Vendor Contracts Manager- 6 month Contract to Hire(US)

Overview

The organization is seeking a Vendor Contracts Manager responsible for the overall management of activities involved in the development/preparation and revision of contracts and change orders with vendors.

This role prepares and processes contract and transaction documents related to ongoing business operations, including vendor contracts, purchasing, sourcing, and related functions as required. The position supports timely negotiation and execution of agreements to avoid study-related or business-sensitive delays, and helps develop and close agreements that strengthen strategic vendor relationships while improving legal and contract administration efficiency.

Responsibilities

• Draft, review, and negotiate vendor agreements and general business purpose agreements in accordance with company policies and procedures.
• Review contract documents for internal and external accuracy and technical completeness.
• Prepare contracts by incorporating associated vendor budget, scope of work, and legal, financial, and operational terms.
• Lead negotiations and work to ensure adherence to master agreements.
• Manage the full life cycle of the vendor contract and change order/amendment process.
• Conduct risk analysis to identify potential risks and liabilities associated with vendor contracts, propose alternative provisions to support mitigation, and escalate as necessary to the department head and legal counsel.
• Engage internal subject matter experts for information gathering, document development, contract issue reviews, and pricing discussions.
• Manage the contract/issue approval process and document all required approvals, including deviations from policies, business processes, standard operating procedures, and legal/management authorizations.
• Maintain working knowledge of business and legal terms and conditions consistent within the CRO industry.
• Engage in meaningful negotiations to achieve closure of agreements within policy and aligned with business processes and standard operating procedures.
• Interact with vendors and business operations on all contracting and change order documents.
• Partner with the Sr. Director Strategic Sourcing on process improvement by analyzing contracting efforts to identify root causes of success/failure and implementing changes to reduce development cycle time.
• Collaborate with Legal Department, Strategic Sourcing, Business Development, and Global Business Operations to author and develop master service agreements, statements of work, change order documents, and service agreements.

Requirements

• Ability to work independently with confidence.
• Strong planning, strategizing, managing, monitoring, scheduling, and analytical skills.
• Effective legal and business negotiation skills.
• Strong interpersonal skills in a fast-paced, deadline-oriented, and changing environment.
• Effective stakeholder management with cross-functional teams for process improvement and/or change initiatives.
• Strong communication skills, including the ability to articulate via phone and in person with a high degree of professionalism.
• Bachelor’s degree in Business Administration, Public Administration, Public Health, or Finance, plus nominal contracts management experience or equivalent combination of education and experience.
• 3–5 years of direct experience with CRO or pharmaceutical in negotiating vendor agreements.
• Advanced proficiency in MS Office (Word, Excel, PowerPoint).
• Experience with process improvement and/or change management (or ability to be mentored for development).
• Must be customer focused and able to manage challenging priorities while remaining flexible and adaptable in stressful situations.

Preferred Qualifications

• Juris Doctor (JD) degree with concentration in contracts/transactional law.

Compensation & Benefits

• Transparent compensation practices.
• Salary range (annually): United States of America - $52,500.00 - $104,500.00
• The salary range reflects hourly rates for hourly paid positions.
• Final compensation will be determined based on relevant experience, performance, education, and internal equity.
• Base salary plus a competitive benefits package depending on location.

Location

• United States of America