Contracts Agent - Enterprise Services

Southern Company•Atlanta, GA

1d•Onsite

About The Position

The Contracts Agent supports the contracting needs of Southern Company business units and guides company organizations in procuring and paying for goods and services. The role provides daily support for sourcing and contracting activities from beginning to end, including sourcing, negotiation, contract administration, and closeout. The position is based in Atlanta, Georgia, and requires reporting to a company location in person at least four days per week. The position supports a high volume of concurrent projects and technology-related procurement. It leads sourcing efforts and negotiations, drafts and administers contracts, manages supplier relationships, and works with Legal, Risk Management, Accounting, and business partners to address contractual exceptions and issues. Technology contracts may include software licenses, SaaS and subscription agreements, and technology equipment purchase agreements. The role also supports strategic procurement decisions for technology services, software, and hardware, with attention to IT security risks and mitigation.

Requirements

Bachelor’s degree preferred.
Formal education or experience in contract language preferred.
Experience in procurement or contracts preferred.
Knowledge of contract law and drafting.
Legal and commercial negotiation skills.
Ability to work independently with minimal supervision.
Ability to build and maintain relationships with internal customers, suppliers, contractors, and other stakeholders at all levels.
Ability to manage tight deadlines, large workloads, and multiple projects.
Strong written and oral communication skills, including the ability to negotiate contract terms and draft clear, logical, concise contracts.
Excellent organizational skills and ability to manage workload and customer expectations.
Strategic thinking and sound judgment.
Ability to communicate effectively with management at multiple levels.
Strong customer service, analytical, and interpersonal skills.
Ability to participate effectively in cross-functional and cross-company teams and build stakeholder buy-in.
Influencing and consensus-building skills.
Ability to develop proficiency in supply chain and business technology tools, including procurement systems and SharePoint.
Demonstrated behaviors consistent with Southern Company values, including self-motivation, customer focus, strong work ethic, urgency, teamwork, ethical conduct, creativity, initiative, flexibility, and learning from experience.

Nice To Haves

Experience negotiating technology-related contracts is highly preferred.
Experience in procurement or contracts is preferred.
Formal education or experience in contract language is preferred.
Bachelor’s degree is preferred.

Responsibilities

Support sourcing and contracting activities from initiation through contract closeout.
Advise customers and lead RFI and RFP preparation, pre-bid meetings, bid reviews, cost and price analysis, negotiations, risk assessments, and preparation of contract documents and agreements.
Support contract administration, including changes, expediting and follow-up, claim disposition, and closeout.
Handle a high volume of concurrent projects while meeting defined turnaround targets for contract-related documents.
Lead negotiations of legal and commercial terms to control and mitigate risk.
Ensure procurement documents include required terms and conditions; work with Legal, Risk Management, and Accounting to resolve contractor exceptions and issues.
Draft contract language, including special conditions for complex, non-standard purchases.
Identify and evaluate domestic and global sources of supply as needed, including through market research and analysis.
Collect and coordinate updates to supplier information and compliance documentation, such as safety records and certificates of insurance.
Use sourcing, contracting, procurement, and payment systems, including GEP, Maximo, and Oracle.
Resolve conflicts during contract performance, including negotiating contractual revisions.
Communicate contract terms, status, and processes to business partners and management.
Serve as a subject matter expert on Southern Company procurement policies and procedures.
Maintain the primary contractor interface ethically and respectfully while protecting company interests.
Manage vendor relationships and support efficient, transparent contracting and negotiations to reduce costs, improve commercial terms, and avoid duplicated effort.
Negotiate technology-related agreements, including software license, SaaS, subscription service, and master technology equipment purchase agreements.
Lead technology sourcing projects and assist in developing and implementing procurement strategies for technology services, software, SaaS, and hardware.
Apply an understanding of IT security risks and mitigation strategies addressing data breaches, malicious or harmful code, and security vulnerabilities.