Contracts Administrator I

Focus on the Family•Colorado Springs, CO

5d•Onsite

About The Position

The Contracts Administrator I position exists to draft, analyze, review, process, and maintain all contracts and legal documents pertaining to the operations, products, resources, and services of Focus; and provides general legal support for all departments in the ministry. This position additionally deals with the analysis and entry of Intellectual Property rights into a database of all Focus resources and assists in reviewing permission requests for the use of Focus resources. This position deals with simple contracts involving intellectual property matters and is intended to serve as back-up support for legal activities and functions of all aspects of the Legal Department.

Requirements

Bachelor’s degree in business-related field or equivalent experience
2 - 3 years of experience dealing with legal and practical aspects of intellectual property
2 - 3 years of experience dealing with contracts or regulatory matters
Ability to compose grammatically and legally correct documents in business format utilizing advanced writing skills
Ability to communicate effectively and diplomatically across all levels of the ministry
Strong analytical, logic, and problem-solving skills
Strong attention to detail and accuracy
Ability to adapt information and solutions to different situations
Ability to work with interruptions in a dynamic environment and adjust priorities accordingly
Ability to work with details while keeping an overall ministry/business perspective and recognizing details that do not make sense in the larger context
Ability to apply logic, rational thinking, intuition, and discernment in innovative ways to analyze situations, solve problems, and make decisions
Discretion in handling confidential information
Excellent organizational skills
Ability to work effectively and efficiently with little or no supervision
Ability to analyze coworkers’ work and willingness to have own work analyzed

Responsibilities

Performs or oversees diversified tasks in registering, protecting, and maintaining Focus’ domestic and international trademarks and trade names
Oversees international and domestic trademarks, including markings, infringements, searches, name clearances, and applications
Researches, analyzes, and coordinates, with oversight of the Director, the availability of new trademarks, brands, and titles
Researches, coordinates, and makes recommendations concerning appropriate action for infringements of Focus’ marks
Gathers and maintains information regarding trademark renewals, and coordinates with appropriate departments to assist in budgeting process
Oversees international and domestic domain name databases. This includes coordinating with domain name owners across the ministry every month to determine whether each domain name should be renewed.
Researches and registers domain names requested by various Focus departments.
Researches and evaluates permissions requests and responds to constituents and Focus’ staff, providing or denying permission to use Focus materials as appropriate
Oversees the permissions database
Issues public viewing licenses for Focus videos
Corresponds directly and independently with constituents, drafting multiple individual (non-form) letters
Oversees and assists Focus’ departments in obtaining permission to use the intellectual property of other individuals, publishers, or organizations, and provides related guidance as to what use if authorized
Files applications for registration of copyrights in Focus resources
Answers questions from the United States copyright office
Researches and implements takedowns of Focus’s copyrighted materials across multiple online platforms
Interfaces with Reporting and other departments to compile necessary information for properly reporting on use of music in resources, for events, in streams and broadcasts, and other uses that arise
Files music license requests for use in Ministry events
Performs diverse tasks necessary to protect, maintain, track, and otherwise safeguard Focus’ intellectual property, its most valuable asset
Reviews draft artwork and similar creative pieces to protect the intellectual property rights of Focus and to avoid potential trademark and copyright violations by Focus of the rights of others
Responds to questions related to legal and practical issues related to intellectual property protection
Enables departments to conduct their ministry, while minimizing undue risk to the ministry. This includes evaluating risks in various contractual relationships, and encouraging departments to engage in responsible risk taking
Educates clients regarding legal issues pertinent to Focus. This may include answering specific questions, participating in ministry meetings to provide input on legal/contractual issues, conducting formal and informal training sessions, and conveying a sense of optimism and confidence that the contract process is adding value to their proposed transaction
Facilitates the ministry of Focus, by working closely with the internal customers to conceptualize, draft analyze and review and finalize contracts on a timely basis. This includes exceeding the expectations of the internal customer every time and understanding the business context and practical need for each contract
Meets with clients to gather information, frequently in their offices, to get a feel for the context of their needs and plans
Works closely with “contract owner” to assist that person in conducting effective negotiation of the contract terms with suppliers
Clarifies information needed to complete each contract, including following up with the “contract owner” to make sure the needed information is obtained on a timely basis and in a manner that does not impede progress of the proposed transaction
Drafts, analyzes, and finalizes contracts, including those covering basic intellectual property issues and technical, business, and other matters, including specific, concise wording to define the transactions
Collects and researches IP rights associated with a wide variety of content that Focus creates
Works with all the departments in the ministry to assist and enable them to enter complete, accurate information into the Enterprise Content Management System (ECM)
Enters complete and accurate information into the ECM ensuring that rights information contained in the ECM is accurate and up-to-date, and can be easily and readily accessed by end-users throughout the ministry
Performs other duties as assigned