Contract Manager, Project Controls (Hybrid Schedule)

Eversource Energy•Westwood, MA

9d•Hybrid

About The Position

Eversource is looking for a Contract Manager, Project Controls in Westwood, MA. The Contract Manager oversees the full lifecycle of Transmission and Engineering contracts that support execution of the Capital Portfolio. They work closely with Engineering, Project Management, Procurement, Legal, and other corporate groups to ensure all contracts comply with legal, regulatory, and corporate requirements. A key responsibility includes partnering with procurement to manage rebidding activities for major contract categories and establishing performance expectations aligned with industry and safety standards. The role analyzes contract terms, identifies risks, and guides mitigation strategies while monitoring rates, schedules, and scope. The Contract Manager also participates in negotiations, bid evaluations, and pre‑ and post‑bid meetings to support timely and accurate RFP awards. Beyond contract oversight, they maintain vendor relationships, track contractor performance issues, pursue back charges and warranty claims, and conduct audits to reduce billing errors. They additionally support project teams by resolving design conflicts, maintaining accurate contract data in eBuilder, and contributing to process improvement initiatives.

Requirements

Technical Knowledge/Skill: Proficiency in independent end-to-end Contract Management of medium complexity Contracts 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.
Familiarity with audit processes and regulatory reporting requirement and understanding of utility regulations.
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.
Proven ability to manage multiple projects, prioritize tasks, and meet tight deadlines.
Proficiency in contract management systems such as Maximo, Ariba, Microsoft Office, Outlook, Power BI, and eBuilder.
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.
Provides full management and ownership of contracts from inception to closeout, including review of rates, schedule of values, terms, change management, invoice review and approval, etc.
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.)
Facilitate of EOC & COC Committee meetings. Create agenda with approved packages timely for review by committee. Document notes and exceptions from meeting and follow up for completeness.
Builds and maintains internal and external stakeholder relationships.
Ensures compliance with legal, regulatory, and corporate policies throughout contract lifecycle.
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.
Periodically audits contractor invoices.
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.
Owns the bi-weekly EOC and COC Direct Award meetings’ agendas, verifying Proposals and related documents are accurate and complete prior to seeking committee approval, documenting meeting minutes and tracking approvals to ensure proper compliance with established controls.
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.
Assures good documentation of contract decisions and closeout, including full transfer of contract repository into Eversource’s systems of record (i.e. Maximo, eBuilder, etc.) to support regulatory requirements.
Advises on business requirements for new system upgrades & implementation.