research Misconduct, and federal financial conflict-of-interest regulations.
• Support development, implementation, and review of internal policies related to Other Support, foreign components, research misconduct, conflict-of-interest management, and research security.

• Advise the Office of Sponsored Programs on grant-related matters.

• Counsel the Research Security Office, Research Compliance Office, and committees on regulatory interpretation and policy monitoring.
• Provide legal support for institutional review committees including IRB, IBC, and IACUC.

Contracting & Transactions

• Draft, review, analyze, and negotiate a broad range of research-related agreements, including clinical trial agreements, basic research agreements, IP and technology agreements, DUAs, MTAs, NDAs, federal subawards, international research agreements, and large consortium agreements.
• Conduct due diligence and provide strategic guidance on ongoing research relationships and proposed collaborations.
• Coordinate with and oversee outside counsel as appropriate.
• Collaborate with Vanderbilt University’s Office of the General Counsel and the Center for Technology Transfer and Commercialization.

Skills & Competencies

• Exceptional interpersonal and communication skills, including negotiation and ability to educate non‑legal stakeholders.
• Demonstrated ability to build trust and credibility with researchers, administrators, and senior leadership.
• Proven commitment to confidentiality, discretion, and high ethical standards.
• Ability to stay current with evolving laws, regulations, and enforcement trends.
• Experience facilitating policy review, development, and institutional adoption.
• Ability to effectively represent institutional interests internally and externally.

Qualifications:

• JD degree from an ABA accredited law school.
• Employment contingent upon State of Tennessee licensure or registration and receipt of In-House Counsel Practice Certificate. The successful candidate must also apply for and become licensed in the State of Tennessee within 12 months of employment or, if earlier, the date required under applicable rules of the Tennessee Supreme Court.

Preferred Qualifications:

• Five (5) to seven (7) years of progressively responsible legal experience related to clinical research compliance or supporting complex healthcare/life sciences clients.
• Demonstrated ability to advise leadership on sophisticated, time‑sensitive research matters.
• Strong experience with research-related agreements and research services agreements.
• Experience with federal awards and industry-sponsored agreements.
• Strong ability to identify, assess, and mitigate legal risks associated with biomedical research.
• Experience within an academic medical center or research foundation.

#LI-JC1

Our professional administrative functions include critical supporting roles in information technology and informatics, finance, administration, legal and community affairs, human resources, communications and marketing, development, facilities, and many more.

At our growing health system, we support each other and encourage excellence among all who are part of our workforce. High-achieving employees stay at Vanderbilt Health for professional growth, appreciation of benefits, and a sense of community and purpose.

Core Accountabilities:

* Organizational Impact: Implements strategies for a sub function with direct impact to the function results.* Problem Solving/ Complexity of work: Resolves highly complex business issues that are often unprecedented that have immediate impact on own sub-function or entity and wider implications to the organization. * Breadth of Knowledge: Applies expertise within professional/technical area and uses advanced business knowledge to develop objectives.* Team Interaction: Leads a sub-function serving the organization at large or across one or more entity(s).

Core Capabilities

Supporting Colleagues: - Develops Self and Others: Acts upon constructive feedback from all levels of the organization and initiates strategies to develop talent in others. - Builds and Maintains Relationships: Leverages relationships and insight to forecast potential future needs and influence delivery of work to exceed expectations. - Communicates Effectively: Anticipates difference audience concerns, styles and finds mutually beneficial solutions across conflicting and sensitive issues. Delivering Excellent Services: - Serves Others with Compassion: Demonstrates in-depth knowledge of broad-based issues and considers the interests of others to improve satisfaction of services. - Solves Complex Problems: Critically evaluates complex information and identifies trends/risks to make recommendations to improve processes across areas. - Offers Meaningful Advice and Support: Provides ongoing feedback and development discussions to motivate and support team members to maximize performance. Ensuring High Quality: - Performs Excellent Work: Anticipates problems or obstacles which may interfere with quality standards and develops plants to ensure area's quality standards are met. - Ensures Continuous Improvement: Routinely draws upon valuable learning from others, past experiences, and new information to determine key opportunities. - Fulfills Safety and Regulatory Requirements: Develops appropriate corrective actions for unsafe environments in order to ensure operational and safety compliance. Managing Resources Effectively: - Demonstrates Accountability: Identifies potential obstacles to goal achievement and develops solutions to address those obstacles. - Stewards Organizational Resources: Creates the appropriate systems and processes to effectively manage resources. - Makes Data Driven Decisions: Applies in-depth knowledge of data to recommend and implement new approaches to improve decision making capabilities. Fostering Innovation: - Generates New Ideas: Identifies opportunities and leads development of new initiatives that create value across areas. - Applies Technology: Creates the energy and drive for self/others to identify and leverage technology in new, innovative ways to drive greater efficiencies. - Adapts to Change: Anticipates the change process and clearly communicates impact on others/own team(s), assisting them in embracing the change.

Position Qualifications:

Responsibilities:

Certifications:

Work Experience:

Experience Level:

Education:

Doctorate: Law (Required)

This role offers the opportunity to make a meaningful impact within Vanderbilt Health, supported by a comprehensive benefits package which may include health, disability, retirement and/or wellness offerings to enhance your well-being and professional growth.

Vanderbilt Health is committed to fostering an environment where everyone has the chance to thrive and is committed to the principles of equal opportunity. EOE/Vets/Disabled.