Site Specialist - Contracts & Budgets

Site Specialist with contracts and budget experience - India, Chennai - Office with Flex

ICON plc is a world-leading healthcare intelligence and clinical research organization. We’re proud to foster an inclusive environment driving innovation and excellence, and we welcome you to join us on our mission to shape the future of clinical development.

We are currently seeking a Site Specialist I – Contracts & Budgets to join our high-performing and collaborative Site Activation team at ICON. In this role, you will take ownership of clinical trial agreement negotiations, budget management, and contract execution activities with investigative sites. You will work closely with cross-functional teams to ensure timely site start-up, regulatory compliance, and effective risk mitigation across global clinical studies. This is an excellent opportunity for a contracts professional who thrives in a dynamic, client-focused environment and is passionate about delivering operational excellence.

What You Will Be Doing:

• Leading the negotiation, execution, and ongoing management of Clinical Trial Agreements (CTAs) and site budgets with investigative sites.
• Collaborating with Clinical Operations and Project Management teams to support timely site activation, including forecasting and tracking contract execution timelines.
• Partnering with Functional Management to ensure adherence to local laws, regulatory requirements, and departmental policies, minimizing legal and operational risk.
• Supporting study start-up activities, including coordination of translations and assisting with submission packages for Central and Local EC/IRB and Competent Authorities.
• Reviewing and evaluating client-requested contract changes, assessing deviations, escalating when required, and applying departmental guidelines to decision-making.
• Prioritizing and managing multiple contracts simultaneously, adapting to shifting timelines and business needs.
• Proactively identifying and escalating risks or issues to the CTA Lead, FSA PM, CTM, or Contract Manager to ensure smooth project progression.
• Ensuring contracts and amendments are complete, accurate, compliant with internal standards, and appropriately filed within contract databases.
• Maintaining clear and timely documentation of all site interactions and contract status updates.
• Mentoring and guiding junior Contract Associates, supporting their professional growth and development.
• Continuously identifying opportunities to enhance processes, strengthen collaboration with project teams and investigative sites, and improve overall service delivery.
• Providing strategic insights and recommendations to CTA Leads and Project/Functional Management to enhance team efficiency and responsiveness.

Your Profile:

• Bachelor’s degree in Life Sciences or a related discipline, or equivalent relevant experience.
• 3+ years' experience negotiating and managing clinical trial contracts and site budgets within a pharmaceutical, biotech, or CRO environment.
• Strong understanding of regulatory and compliance requirements for clinical trials across jurisdictions.
• Demonstrated ability to manage multiple priorities, set clear timelines, and deliver within deadlines in a fast-paced environment.
• Excellent analytical, communication, and interpersonal skills, with the ability to confidently explain legal and financial concepts to diverse stakeholders.
• High attention to detail with a strong track record of risk identification and mitigation.
• Experience mentoring or supporting junior team members, with the ability to work both independently and collaboratively within cross-functional teams.

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What ICON can offer you:
Our success depends on the quality of our people. That’s why we’ve made it a priority to build a diverse culture that rewards high performance and nurtures talent.

In addition to your competitive salary, ICON offers a range of additional benefits. Our benefits are designed to be competitive within each country and are focused on well-being and work life balance opportunities for you and your family.

Our benefits examples include:

• Various annual leave entitlements
• A range of health insurance offerings to suit you and your family’s needs.
• Competitive retirement planning offerings to maximize savings and plan with confidence for the years ahead.
• Global Employee Assistance Programme, LifeWorks, offering 24-hour access to a global network of over 80,000 independent specialized professionals who are there to support you and your family’s well-being.
• Life assurance
• Flexible country-specific optional benefits, including childcare vouchers, bike purchase schemes, discounted gym memberships, subsidized travel passes, health assessments, among others.

Visit our careers site to read more about the benefits ICON offers.

At ICON, inclusion & belonging are fundamental to our culture and values. We’re dedicated to providing an inclusive and accessible environment for all candidates. ICON is committed to providing a workplace free of discrimination and harassment. All qualified applicants will receive equal consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, disability or protected veteran status.

If, because of a medical condition or disability, you need a reasonable accommodation for any part of the application process, or in order to perform the essential functions of a position, please let us know or submit a request here

Interested in the role, but unsure if you meet all of the requirements? We would encourage you to apply regardless – there’s every chance you’re exactly what we’re looking for here at ICON whether it is for this or other roles.

Are you a current ICON Employee? Please click here to apply