Vendor Contracts Manager III

Worldwide Clinical Trials•Research Triangle Park, NC

4d•$65,500 - $130,500•Remote

About The Position

The Vendor Contracts Manager role is responsible for the overall management of activities involved in the development/preparation and revision of contracts/change orders with its vendors. This role will prepare and process contracts and transaction documents related to on-going business operations including but not limited to, vendor contracts, purchasing, sourcing, and related functions as may be required. Negotiate and execute contracts on time to avoid study related or business sensitive delays. Additional responsibilities include developing and closing agreements that foster on-going strategic relationships with vendors and that promote legal and contracts administration efficiency. The Vendor Contracts Manager manages a variety of clinical and non-clinical vendor contracts in accordance with the company’s policies and procedures, applicable laws, and sponsor requirements (if applicable). The Vendor Contracts Manager is responsible for the full life cycle of the vendor contracts/change orders (amendments) process. This role is responsible for preparing the contract by drafting and/or incorporating the associated vendor budget, scope of work, and legal, financial, and operational terms, leading negotiations, ensuring adherence to master agreements, as well as providing advice to Worldwide’s business units and project teams on contract management and policy compliance matters. The Vendor Contracts Manager will work with the Legal Department, Strategic Sourcing, Business Development and Global Business Operations to author and develop master Service Agreements, statements of work, change order documents and service agreements. The Vendor Contracts Manager is responsible for managing Worldwide’s end-to-end vendor contract and change order/amendment process.. The Vendor Contracts Manager must apply a working knowledge of contracting planning/strategy, production and negotiation. The Vendor Contracts Manager in conjunction with the Sr. Director Strategic Sourcing must focus on process improvement through analysis of contracting efforts to identify root causes for success/failure, and identify/implement changes to enhance the contract/change order process to reduce development cycle-time. The Vendor Contracts Manager is responsible for interacting with vendors and business operations on all contracting/change order documents.

Requirements

Ability to work independently with confidence.
Strong planning, strategizing, managing, monitoring, scheduling, and analytical skills.
Effective legal and business negotiation skills.
Strong interpersonal skills in a fast-paced, deadline oriented, and changing environment.
Effective stakeholder management with cross functional teams for process improvement and/or change initiatives.
Strong communication skills, including the ability to articulate via the phone and in person with a high degree of professionalism.
Out-of-the-box mentality where "making the impossible possible" is top of mind for any project involvement.
Proactive person, ability to deliver, practical passion to perform always stronger and better.
Metrics driven and goal oriented with a strong attention to detail.
Good organizational skills; ability to prioritize, delegate, and evaluate work.
Good networking and influencing skills.
Flexibility and ability to adjust on the fly to new demands; sense of urgency.
Ability to successfully lead and manage projects
Knowledge of general corporate business practices, commercial contracting principles
Bachelor's degree in Business Administration, Public Administration, Public Health, or Finance, plus nominal contracts management experience or equivalent combination of education and experience.
3-5 years of direct experience with CRO or pharmaceutical in negotiating vendor agreements.
Advanced Proficiency in MS Office (Word, Excel, PowerPoint).
Must be customer focused and able to manage challenging priorities and remain flexible and adaptable in stressful situations.

Nice To Haves

A Juris Doctor degree with concentration in contracts/transactional law is preferred.
Experience with process improvement and/or change management or can be mentored for development.

Responsibilities

Draft, review, and negotiate vendors agreement and general business purpose agreements in accordance with the company’s policies and procedures.
Review contract documents for internal and external accuracy and technical completeness.
Perform risk analysis to identify potential risks and liabilities associated with vendor contracts and offer alternative provisions to facilitate mitigation and correction. Escalate as necessary to the department head and legal counsel.
Engage appropriate internal subject matter experts to assist with and participate in information gathering, document development, contract issue reviews, and pricing discussions.
Prepare documents in accordance with the company’s policies and procedures. Manage the contract/issue approval process. Document all required approvals including deviations from policies, business processes, and standard operating procedures, including legal and management authorizations.
Maintain a working knowledge of business and legal terms and conditions that are consistent within the CRO industry.
Engage in meaningful negotiations for the purpose of achieving closure of agreements that are within the policy, as well as, consistent with business processes and standard operating procedures.
Provide contracts status information to staff and management as needed and as required by the department. Track and measure the efficiency and effectiveness of existing processes.
With the assistance of legal, maintain contracts standard templates and procedures and offer improvements if identified.