Senior Manager, Contracts Administration

National Student Clearinghouse•Herndon, VA

21h•Hybrid

About The Position

By joining the National Student Clearinghouse, you can be sure that the work you do now will help shape the future of education and the workforce in the U.S. As the trusted source for higher education data since 1993, the Clearinghouse is the leading provider of transcript and data exchange services, automated enrollment and degree verifications, learner insights and research, and compliance solutions for schools, businesses, and learners nationwide. As a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization, the Clearinghouse works with nearly 3,600 postsecondary institutions to meet their compliance needs and with thousands of high schools and districts to provide continuing collegiate enrollment, progression, and completion statistics about their alumni. In addition, the Research Center publications inform policymakers and business leaders about student educational pathways. Using our unique combination of data, analytics, and software to drive our mission, security and privacy is paramount. Join us as we continue to invest in our talent and new advanced technologies to unlock the power of data on behalf of all learners. About the Role: Within the Legal Department, the Senior Manager, Contracts Administration is responsible for managing the contracts administration function to include establishing and maintaining standard contracting protocols, templates, workflows, and playbooks, while personally handling more complex or higher risk agreements. As a senior level contracts professional, the individual is also responsible for independently negotiating, drafting, and managing complex contracts across the organization. This role encompasses a wide range of agreementsincluding Master Service Agreements (MSAs), Statements of Work (SOWs), Data Processing and Privacy Addenda (DPAs), vendor agreements, and Nondisclosure Agreements (NDAs)negotiated directly with customers and partners such as educational institutions, education associations, research institutions, government agencies, vendors, strategic partners, and commercial customers and vendors. The individual exercises sound business and contracts judgment and plays a significant role in identifying and managing contractual risk by identifying and mitigating financial, legal, regulatory, and operational risks in partnership with attorneys and senior stakeholders, and by escalating novel or material legal issues as appropriate. This role partners closely with attorneys, business stakeholders, procurement, business development, finance, product, IT, and information security teams to ensure contracts align with business objectives, comply with applicable laws, regulations, internal policies, and reflect attorney approved risk positions. The individual will supervise staff on contract negotiations, implement management best practices and contribute to the ongoing improvement, refinement and scaling of contracting workflows as the organization grows. The ideal candidate brings a strategic mindset, strong leadership and communication skills, and progressively responsible experience and expertise in negotiating and drafting contracts for the provision of services to customers and retention of vendor services while utilizing best practices, considering risk mitigation and achieving business objectives. This role requires the ability to exercise strong independent judgment in contract negotiations, make timely, well-reasoned decisions in fast-paced or ambiguous contracting scenarios, and navigate competing priorities and stakeholder interests while maintaining compliance with laws, regulations, contractual requirements, and policy. This position reports to the Director, Legal Counsel. Currently, this is a remote-first position, and this position may be required to periodically work on-site at our office and the frequency would depend on the department/division's requirements. Therefore, candidates must either reside within a reasonable distance to commute to our office or be willing to travel to our office in Herndon, when required.

Requirements

Bachelor's degree in business, Social Sciences, or related field. A combination of education and experience including military service will also be considered .
8 years of relevant, progressively responsible experience in contract drafting and negotiation of MSAs, SOWs, NDAs and/or related contracts through the full lifecycle, from intake and negotiation through execution and handoff to operational teams.
5 years of experience in supervising staff in a management or leadership capacity.
Experience leading staff to maximize productivity and efficiency.
Experience: Supporting business partners compliance with data privacy, information security, and regulatory contracting requirements.
Identifying, assessing, and ensuring proper risk mitigation of legal, financial, regulatory, privacy, security, operational and/or reputational risks in contracts.
Evaluating contract terms related to indemnification, limitation of liability, insurance, data protection, confidentiality, intellectual property, audit rights, termination, and/or payment structures.
Managing redline processes and version control across multiple agreement drafts, including tracking changes, maintaining document integrity, and ensuring final execution versions are accurate and complete.
Developing, maintaining, or working from contract negotiation playbooks or similar, including fallback positions and pre-approved alternative language.
Leading change initiatives and driving adoption of new processes and tools.
Strong cross-functional communication skills with a track record of collaborating effectively across departments and managing complex contracting and risk.
Knowledge, Skills and Abilities: Advanced negotiation skills with the ability to balance firmness and flexibility, attaining business objectives while maintaining positive relationships.
Strong: Working knowledge of commercial contract terms, structures, and common negotiation positions.
Contract drafting and redlining ability.
Analytical, critical thinking, and problem-solving skills.
Attention to detail with a process-oriented mindset; able to maintain consistency and accuracy across high volumes of agreements while following established workflows and standards.
Understanding risk management principles and strategies for mitigating risk.
Interpersonal skills for building rapport, trust, and understanding with diverse stakeholders, customers, and internal teams.
Demonstrated ability to: Work independently and effectively while managing multiple, demanding priorities under tight deadlines, balancing competing client needs in an often-changing environment.
Analyze and interpret complex contractual language.
Handle sensitive and confidential information with discretion.
Communicate effectively with non-legal stakeholders, including translating contract terms and risk considerations into practical business guidance.
Collaboration: Experience partnering closely with business development, procurement, finance, information security, compliance, product, IT, and risk management teams throughout the contract lifecycle to determine contractual and business objectives and operational constraints and ensure compliance with privacy and related laws and contractual commitments.
Strategic Thinking: Ability to use negotiated terms in contracts to enable business objectives and strategy while mitigating risk.
Leadership: Strong leadership skills with experience supervising and mentoring direct reports.
CLM & CRM Tools Proficiency: Deep familiarity with using contract management software programs, including CLM systems, contracting and e-signature tools, customer relationship management systems, and SharePoint.
Project Management: Strong organizational skills and ability to manage multiple initiatives simultaneously.
Proficiency in Microsoft Office suite and other collaboration tools.
Adaptability and resilience for dealing with changing circumstances, challenges, or setbacks during negotiations.
Intellectual curiosity, a strong work ethic, and commitment to delivering a superior work product.
Demonstrates the Clearinghouses core competencies: customer focus, optimizes work processes, communicates effectively, collaborates, and is open and authentic.
Other Requirements: Must live within a commutable distance to Herndon, VA or in one of the Clearinghouse's approved States for hiring purposes. Refer to our HR Policies Page, located on our Careers site at https://www.studentclearinghouse.org/careers/human-resource-policies/ , for more details.
Must be currently authorized to work in the United States on a full-time basis. We do not intend to sponsor external applicants for work visas, and may consider sponsorship only if no qualified candidates can be found who are authorized to work without sponsorship.
Must be at least 18 years old.

Nice To Haves

National Contract Management Association certification (e.g. CPCM, CCMA).
Privacy-related experience associated with contracting requirements and mitigation of privacy risks, preferably involving student data privacy and FERPA, COPPA, CCPA, or GDPR.
Experience: Drafting and negotiating privacy and data protection addenda.
Supporting legal teams on privacy-related compliance.
Supporting nonprofit organizations or other mission driven entities.
Working in highly regulated environments and managing sensitive and personally identifiable information.
With federal and state procurement processes and public-entity contracting requirements.
Responding to RFPs.
Change Management: Experience leading change initiatives and driving adoption of new contracting processes and tools.
Training & Development: Experience creating and delivering impactful contract training programs and continuous learning initiatives.
Using AI-powered contract review or negotiation tools.
Knowledge of regulatory laws relevant to the work of the Clearinghouse.

Responsibilities

Demonstrate the Clearinghouse's core competencies: Customer Focus, Optimizes Work Processes, Collaborates, Communicates Effectively, and Be Open and Authentic.
Contract Negotiating and Drafting Negotiate and draft contract terms and conditions for the provision of services to customers and other third parties, including MSAs, SOWs, DPAs, NDAs, amendments, and renewals, working within established playbooks and escalating to attorneys as needed.
Negotiate and draft contract terms and conditions for vendor agreements.
Develop negotiation strategies and tactics to achieve favorable outcomes for the organization, working within established negotiation playbooks and escalating to attorneys as needed.
Ensure contracts address data privacy, consumer protection and related laws and contractual requirements.
Ensure contracts address technical requirements, permissible data policy, and internal policies across security, privacy, consumer protection, and intellectual property.
Stay informed on relevant updates to laws, regulations, and industry guidance as communicated by attorneys, and apply attorney-provided legal guidance to ensure the Clearinghouses agreements and business practices remain compliant while continually developing negotiation skills and knowledge.
Leverage AI-powered contract negotiation tools and contract playbooks to efficiently process and negotiate agreements; contribute to the continuous improvement of playbook rules and tool configurations.
Review and negotiate customer-imposed contract terms, including state procurement agreements and public-entity requirements, ensuring the Clearinghouses interests and compliance obligations are addressed within the customers contracting framework.
Risk Identification and Management Proactively identify, assess, and manage legal, financial, regulatory, privacy, security, operational and reputational risks in contracts.
Evaluate contract terms related to indemnification, limitation of liability, insurance, data protection, confidentiality, intellectual property, audit rights, termination, and payment structures.
Ensure proper risk mitigation, allocation, and alignment between security, privacy, IP, consumer protection, and related legal compliance requirements, recommending risk-appropriate alternatives and mitigation strategies in contracts.
Strategic Leadership, Independent Judgment & Decision Making Design and execute a comprehensive contracting strategy that strengthens the companys position and risk posture while achieving business objectives.
Exercise strong independent judgment in contract negotiations, including determining when to proceed, compromise, escalate, or recommend rejection of proposed terms.
Navigate competing priorities and stakeholder interests while maintaining compliance with laws, regulations, contractual requirements, and policy.
Make timely, well-reasoned decisions in fast-paced or ambiguous contracting scenarios.
Identify and escalate novel legal issues and risk areas, and non-standard contract positions that require attorney review; exercise sound independent judgment within established parameters while recognizing the boundaries of the role.
Resolve conflicts and differences that may arise during contract negotiations.
Sees the big picture of business objectives, imagines future scenarios that increase risk, and creates mitigation strategies.
Project management: strong organizational skills and ability to manage multiple initiatives simultaneously.
Cross-Functional Collaboration Partner closely with business development, procurement, finance, information security, compliance, product, IT, and risk management teams throughout the contract lifecycle to determine contractual and business objectives and operational constraints and ensure compliance with privacy and related laws and contractual commitments.
Serve as the primary contracts' liaison between business teams and Legal team to support process optimization, and continuous improvement initiatives in contracting.
Translate contract and risk considerations into clear, practical guidance and training for non-legal stakeholders.
Translate legal information and requirements into internal stakeholder education and training programs.
Support attorneys and business partners by identifying key issues, preparing risk summaries, and executing approved negotiation strategies.
Communicate clearly and effectively with customers and external partners to resolve inquiries and disputes.
Contract Lifecycle Support and Process Support Manage negotiated contracts through the full lifecycle, from intake and negotiation through execution and handoff to operational teams.
Design, implement, and manage scalable contracting processes and workflows that optimize the effectiveness of contracting processes and improve efficiency, accuracy, and repeatability across the contract lifecycle.
Drive adoption, optimization, and best-practice usage of contract management system by business development teams and contract owners.
Identify and resolve bottlenecks in the contracting cycle through ongoing operational reviews and continuous improvement initiatives.
Coordinate contract workflows, approvals, and e-signatures.
Maintain version control, secure document storage, and accurate records of contract negotiations, decisions, risks, and approvals in contract lifecycle management (CLM) systems.
Create and maintain contract templates, contract playbooks and clause libraries, training guidelines, and tools for use by attorneys and non-attorneys to assist in the efficient negotiation and processing of agreements.
Cultivate Innovation Work closely, drive and lead key internal and external resources that will drive improved contracting practices.
Encourage and support creativity, ideation and innovated thinking by staff that is well thought out and grounded.
Views failures as opportunity to learn.
Moves beyond traditional ways of doing things and pushes past status quo.
Works with the Legal team and internal stakeholders to create innovative contracting solutions to enhance the organizations contracting practices.
Understands the Business Develop, maintain, and demonstrate a strong working knowledge of the Clearinghouse, its environment, including its mission, services, and key stakeholders and how each business team contributes to that mission.
Actively seeks opportunities for efficiencies and cost-effective technologies that reduce costs and optimize investments.
Expertly represent the Clearinghouse externally.
Applies insights and knowledge of the business to advance the organizations goals in contracting.
Has a clear understanding of commercial customers and applies an understanding of the education industry into parameters to make better negotiating and contracting decisions.
Workforce Management Demonstrate the management and/or senior leadership competencies: Management Competencies : Making Complex Decisions, Being Flexible and Adaptive, Build Collaborative Relationships, Focusing on Performance, and Optimizing Diverse Talent.
Senior Leadership Competencies : Balances Stakeholders, Cultivates Innovation, Drives Vision and Purpose, Strategic Mindset, and Understanding the Business.
Build a team-based environment that aligns with company values, ways of working, and competencies.
Ensure employees comply with company policies, procedures and regulations, while meeting established goals.
Recruit and select the best talent to help optimize skills and experiences.
Motivate and manage staff to maximize productivity and efficiency.
Provide direction to team members, including feedback to support personal and career development and ongoing improvement.
Develop and manage career development and advancement and define and monitor training and development plans to support job and career satisfaction.
Coach, mentor, and ensure staff are adequately trained and provide guidance, as needed.
Monitor and provide feedback on performance including annual reviews, rewards, and compensation structure.
Reward employees using formal and informal methods.
Position may be required to perform other duties as required.
These essential functions are representative of those that must be met by an employee to successfully perform the job.
Reasonable accommodations will be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform these essential functions.

Benefits

The National Student Clearinghouse provides a robust benefit program designed to help meet the needs of each employee and their family, both now and in the future.
We offer comprehensive medical, dental, and vision insurance, as well as life and disability insurance benefits, for employees and their qualified dependents.
Health care, dependent care, and limited purpose flexible spending accounts, as well as a health savings account with annual employer contributions of $300 for employees and $600 for employees who are enrolled with their spouse and/or dependents, voluntary supplemental health plans for Accident and Hospital Indemnity coverage, and infertility coverage are options available for employees to set aside pre-taxed dollars for certain qualifying expenses.
We offer a very generous 401k matching contribution program with the opportunity to defer pre-tax and Roth contributions, as well as catch-up contributions for those who are eligible!
We are proud to offer a competitive paid leave program consisting of vacation, sick, and personal time, as well as paid holidays, up to 3 weeks of paid parental leave during a 12-month period, and up to 5 days of paid military leave per calendar year.
Vacation time will accrue based on length of service, and new full-time hires can accrue up to 13 days of vacation and up to 10 days of sick time per year.
On an annual basis, new employees may use up to 32 hours of accrued sick time as personal time.
Additionally, the Clearinghouse observes at least 15 paid holidays per year, including company year-end close between Christmas and New Years Holidays.
Another perk is that employees have the option to get reimbursed for basic wholesale company and roadside assistance memberships (e.g., Costco and AAA) and to request a buy back on portions of unused accrued vacation based on tenure and certain other qualifications.
Employees can further their education and professional development by using our Employee Education Assistance Program, which establishes reimbursement for qualified education expenses upon successful completion of the program, and leveraging the enterprise-wide LinkedIn Learning subscription.
There are additional employee benefits too, including but not limited to, mental health with up to eight free therapy sessions for employees and their family members and well-being reward benefits.
With the Clearinghouse being an eligible 501(3)(c) nonprofit organization, employees are eligible for service credit towards the Public Service Loan Forgiveness program (PSLF).
To find out more, please request a copy of our Benefits at a Glance!