Contracts Agent

Southern Company • Atlanta, GA

6d • Hybrid

About The Position

The position exists to support the contracting needs of Southern Company’s business units and to provide guidance to Company organizations to effectively procure and pay for goods and services. The position is responsible for the daily support of all sourcing and contracting activities "from cradle to grave", including managing the sourcing (RFI or RFP) process, negotiation and contracting, through contract closeout. This position will support technology related procurement activities. Duties will include the negotiation of Software License Agreements, Software as a Service Agreements, Subscription Service Agreements, Master Technology Equipment Purchase Agreements, etc. Duties will require leading sourcing projects and assist in developing and implementing strategic decisions for the procurement of Technology Services, Software, Software as a Service, and Hardware. Duties will require a strong understanding of IT Security related risks and application of mitigation strategies to address data breaches, malicious and harmful code, security vulnerabilities, etc.

Requirements

• Bachelor’s degree preferred
• Formal education or experience in contract language is preferred
• Experience in procurement or contracts preferred
• Experience with negotiating technology related contracts is highly preferred
• Contract law and drafting
• Legal and commercial negotiation
• Self-motivated and ability to work with minimal supervision
• Customer focused with ability to build and maintain relationships with internal customers, suppliers, contractors and other key stakeholders at all levels
• Effectively handle tight deadlines, large workloads, and multiple projects with positive enthusiasm
• Superior written and oral communication, to successfully negotiate contract terms and write such contracts in a clear, logical and concise manner
• Excellent organizational skills are required to plan and manage assigned workload and customer expectations effectively to meet internal business unit requirements
• Ability to think strategically and apply broad seasoned judgment to decisions
• Effective communications skills with ability to excel in high-level communications with Management at multiple levels
• Strong customer service skills
• Analytical and interpersonal skills
• Ability to effectively work and participate in cross-functional and cross-company teams at all levels in the organization to ensure buy-in by multiple stakeholders when working on system projects
• Effective influencing and consensus-building skills
• Ability to acquire proficiency in supply chain and basic business technology tools, including procurement systems, SharePoint, etc.

Responsibilities

• Duties will include the daily support of all sourcing & contracting activities "from cradle to grave," including advising customers and leading Request for Information (RFI) and Request for Proposal (RFP) preparation, leading pre-bid meetings, reviewing offers upon receipt from bidders, cost & price analysis, negotiations, risk assessment, preparing contract documents and agreements; assisting in contract administration, incorporation of changes, expediting & follow-up, disposition of claims, and contract closeout
• Support a high volume of projects concurrently with defined turnaround parameters (target days) for all contract related documents (RFPs, Master Agreements, Non-Disclosure, Amendments, Statements of Work, etc.)
• Lead negotiations of all legal and commercial terms to ensure that overall risk is properly controlled and mitigated
• Ensure all required terms and conditions are included in procurement documents and work with Legal, Risk Management and Accounting to resolve contractor exceptions and issues in a timely manner
• Build and maintain a detailed knowledge and understanding of essential legal provisions, contract common law, contract formation issues, remedies, liquidated damages, litigation avoidance, and dispute resolution
• Draft contract language, including special conditions for complex, non-standard purchases
• Responsible for identification and evaluation of new sources of supply, domestic and globally, when necessary to meet customer needs, including performing market research and analysis
• Collecting and coordinating the update of supplier information and required compliance documentation (safety records, certificates of insurance, etc.)
• Build and maintain a proficient knowledge of and consistently use our sourcing, contracting, procurement and payment systems (GEP, Maximo, Oracle)
• Resolve any conflicts that arise during the course of contract performance, including negotiating any contractual revisions that may be required
• Communicate effectively with business partners at all levels of management regarding contract terms, status, and processes
• Serve as a Subject Matter Expert (SME) and provide guidance to business partners on the Southern Company procurement policies/procedures
• Maintain the primary interface with contractors in an ethical and respectful manner while protecting the company’s interest
• Manage relationships with the Company’s vendors and ensure efficient and transparent contracting and negotiation process to reduce costs, improve commercial terms and reduce duplication of efforts

Benefits

• competitive base salary
• annual incentive awards for eligible employees
• health, welfare and retirement benefits designed to support physical, financial, and emotional/social well-being
• additional compensation, such as an incentive program

What This Job Offers

• Job Type: Full-time
• Career Level: Mid Level