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Key Responsibilities and Required Skills for Contract Administrator

💰 $55,000 - $95,000

LegalContractsProcurementAdministration

🎯 Role Definition

We are seeking a proactive Contract Administrator who will own and manage the end-to-end lifecycle of commercial, vendor, service level, and procurement contracts. The Contract Administrator ensures contracts are drafted, reviewed, negotiated, executed, tracked and renewed in alignment with corporate policy, legal requirements, and commercial objectives. This role acts as the central point of coordination between legal, procurement, finance, operations and external vendors to reduce risk, drive compliance, and accelerate contract cycle times.

Key search and SEO terms: Contract Administrator, contract management, contract lifecycle management (CLM), contract drafting, contract review, vendor management, SLA management, negotiation, compliance, risk mitigation, procurement, commercial contracts.

📈 Career Progression

Typical Career Path

Entry Point From:

  • Junior Contract Administrator / Contract Coordinator
  • Paralegal or Legal Assistant supporting commercial contracts
  • Procurement Assistant / Sourcing Coordinator

Advancement To:

  • Senior Contract Administrator / Contracts Manager
  • Commercial Contract Manager or Contracting Lead
  • Head of Contracts or Director of Procurement
  • In-house Counsel or Legal Manager (with legal background)

Lateral Moves:

  • Procurement Manager / Vendor Manager
  • Supplier Relationship Manager
  • Compliance or Risk Management Specialist

Core Responsibilities

Primary Functions

  • Own and manage the full contract lifecycle for assigned portfolios — from intake and drafting through negotiation, execution, renewal and closeout — ensuring timelines, milestones and obligations are met and recorded.
  • Draft, edit and finalize a wide variety of commercial agreements including master service agreements (MSAs), statements of work (SOWs), NDAs, reseller/distribution agreements, professional services agreements, licensing agreements and purchase terms with clear, plain-language clauses that align to company policy.
  • Review incoming vendor and customer contracts for commercial and legal risk, flag non-standard terms, evaluate financial and operational exposure, and recommend practical mitigation strategies to stakeholders and legal counsel.
  • Negotiate contract terms with internal and external stakeholders to achieve favorable commercial outcomes, prioritize enterprise risk management and ensure alignment with pricing, SLAs and payment terms.
  • Work closely with Legal Counsel to escalate high-risk or precedent-setting contract issues, capture negotiated changes, and obtain required approvals while maintaining contract momentum.
  • Maintain and administer the contract repository / contract lifecycle management (CLM) system, ensuring all executed contracts, amendments and key metadata (dates, auto-renewals, financial obligations, termination rights) are accurately filed and searchable.
  • Track contract deliverables, key dates and performance against Service Level Agreements (SLAs); proactively notify stakeholders of renewals, expirations and compliance deadlines to avoid service interruptions and financial penalties.
  • Coordinate signature routing and execution using e-signature platforms (DocuSign, Adobe Sign, etc.), ensure executed copies are distributed to relevant parties, and verify that execution formalities comply with corporate policy.
  • Implement and enforce standardized contracting templates and playbooks to reduce negotiation cycle times, improve consistency, and maintain legal/commercial guardrails.
  • Conduct due diligence on third-party vendors and subcontractors — verify insurance, certificates of compliance, tax/registration status and other contract prerequisites prior to execution.
  • Support procurement and sourcing events by reviewing RFP/RFQ terms, aligning contract templates to awarded suppliers, and ensuring the commercial terms agreed in procurement are mirrored in final contracts.
  • Manage contract amendments, addendums, and change orders, ensuring scope, pricing and timelines are updated systemically and communicated to stakeholders and finance for billing and forecasting.
  • Prepare and deliver timely contract status reports and dashboards to Commercial, Legal and Finance leadership that summarize risks, expirations, vendor performance issues and cycle-time metrics.
  • Collaborate cross-functionally with Sales, Operations, Finance and IT to interpret contractual obligations, escalate compliance issues and provide contract-driven guidance during MSA/SOW implementation.
  • Facilitate contract closeouts and transition planning for terminated agreements, recoverables, or vendor off-boarding including reconciliation of final invoices and warranties.
  • Perform regular audits of contract compliance and contract metadata integrity, identifying gaps and implementing controls to improve accuracy and reporting fidelity.
  • Provide training and guidance to business unit owners on contract processes, template selection, negotiation limits and red-line best practices to empower non-legal stakeholders.
  • Drive continuous improvement initiatives to streamline contract intake, approval workflows, and SLA adherence, leveraging automation and CLM features to reduce manual touchpoints.
  • Assist in dispute resolution by documenting contractual claims, coordinating with legal and operations, and helping to implement remediation plans or change controls.
  • Support contract-related budgeting and forecasting activities by capturing commitment values, renewal options and potential liabilities, and ensuring data is fed to finance systems.
  • Maintain an up-to-date understanding of relevant regulatory, tax, and privacy obligations as they impact contractual language (e.g., GDPR, CCPA, export controls), and recommend contract language updates to remain compliant.
  • Participate in cross-functional projects such as M&A integrations, system implementations or product launches to ensure contractual considerations and vendor obligations are embedded into project plans.

Secondary Functions

  • Develop and maintain contract templates, clause libraries and playbooks to accelerate turnaround times and ensure consistency across the organization.
  • Produce contract KPI reports and partner with analytics teams to identify root causes of slow cycle times and common negotiation bottlenecks.
  • Lead periodic contract governance reviews to monitor adherence to approved templates, negotiation thresholds and delegated authority matrices.
  • Serve as an internal subject matter expert for contract interpretation, educating teams on risks, obligations and escalation paths.
  • Support implementation and adoption of CLM and procurement systems including requirements definition, testing and user training.
  • Assist with procurement negotiations as required and provide contractual input to supplier performance improvement plans.

Required Skills & Competencies

Hard Skills (Technical)

  • Contract drafting and redlining: create, redact and redline MSAs, SOWs, NDAs and commercial contracts with precision.
  • Contract review and risk assessment: identify and assess legal, financial, operational and compliance risks embedded in contract terms.
  • Contract Lifecycle Management (CLM) platforms: experience with platforms such as Icertis, Conga, Coupa, SAP Ariba, or DocuSign CLM for repository and workflow management.
  • E-signature and execution tools: operational knowledge of DocuSign, Adobe Sign or equivalent electronic signature systems.
  • Procurement and sourcing familiarity: understanding of RFP/RFQ processes, purchase orders, supplier onboarding and contract-to-pay lifecycle.
  • Negotiation and commercial acumen: proven ability to negotiate terms, payment schedules, pricing adjustments and liability allocations.
  • SLA and performance metrics management: ability to define, track and enforce service level commitments and remedies.
  • Compliance and regulatory awareness: working knowledge of privacy (GDPR/CCPA), export controls, anti-bribery, and sector-specific regulations impacting contracts.
  • Financial literacy: capability to read P&L impacts, forecast contractual commitments, and coordinate with finance on billing and revenue recognition considerations.
  • Template and clause library management: build and maintain standardized templates and playbooks to accelerate contracting.
  • Microsoft Office and collaboration tools: advanced Excel for reporting, Word for redlines and Teams/SharePoint for collaboration.
  • Documentation and record-keeping: strong organization skills for maintaining accurate contract metadata and audit trails.

Soft Skills

  • Strong written and verbal communication — can translate legal/technical contract language into plain business terms for non-legal stakeholders.
  • Attention to detail — meticulous in reviewing clauses, dates and metadata to avoid exposure and downstream disputes.
  • Stakeholder management — able to influence and balance priorities across Legal, Sales, Procurement, Finance and Operations.
  • Negotiation and persuasion — calm, diplomatic and persistent when driving toward favorable contract outcomes.
  • Time management and prioritization — manages multiple contracts and deadlines while maintaining quality and responsiveness.
  • Problem-solving and judgment — assesses trade-offs and recommends practical, business-aligned solutions.
  • Confidentiality and professionalism — handles sensitive commercial terms and PII with discretion.
  • Adaptability and learning mindset — stays current with evolving contract tech, regulations and industry practices.
  • Collaboration and teamwork — works cross-functionally to operationalize contract obligations and resolve disputes.
  • Customer-service orientation — provides timely support to internal clients and external vendors to maintain productive relationships.

Education & Experience

Educational Background

Minimum Education:

  • Bachelor's degree in Business Administration, Finance, Legal Studies, Paralegal Studies, Supply Chain, or related field — or equivalent practical experience.

Preferred Education:

  • Bachelor's degree plus Paralegal certification, Certified Commercial Contract Manager (CCCM), Certified Professional Contract Manager (CPCM) or relevant professional certificate; JD or LL.B. is a plus for high-complexity or regulated environments.

Relevant Fields of Study:

  • Business Administration
  • Legal Studies / Paralegal
  • Finance / Accounting
  • Supply Chain / Procurement
  • Contracts Management

Experience Requirements

Typical Experience Range: 2–7 years of progressive contract administration, procurement, legal operations or commercial operations experience.

Preferred: 5+ years administering commercial contracts in a mid- to large-sized corporate environment, experience with enterprise CLM systems, direct negotiation experience with vendors/customers, and demonstrated track record of improving contract cycle times and reducing risk.

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