Senior Legal Contracts Manager (Global)

Overview

This role provides strategic and operational contract support for commercial activities in North America, with additional support required for other regions. You will serve as a trusted legal partner to Sales, Service, Procurement, Product, and Technology teams, managing a high volume of commercial contracts and leading more complex technology-driven and innovation-focused transactions.

Responsibilities

Commercial Contracting – North America & Global Support

• Review, draft, negotiate, and manage a broad range of customer and supplier commercial agreements, including:
  • Terms & conditions
  • Master purchase and master supply agreements
  • Service and maintenance agreements
  • SaaS and software licensing agreements
  • NDAs and data protection agreements
  • Quality assurance/change control agreements
• Act as the primary contracts resource for the North America business.
• Provide additional contract support for agreements outside of North America in collaboration with internal stakeholders and legal colleagues.
• Independently negotiate routine and moderately complex agreements; escalate highly complex or novel issues to Legal leadership or company attorneys.
• Work extensively from customer and supplier paper, applying strong issue-spotting, risk assessment, and practical problem-solving.

Technology, SaaS, and Digital Business Support

• Apply deep expertise in technology and SaaS contracting to support expanding digital, connected, and AI-enabled business models.
• Identify and manage risks related to data usage, cybersecurity, IP ownership, licensing, liability allocation, and regulatory considerations.
• Partner with internal technology, product, and digital teams to align contracts with evolving business strategies and risk tolerances.

Product Innovation & Strategic Partnerships

• Structure and negotiate complex development, co-development, and supply agreements with third-party partners.
• Ensure appropriate protection of intellectual property, confidentiality, and commercial interests in R&D and innovation-focused collaborations.
• Advise cross-functional teams on contractual frameworks that enable innovation while managing legal and commercial risk.

Cross-Functional Collaboration & Process Management

• Collaborate with Sales, Service, Finance, Customer Service, Procurement, Product, and Technology to support timely contract review and execution.
• Participate in cross-functional reviews of vendor questionnaires, RFQs, codes of conduct, certificates of insurance, and other legal documentation.
• Lead continuous improvement efforts for commercial contracts operations, including KPIs and Legal Department contract lifecycle management (CLM) system processes.
• Own CLM reporting and interpretation of contract data and implement countermeasures when unfavorable trends are identified.
• Develop and improve contracting processes, playbooks, and templates to support efficiency and scalability.

Requirements

• Minimum 10–12+ years of progressive experience reviewing and negotiating commercial contracts supporting both sales and procurement organizations; experience within an industrial equipment manufacturer or similarly complex manufacturing environment is strongly preferred.
• Significant experience with technology, software, and SaaS agreements, including experience working from third-party paper.
• Experience supporting product development, innovation, or strategic partnership agreements strongly preferred.
• Bachelor’s degree required; JD preferred.
• Prior experience supporting global or cross-border contracting activities is a plus.

Preferred Qualifications

• Experience supporting product development, innovation, or strategic partnership agreements.
• Prior experience supporting global or cross-border contracting activities.

Compensation & Benefits

• Compensation range: $115,000 - $145,000 USD per year
• Eligible for Bonus Pay
• Benefits (for eligible employees): paid time off, medical/dental/vision insurance, and 401(k)

Location

• Open to candidates located anywhere in the U.S. and fully remote.
• Occasional travel to Wood Dale, IL as needed (approximately 10–20% of the time) for key meetings, team collaboration, and business needs.

US Eligibility

• This role is listed as US ONLY.

Equal Opportunity

• The employer is committed to equal opportunity employment regardless of race, color, national origin, religion, sex, age, marital status, disability, veteran status, sexual orientation, gender identity, or other characteristics protected by law.

Unsolicited Assistance

• Unsolicited assistance from headhunters or recruitment firms is not accepted.