Manager, Contracting

Transamerica•Cedar Rapids, IA

3d•$108,000 - $143,000•Hybrid

About The Position

Transamerica is hiring a Manager, Contracting to lead end-to-end contracting execution, from contract-ready intake through negotiation, approvals, signature, and coordination of purchase requisition, purchase order, and contract-term execution. The role is accountable for contracting quality, cycle time, and workload management. It partners with Procurement Business Partners supporting Corporate Services and Revenue Enablement and leads internal and outsourced contracting resources through consistent processes and controls. The Manager guides complex negotiations, develops team capabilities, exercises sound commercial judgment, and builds a scalable, effective contracting service. The role oversees a centralized contracting queue, manages a varied portfolio of agreements, coordinates specialist reviews, maintains governance and controls, and uses contract lifecycle management workflows and data to improve contracting operations. The position is hybrid, requiring three days per week in the office at a hub location in Philadelphia or Cedar Rapids. Relocation assistance is not provided.

Requirements

Bachelor’s degree or equivalent relevant professional experience.
At least 7 years of experience drafting and negotiating commercial supplier agreements and managing contracting activity across varied levels of complexity, including explaining commercial trade-offs and recommending workable solutions.
Experience leading and developing contracting or comparable professional-services teams, including prioritization, workload management, quality assurance, and performance coaching.
Experience managing a high-volume portfolio of concurrent matters while meeting deadlines, maintaining sound controls, and communicating clearly with stakeholders.
Ability to work effectively with Procurement, Legal, risk and control functions, Finance, and business stakeholders, with a clear understanding of decision rights and when to escalate.
Experience improving contracting operations through playbooks, templates, training, process discipline, metrics, and effective use of CLM or comparable workflow technology.
Strong written communication, negotiation, and analytical judgment, with the ability to provide concise, fact-based recommendations to leaders.
Legal authorization to work in the U.S. without immigration-related employment authorization sponsorship.

Nice To Haves

Juris Doctor, MBA, or other relevant advanced education.
Experience leading a centralized contracting service or working with embedded outsourced/BPO contracting capacity.
Experience in insurance, financial services, a public company, or another regulated environment.
Experience with procurement-to-pay handoffs, including requisitions, purchase orders, and contract-term setup.
Experience implementing or improving CLM, automation, analytics, or responsible AI in contracting.

Responsibilities

Lead, coach, and develop contracting professionals, setting ownership, service expectations, quality standards, training, performance feedback, and escalation paths.
Manage a centralized contracting queue across internal and outsourced resources; triage matters by contract type, complexity, and risk while balancing capacity, priorities, and service expectations.
Oversee end-to-end contracting from complete intake through negotiation, required reviews, approvals, signature, contract record, and coordinated PR/PO/C-Term completion, maintaining clear status and handoffs with Procurement Business Partners.
Provide hands-on direction for complex and nonstandard agreements, including negotiation strategy, commercial terms, issue resolution, and practical alternatives for business decision makers.
Oversee contracting for technology and data, professional services, outsourcing, external workforce, market data, amendments, renewals, and other contract types while maintaining a consistent service model.
Partner with Procurement Business Partners to understand business objectives, deal context, and commercial outcomes and coordinate the Procurement experience throughout contracting.
Coordinate reviews and approvals with Legal, Third Party Risk Management, Privacy, Information Security, Compliance, Finance, Technology, and other specialists; escalate exceptions and risk-acceptance decisions as appropriate.
Maintain contracting governance and controls, including contracting entities, authorized approval and signature paths, documented decisions, accurate records, templates, playbooks, standard operating procedures, negotiation guidance, and quality standards.
Use CLM workflows and data to monitor throughput, cycle time, quality, rework, workload, and stakeholder experience, and turn trends and recurring issues into measurable process improvements.
Partner with Operational Enablement and outsourced contracting providers to strengthen processes, reporting, controls, technology, automation, analytics, and responsible AI adoption while maintaining quality, human oversight, confidentiality, and alignment with organizational priorities.

Benefits

Competitive pay
Annual bonus for eligible employees, based on the Company Bonus Plan and individual performance and at the Company’s discretion
Pension plan
401(k) match
Employee stock purchase plan
Tuition reimbursement
Disability insurance
Medical insurance
Dental insurance
Vision insurance
Employee discounts
Career training and development opportunities
Paid time off starting at 160 hours annually for employees in their first year of service
Ten paid holidays per year
Be Well Company holistic wellness program, including Wellness Coaching and Reward Dollars
Paid parental leave of 15 days per calendar year for eligible employees with at least one year of service at the time of a qualifying birth or child placement
Adoption assistance
Employee Assistance Program
Back-Up Care Program
PTO for volunteer hours
Employee matching gifts program
Employee Resource Groups
Inclusion and diversity programs
Employee recognition program
Referral bonus programs