Contract Manager, Project Controls (Hybrid Schedule)

Eversource Energy•Berlin, CT

1d•Hybrid

About The Position

Eversource will not offer immigration-related sponsorship for this position. Applicants who require immigration sponsorship—either now or in the future—should not apply. This includes, but is not limited to, direct company sponsorship, listing Eversource as the employer of record on immigration documents, or any work authorization that requires company involvement or documentation (e.g., H-1B, OPT, STEM OPT, CPT, TN, J-1, O-1, etc.). Eversource supports work-life balance by offering hybrid schedules for certain roles. Eligibility is based on job responsibilities, operational needs, nature of work and team dynamics. Current guidelines require employees to work at least three days in the office, including Tuesdays and Wednesdays, with the third day set by the employee and supervisor based on department needs. These guidelines apply to roles approved for remote work and are subject to change, based on managerial discretion and work performance. All applicants must be able to work up to five days in the office if needed (for example: emergencies, training, or other business needs) or should the policy change. Eversource is looking for a Contract Manager, Project Controls in the Berlin, CT office. The Contract Manager, Project Controls role at Eversource is responsible for managing the full lifecycle of critical Transmission and Engineering contracts that support the Capital Portfolio. This includes collaborating with internal teams (Engineering, Project Management, Procurement, Legal, etc.) to ensure compliance with legal, regulatory, and corporate policies. The position oversees contract rebidding processes, defines contractor performance expectations, and ensures scope control to manage costs. Key responsibilities include analyzing contract terms, identifying risks, developing mitigation strategies, and participating in negotiations and bid evaluations. The role also involves maintaining vendor relationships, monitoring contractor performance, managing documentation and compliance filings, pursuing back charges and warranty claims, and auditing invoices. Additionally, the Contract Manager supports business improvement initiatives through reporting and data analysis, coordinates resolution of design conflicts, and ensures accurate contract information is maintained in systems like eBuilder.

Requirements

Technical Knowledge/Skill: Proficiency in independent end-to-end Contract Management of medium complexity Contracts.
Knowledge of contract management principles and the application of contract management including legal terms and conditions.
Strong understanding of contract terms, risk mitigation, and dispute resolution strategies.
Experience in managing and negotiating change orders.
Familiarity with competitive bid processes, including RFIs, RFPs, and vendor selection criteria.
Experience working with procurement teams to develop sourcing strategies.
Ability to evaluate vendor capabilities, performance, and compliance with contractual obligations.
Understanding of utility regulations.
Familiarity with audit processes and regulatory reporting requirements.
Strong analytical skills to assess contract performance.
Experience with cost control strategies in contract management.
Ability to analyze and report on contracted engineering and construction services using Power BI and other data visualization tools.
Ability to work cross-functionally with project managers, engineers, procurement agents, and executive leadership to align contract strategies with business objectives.
Proficiency in contract management systems such as Maximo, Ariba, Microsoft Office, Outlook, Power BI, and eBuilder.
Ability to maintain data integrity.
Strong written and verbal communication skills.
Ability to negotiate issues in a manner that achieves successful and timely results.
Ability to review and approve invoices and filter errors or inconsistencies.
Education: Bachelor’s Degree in Business Administration or equivalent experience required
Experience: Minimum of 3-5 years of contract management related experience is required
Licenses & Certifications: Must hold a valid motor vehicle operator’s license

Nice To Haves

MBA or equivalent Master’s degree education strongly preferred
Project Management certification (PMP) is highly desirable.

Responsibilities

Develops, negotiates, and manages service and complex material contracts in support of Transmission project execution (e.g. Constructor of Choice (“COC”) Master Service Agreement (‘MSA’), Engineer of Choice (‘EOC’) MSA) in collaboration with Project Managers, Engineering, and Procurement.
Manages full contract lifecycle from inception to closeout, ensuring compliance with legal, regulatory, and corporate policies, and maintaining complete documentation.
Partners with Procurement to effectively manage the competitive bid process & major category rebids, coordinating with transmission & distribution project managers, project engineers, procurement, and other project team members on scope creation, detailing deliverables, ensuring required exhibits are included, answering requests for information and clarification, vetting proposals, and ultimately vendor selection to ensure a fair and equitable process.
Advises Project Managers & Engineers on contract strategy for managing risks and claims in coordination with procurement and/or legal where appropriate.
Participates in commercial negotiations to establish contract structure, price, terms and conditions and other pertinent contract conditions to ensure business requirements are appropriately captured and reflected in the final agreements.
Communicates and coordinates consistently with Project Managers, project Engineers, and other project team members on contracts, vendor performance, RFP, and RFI related matters.
Collaborates with Project lead to prepare direct award proposal packages to seek approval from the respective Committee meetings (i.e. EOC and COC, etc.)
Prepares and facilitates EOC and COC committee meetings, including proposal packages, agendas, and documentation of approvals.
Builds and maintains internal and external stakeholder relationships.
Defines capital contractor performance expectations in conjunction with Project Management and Project Engineering industry & safety standards.
Establishes and executes a strong scope control process to mitigate out-of-scope charges.
Drafts contract notices and claims and manages the resolution of such claims to the satisfaction of the project team and business.
Maintains an organized file retention database for Project Contract Controls to ensure robust justification for regulatory compliance, internal and external audits, etc.
Stays abreast of changes with the Maximo payment system in functionality, irregularities, regulatory and compliance requirements and communicates any necessary updates or changes to proper teams for resolution.
Completes various department and executive level assignments throughout the year with their tri-state counterparts to achieve positive outcomes on business goals within the assigned timeline.
Carefully monitors the contractor’s subcontracting process on behalf of the business to reduce the chances for irregularities and ensures compliance with subcontractor requirements in accordance with the contracts.
Tracks errors, problems, reworks and aggressively pursues back charges and warranty claims.
Responsible for invoice review, QA/QC, approval, and routing to ensure payment compliance within established contract terms. Includes monitoring vendor payments, mitigating duplicate charges, charges not billable under contract, overpayment errors, etc. Involves close coordination with accounting and investment planning to maintain compliance with corporate accounting policies and regulations.
Prepares data, presentations, and ad hoc reporting as needed to support business improvement initiatives. Requires fundamental understanding of and ability to effectively navigate data analytics dashboards and metrics to ensure proper and accurate interpretation.
Leads weekly regional Drawing Conflict meeting ensuring current and potential future drawing conflicts are addressed by collaborating with Substations Design and Drafting/SS Engineering and Design to prioritize Eversource’s preferred path of distribution of these files, keeping milestone deliverables on time reducing the need project delays.
Manage the PSS/EOC Staff augmented worker suite. Facilitate contracts for PSS/EOC staff workers through the SAP Fieldglass software system. Conduct training as the SME to internal and external business partners on the FG system. Facilitate opening job requisitions for new hired workers with the hiring managers. Weekly review and approval of expenses for contract compliance. Monitor automated invoicing and PO funding for each discipline by vendors. Process all change orders associated with the PSS/EOC suite in accordance with Change Control procedures. Coordinate with CIP Contract Management team to ensure CIP compliance for each applicable worker and track tenure. Work with procurement for bid cycle and any contract management questions or challenges that may arise to drive timely resolution.