Contracts Manager, Impact Finance & Markets

The Nature Conservancy•Washington, DC

10d•$80,000 - $104,000

About The Position

The Contracts Manager serves as the primary point of contact and subject matter expert for contractual agreements across The Nature Conservancy’s Impact Finance & Markets (IFM) Division. As part of the IFM operations team, this role manages the full agreement lifecycle, including intake, pre-contract requirements, drafting, review, approvals, execution, tracking, deliverables, amendments, and close-out. The manager provides guidance to project managers, promotes consistency and compliance, and improves agreement-management systems, tools, resources, and workflows. The role supports an efficient, consistent, and well-controlled money-out and money-in contracts function. It applies TNC policies, procedures, templates, systems, and approval requirements; advises staff on agreement-related questions; identifies risks and process gaps; and coordinates with Legal, Finance, Purchasing, Information Security, Records Management, and other subject matter experts. The position also develops guidance and training, maintains records and reporting, serves as IFM’s Business Unit Records Management Coordinator, and maintains Delegation of Authority records. In partnership with project managers, the Contracts Manager coordinates and, as appropriate, drafts, reviews, negotiates, processes, executes, amends, renews, and closes out agreements with external parties. The manager obtains and maintains TNC Certified Contracts Specialist certification and completes relevant training for money-in contractual and private grant agreements. Public awards training is required if IFM performs work under a public award. The role reports to the Deputy Director, Impact Finance and Markets. The position may be based in any country where TNC has an established office or entity, subject to applicable restrictions. It may be remote, hybrid, or in person, and must be located in a time zone equivalent to U.S. Eastern, Central, Mountain, or Pacific time zones. Relocation assistance and immigration sponsorship are not available. The role may involve longer hours as needed and requires effective participation in a remote team environment.

Requirements

Bachelor’s degree and 5 years of experience, or an equivalent combination.
Previous contracting experience, coursework, or dedicated training.
Experience with organizational skills and attention to detail.
Experience managing and implementing multiple projects.
Experience interpreting guidelines to achieve desired results.
Experience with business process analysis and/or improvement.
Experience in business writing, editing, and proofreading.
Experience organizing time and managing diverse activities to meet deadlines.
Experience working with cross-functional teams.
Experience handling confidential information.
Ability to work independently and self-motivate, including effective participation in a remote team environment.
Willingness to work longer hours as needed.

Nice To Haves

Multilingual skills and multicultural or cross-cultural experience.
Ability to analyze information to prepare reports, coordinate activities, and solve problems.
Ability to manage and implement complex processes.
Ability to use existing technology to achieve desired results.
Experience supporting financial and/or legal processes.

Responsibilities

Manage the full lifecycle of IFM contractual agreements, from intake and pre-contract requirements through drafting, review, approvals, execution, tracking, deliverables, amendments, renewals, and close-out.
Serve as the primary contractual-agreement contact and subject matter expert for IFM, advising staff and project managers on agreement-related questions.
Develop and implement an efficient, consistent, and well-controlled money-out and money-in contracts function.
Apply TNC policies, procedures, templates, systems, and approval requirements, and ensure programmatic commitments, organizational policies, and legal requirements are met and managed for compliance.
Identify contractual risks and process gaps and coordinate with Legal, Finance, Purchasing, Information Security, Records Management, Grants Specialists, and other subject matter experts as needed.
Collaborate with Finance staff in managing private awards and, as needed, with Grants Specialists in managing public awards.
Develop guidance and training and improve workflows, systems, tools, and resources for managing agreements.
Maintain reliable agreement records and reporting, serve as IFM’s Business Unit Records Management Coordinator, and maintain IFM’s Delegation of Authority records.
Manage projects with multiple variables by setting realistic deadlines, managing timelines, and ensuring accountability.
Handle confidential information sensitively and adapt guidance to different contracting contexts across functions, geographies, and organizational levels.
Support financial responsibilities that may include purchasing, invoice processing, and assisting with budget preparation or tracking.
Participate in complex negotiations as appropriate and perform other operations-related duties as necessary.
Obtain and maintain TNC Certified Contracts Specialist certification and complete relevant money-in contractual and private grant agreement training; complete public awards training if IFM performs work under a public award.