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Employment at ASA•Schaumburg, IL

6d•Hybrid

About The Position

The Contracting Specialist is a non-attorney independent contractor providing specialized contracting support to the American Society of Anesthesiologists (ASA) Legal Department and related organizations. The engagement is approximately six months, with a schedule of 20–40 hours per week, and is based in Schaumburg, Illinois, or remote. The contractor applies contracting experience and independent professional judgment to manage assigned matters and assess existing contracting practices, identifying practical improvements to efficiency, consistency, workflows, and use of attorney time. Areas of focus may include intake and triage, templates and playbooks, negotiation parameters, approvals, tracking and repositories, reporting, technology, and allocation of work. The contractor drafts and revises agreements, negotiates within established parameters, coordinates with stakeholders and counterparties, maintains contract records, and escalates issues requiring attorney or subject-matter-expert review. The contractor does not provide legal advice or independently make legal determinations on ASA’s behalf. Services are primarily computer- and telephone/video-based and may be performed remotely or in a mutually agreed work setting; any onsite work in Schaumburg is coordinated as needed and mutually agreed. The position is benefits-ineligible. The target hiring pay range is $50–$70 per hour, depending on experience.

Requirements

Minimum 3 years of substantive experience in contract administration, contract specialist work, paralegal work, legal operations, procurement contracting, or comparable experience.
Demonstrated ability to identify contracting-process inefficiencies and recommend and implement practical improvements to workflows, templates, playbooks, tracking, technology, and allocation of work.
Demonstrated experience drafting and negotiating contracts and supporting resolution of contract disputes or performance issues within established parameters, with appropriate escalation of matters requiring legal advice or attorney judgment.
Excellent organizational and project-management skills, including managing a high volume of matters, competing priorities, detailed records, and time-sensitive deadlines with limited oversight.
Strong contract drafting, proofreading, written communication, and negotiation skills, with exceptional attention to accuracy, consistency, and detail.
Ability to recognize legal, financial, privacy, security, intellectual property, insurance, and operational issues requiring escalation to an attorney or other subject-matter expert.
Sound judgment, discretion, professionalism, and ability to handle confidential and privileged information appropriately.
Ability to develop positive working relationships, communicate diplomatically with internal and external stakeholders, and provide responsive, service-oriented support to attorneys and business teams.
Proficiency with Microsoft 365 Office and CoPilot.

Nice To Haves

Bachelor’s degree in business, legal studies, paralegal studies, contract management, or a related field; equivalent relevant experience may be considered.
Experience developing or improving contract templates, playbooks, intake processes, approval workflows, contract repositories, reporting tools, or other legal operations resources.
Experience supporting in-house attorneys or a corporate, nonprofit, healthcare, association, law-firm, or government legal team.
Experience using contract-lifecycle-management, document-management, electronic-signature, customer-relationship-management, or comparable workflow systems.

Responsibilities

Manage assigned contracts throughout the contracting lifecycle, including intake, drafting, review, negotiation, approval, signature, filing, renewal, amendment, termination, and closeout.
Evaluate existing contracting processes and technologies, recommend prioritized practical improvements, and assist with implementing approved improvements to workflows, intake and triage, templates, playbooks, negotiation parameters, approvals, checklists, repositories, reporting, and technology solutions.
Draft and revise contracts, amendments, statements of work, licenses, nondisclosure agreements, and other documents using approved templates, playbooks, and attorney direction.
Review and negotiate standard business and contractual terms within established parameters and promptly escalate legal, financial, operational, or non-standard issues to ASA legal staff.
Coordinate with business owners, Finance, Information Technology, Privacy and Security, and other stakeholders to gather requirements, identify dependencies, obtain approvals, and move agreements through review and execution.
Serve as a point of contact for internal clients on contracting status, process requirements, documentation, approvals, and next steps, without providing legal advice.
Maintain a complete and accurate central repository and inventory of contracts and related documents.
Track key terms and deadlines, including renewals, terminations, notice periods, deliverables, pricing changes, insurance requirements, and other obligations; provide timely reminders to attorneys and business owners.
Prepare contract summaries, comparison charts, issue lists, risk escalations, status reports, and other work products supporting attorney review and organizational decisions.
Coordinate contract execution under ASA signature-authority requirements and confirm required approvals and supporting documents are complete before signature.
Develop, document, and maintain contracting procedures, intake tools, templates, clause libraries, checklists, and service standards in collaboration with ASA attorneys.
Use contract-management and other technology to improve workflow visibility, record accuracy, reporting, productivity, and turnaround time.
Conduct factual and procedural research and organize information requested by ASA attorneys; handle confidential and privileged information with discretion and follow Legal Department document-management, retention, and communications practices.
Provide project-management and administrative support for assigned contracting matters, including document preparation, proofreading, signature coordination, deadline tracking, and follow-up.
Build effective working relationships and communicate professionally with internal clients, counterparties, vendors, and outside counsel about contract requirements, open issues, and required actions.
At the direction of an ASA attorney, assist with contract disputes, performance concerns, alleged breaches, payment issues, termination matters, and other disagreements by organizing records, preparing correspondence and draft resolutions, tracking commitments, and coordinating follow-up.
Perform services consistently with ASA core values of Dedication, Collaboration, Commitment to Excellence, and Continuous Improvement.
Perform other contracting or legal operations projects assigned by mutual agreement within the scope of the engagement.