Q&A with LabConnect’s Megan Greene, Director of Contracts

What are some of your job responsibilities?

Some of my responsibilities include cross-training the Contracts team to independently review and process client and vendor contracts, so that I am able to dedicate time to supporting the more complex contractual needs of LabConnect. I am regularly involved in client calls to negotiate and explain existing and new contracts.

I am focused on streamlining contract process flows, resolving contract escalations, improving templates and negotiation tools, and mitigating contractual risk without impacting study timelines.

What are you most proud of in your career so far with LabConnect?

To date, I’m most proud of the Contracts team and how they have strengthened their problem solving and negotiation skills. Overall, the team is a young one with a lot of potential and it’s been exciting to pour into them and watch them learn and develop both personally and professionally.

What is the best piece of advice you would share with a new LabConnector?

Get comfortable with being uncomfortable. Growth doesn’t come from a place of comfort. If you have questions, ask them. If you still have questions, consider a different source. Never stop learning. The more you know about LabConnect’s business, pre-award through to project end, the better you will understand where you fit in the big picture. Once you know where you fit in the picture, you will appreciate how important your role is.

How do you carry out LabConnect’s values in your daily work?

Partnership, Excellence, Execution, Forward-Thinking, Collaboration, Accountable, Informed, Nimble. Being nimble is one of the LabConnect values that I resonate with most. It’s not enough to mitigate legal and financial risk. Consideration must be given to the impact to the business if a Contract Department is too rigid in its approach. As such, it is imperative to review all contract requests with the business needs and goals in mind.

In order to strike an appropriate balance, I recognize patterns, predict likely challenges based on such patterns, and work creatively internally with the proper stakeholders in order to minimize the impact. LabConnect’s business model is unique in that its client and vendor contracts are equally important to its business. Therefore, responding with agility to complex and urgent contract requests is critical.

What is one thing colleagues don’t know about you that they would be surprised to find out?

I am the first born American on my mother’s side of the family. Her family originates from Armenia, Syria and Switzerland. I am the only one in my family with a southern accent because of the daycare, school, and gymnastics center I attended in the countryside of North Carolina. When I was ten years old, I won gymnastics state championship in my division and later discovered I did so with a broken ankle. Now, to stay active, you can find me kickboxing, roller skating, or (occasionally) snowboarding.