Contract Specialist: V

TekWissen•Houston, TX

1d•Hybrid

About The Position

Independently leads complex contracting activities for major materials, services, operations, maintenance, turnaround, capital project, and professional services agreements. Develops and executes comprehensive contract strategies, including sourcing approaches, bid strategies, commercial models, negotiation plans, and risk mitigation strategies. Leads all phases of the contracting lifecycle, including requirements gathering, bid package development, supplier engagement, evaluation, negotiations, award recommendations, contract execution, and post-award administration support. Provides commercial leadership and strategic guidance to business stakeholders regarding contracting options, commercial risk, market conditions, supplier capabilities, and contracting methodologies. Leads complex negotiations involving commercial, legal, operational, and financial considerations while protecting company interests and maintaining strategic supplier relationships. Serves as a senior advisor and mentor to Contracts Advisors by providing coaching, guidance, technical expertise, and support on contracting strategies, negotiations, governance, and issue resolution. Supports the Contracts Manager in department leadership activities and serves as acting Contracts Manager during absences or as delegated. Facilitates alignment between Supply Chain, Legal, Operations, Finance, Tax, Safety, Security, Health & Environment, and other stakeholders to ensure successful contract execution and compliance. Leads major competitive bidding events, including bid strategy development, bidder engagement, clarification management, commercial evaluations, recommendation development, and award execution. Supports development and review of complex Scopes of Work and commercial exhibits to ensure clarity, operational alignment, and mitigation of contractual ambiguity and risk. Identifies commercial, operational, financial, and contractual risks and develops appropriate mitigation strategies throughout the contracting process. Drives continuous improvement initiatives related to contracting processes, governance, controls, systems utilization, supplier performance, and operational efficiency. Supports development and implementation of contracting standards, templates, procedures, playbooks, and best practices. Performs commercial evaluations, cost analyses, benchmarking, and supplier performance assessments to support strategic decision-making and value optimization. Ensures compliance with company policies, procedures, governance requirements, delegated authority structures, records retention requirements, and audit expectations. Provides regular reporting, status updates, risk visibility, and executive-ready communications to leadership and stakeholders. Participates in special projects, strategic initiatives, and cross-functional improvement efforts supporting organizational readiness and operational excellence. Supports supplier qualification, due diligence, and risk evaluations including financial, safety, technical, cybersecurity, and compliance considerations. Maintains strong working knowledge of contracting trends, industry practices, market conditions, and Client operational requirements. Demonstrates leadership behaviors that promote accountability, collaboration, disciplined execution, and enterprise prioritization.

Requirements

Bachelor's degree in Supply Chain, Business Administration, Finance, Engineering, Law, or related discipline. Equivalent industry experience may be considered in lieu of degree requirements.
20+ years of contracting, procurement, supply chain, or commercial experience
10+ years of Oil & Gas, Client , Petrochemical, Midstream, or related industrial experience
Demonstrated experience independently managing complex, high-value contracts and negotiations
Demonstrated experience leading major sourcing and contracting initiatives across multiple contract categories
Advanced understanding of contracting and procurement principles, commercial terms, and risk allocation strategies
Strong understanding of operational contracting environments within Client , Oil & Gas, or industrial operations
Ability to independently manage highly complex and high-risk contracting activities
Advanced negotiation and dispute resolution skills
Strong leadership, mentoring, and stakeholder management capabilities
Strong understanding of governance, controls, delegated authority processes, and compliance requirements
Ability to influence and communicate effectively with all levels of management, including executive leadership
Strong analytical, organizational, and problem-solving skills
Ability to prioritize competing demands in a fast-paced operational environment
Strong presentation and executive communication skills
Strong process improvement mindset with focus on standardization, efficiency, and operational excellence
Proficiency in SAP and Microsoft Office applications (Excel, Word, PowerPoint)

Nice To Haves

Prior leadership, mentoring, or supervisory experience strongly preferred
Experience with contract lifecycle management systems and document management systems such as OpenText preferred

Responsibilities

Independently leads complex contracting activities for major materials, services, operations, maintenance, turnaround, capital project, and professional services agreements.
Develops and executes comprehensive contract strategies, including sourcing approaches, bid strategies, commercial models, negotiation plans, and risk mitigation strategies.
Leads all phases of the contracting lifecycle, including requirements gathering, bid package development, supplier engagement, evaluation, negotiations, award recommendations, contract execution, and post-award administration support.
Provides commercial leadership and strategic guidance to business stakeholders regarding contracting options, commercial risk, market conditions, supplier capabilities, and contracting methodologies.
Leads complex negotiations involving commercial, legal, operational, and financial considerations while protecting company interests and maintaining strategic supplier relationships.
Serves as a senior advisor and mentor to Contracts Advisors by providing coaching, guidance, technical expertise, and support on contracting strategies, negotiations, governance, and issue resolution.
Supports the Contracts Manager in department leadership activities and serves as acting Contracts Manager during absences or as delegated.
Facilitates alignment between Supply Chain, Legal, Operations, Finance, Tax, Safety, Security, Health & Environment, and other stakeholders to ensure successful contract execution and compliance.
Leads major competitive bidding events, including bid strategy development, bidder engagement, clarification management, commercial evaluations, recommendation development, and award execution.
Supports development and review of complex Scopes of Work and commercial exhibits to ensure clarity, operational alignment, and mitigation of contractual ambiguity and risk.
Identifies commercial, operational, financial, and contractual risks and develops appropriate mitigation strategies throughout the contracting process.
Drives continuous improvement initiatives related to contracting processes, governance, controls, systems utilization, supplier performance, and operational efficiency.
Supports development and implementation of contracting standards, templates, procedures, playbooks, and best practices.
Performs commercial evaluations, cost analyses, benchmarking, and supplier performance assessments to support strategic decision-making and value optimization.
Ensures compliance with company policies, procedures, governance requirements, delegated authority structures, records retention requirements, and audit expectations.
Provides regular reporting, status updates, risk visibility, and executive-ready communications to leadership and stakeholders.
Participates in special projects, strategic initiatives, and cross-functional improvement efforts supporting organizational readiness and operational excellence.
Supports supplier qualification, due diligence, and risk evaluations including financial, safety, technical, cybersecurity, and compliance considerations.
Maintains strong working knowledge of contracting trends, industry practices, market conditions, and Client operational requirements.
Demonstrates leadership behaviors that promote accountability, collaboration, disciplined execution, and enterprise prioritization.