Contract Specialist

Kistler Instrument•Novi, MI

About The Position

The Contract Specialist supports legal and non-financial compliance across Kistler North America. The role coordinates customer legal requests, including contracts and NDAs, with internal stakeholders in Sales, Quality, Engineering, Finance, HR, ICT (Cyber Security), and Health, Safety and Environment. It provides legal guidance, oversees contract lifecycle management, and supports compliance with legal, safety, and quality standards. The position partners with Sales, Engineering, and Operations; interfaces with external lawyers and consultants; and works closely with Kistler’s Corporate Legal Group to minimize legal risks and promote employee compliance and integrity. The role serves as the primary legal and compliance contact for Kistler North America and owns the drafting, review, negotiation, and management of a broad range of legal documents. It maintains the contract database and Legal AI Contract Review System, manages contract records and obligations, and escalates critical legal or compliance risks. It also supports legal risk reviews, audits, investigations, regulatory monitoring, business-license renewals, and government surveys for North American entities. In Novi, Michigan, the position supports local quality meetings aligned with ISO standards and facility safety compliance. It serves as the site safety compliance lead, conducts facility walkthroughs and toolbox talks, maintains safety documentation, and supports corrective actions and contractor and visitor safety protocols.

Requirements

Bachelor’s degree in Law, Business, or a related field.
At least 3 years of progressive experience in contract drafting, negotiation, and compliance.
Legal background in the United States and economics.
Demonstrated success coordinating cross-functional teams and influencing without authority.
Proficiency with contract lifecycle management or document-management software.
Exceptional written and verbal communication skills, including the ability to translate legal nuance into operational language.

Nice To Haves

Master’s degree.
DFARS and ITAR experience.

Responsibilities

Serve as the primary legal and compliance contact for Kistler North America.
Draft, review, negotiate, and manage customer agreements, NDAs, legal entity addendums, compliance agreements, procurement and vendor contracts, third-party contracts, partnership agreements, and policy documentation.
Maintain the contract database and Legal AI Contract Review System.
Interpret legal and regulatory language and guide internal teams on risk mitigation, corporate governance, and applicable laws.
Own contract lifecycle management, including recording, tracking, maintaining, and managing obligations, renewals, close-outs, and risk milestones.
Maintain clause libraries and deviation logs, and escalate critical legal or compliance risks to internal stakeholders and corporate leadership.
Conduct quarterly legal risk reviews and support non-financial audits, investigations, and internal issue resolution.
Monitor regional regulatory and compliance trends and provide advisory support to leadership.
Represent North America in Kistler Group legal, compliance, and contract initiatives.
Coordinate with Global Legal and external lawyers and consultants.
Maintain and renew business licenses in coordination with relevant departments.
Support government surveys for North America entities in New York, California, Michigan, and Canada.
Support local quality meetings in Novi, Michigan, in alignment with ISO standards.
Serve as the site safety compliance lead in Novi, Michigan, aligning procedures with OSHA and MiOSHA requirements.
Complete annual HSE surveys.
Conduct quarterly facility walkthroughs and toolbox talks.
Maintain OSHA/MiOSHA-aligned documentation and drive corrective actions as needed.
Ensure contractor safety agreements and on-site visitor protocols are documented, communicated, and enforced.