Contracts Senior Director

This opportunity is primarily “work from home,” but should be based within driving distance of the Okemos, MI or Chicago, IL office for in office attendance when needed.

We are seeking a highly skilled and strategic leader to join our contracts team in a dynamic professional services environment. The ideal candidate will bring a blend of legal and contracts knowledge, demonstrated management experience and technology experience to streamline workflows, manage resources and provide strategy within our contracts team and process. 

Job Summary

The Contracts Senior Director is a key management position with responsibility for leading the contracting lifecycle processes for all HMA clients across the enterprise. The Contracts Senior Director will direct contract policy, strategy, and the development, implementation and maintenance of scalable processes while ensuring compliance with applicable laws, regulations (e.g., FAR) and internal policies. As leader within the Contracts team, the Contracts Senior Director will establish, implement, and continue to refine a forward-looking strategic vision that will ensure the contracts department is prepared for and continues to meet and exceed the needs of the HMA enterprise through its continued growth. This position works closely with the firm’s legal counsel and business and consultant leaders to ensure contractual agreements, and the contracts processes are agile, scalable, automated and aligned with the firm’s objectives.

Work Performed and Job Requirements

• Operational Excellence and Process Improvement
• Maintain standardized contract processes, templates and tools.
• Streamline and standardize workflows within Ironclad.
• Drive continuous improvement initiatives to increase efficiency, scalability and accuracy of contract operations.
• Team Leadership and Development
• Lead and manage HMA’s contracting operations under the direction of the Chief Administration Officer, providing guidance, mentorship, training, and oversight for the contracts team.
• Oversee the hiring, onboarding, and professional growth of contracts team members, establishing new roles as needed and fostering a diverse talent pipeline.
• Contract Lifecycle Management
• Direct the full contracting lifecycle for HMA projects and clients in Ironclad, from pre-contract stages (proposal, negotiation, formation, and approval) through contract execution, steady state (amendments, change orders, subcontracting, and correspondence), and post-contract activities (renewals, extensions, closeout).
• Collaborate with HMA Project Managers to ensure contract compliance and proactively address the need for amendments or modifications.
• Policy and Process Development
• Lead and facilitate the identification, development, implementation, and enforcement of contract policies, processes, and procedures with a focus on scalability and automation, including non-standard contract handling.
• Collaborate with cross-functional teams including legal, compliance, IT, finance, and others to create policies that support departmental and organizational goals.
• Risk and Compliance
• Partner with legal, proposals, finance and other teams to evaluate and mitigate contractual risks.
• Serve on the corporate compliance and risk management committee.
• Ensure appropriate internal controls are in place for contract approval and execution.
• Acquisition and Strategic Planning
• Lead and coordinate acquisition activities regarding contracting (agreements, process, oversight), including due diligence, onboarding, and integration of new entities, and oversee conflicts of interest management, policy development, and implementation.
• Participate with other directors and senior executives in establishing cross-organizational strategic plans and objectives, aligning team priorities and resources to meet enterprise goals.
• Data Analysis and Reporting
• Leverage systems and tools to analyze and extract contracts data, delivering comprehensive reports and analytics to senior leadership for strategic insights and decision-making.
• Use data to continuously improve processes and increase efficiency.
• Compliance and Monitoring
• Monitor and ensure high-quality service standards in the Contracts department to maintain exceptional internal and client support.
• Maintain current knowledge of relevant contractual procedures and practices.
• All other duties as assigned.

Experience

Minimum of 15 years of experience with contracts and/or legal, including familiarity with commercial and government contracting principles and regulations. Minimum of 8 years of experience managing a team of 10+ contracts professionals. Experience with Ironclad software preferred; experience with Deltek Vantagepoint ERP software for professional services firms preferred.

Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities

• In-depth knowledge of terms and conditions in contracts; understanding of the legal implications of contract provisions; familiarity with contract law and principles; skilled at reviewing and redlining terms & conditions and identifying risk areas.
• Strong history of leading, managing, mentoring, and developing a growing team of professionals.
• Experience managing the full lifecycle of Government and commercial (e.g., Proposal development, conflict of interest mitigation and compliance, negotiation, execution, change management, closeout)
• Experience with Ironclad (or similar CLM system)
• Knowledge of SharePoint, Microsoft Teams, and Deltek Vantagepoint
• Experience drafting agreements and amendments using approved templates
• Experience with government procurements, including FAR
• Strong negotiation skills gained through relevant prior work experience
• Excellent verbal and written communication skills; the ability to professionally communicate and coordinate with a wide range of external clients as well as internal management and administrative personnel
• Must be very organized, precise, and accurate in work, with strong attention to details.
• Ability to work independently, with sound fiscal and time management skills, attention to detail, and priority management to meet conflicting deadlines
• Ability to make decisions using sound judgment, while complying with internal policies and applicable state and federal laws and regulations.
• Ability to maintain high standards of customer service and satisfaction
• Proficient in Microsoft Word and ability to learn and use other computer programs.
• Ability to manage multiple concurrent projects and motivate staff.
• Ability to multi-task and adhere to strict deadlines.
• Ability to manage significant recurring responsibilities with unpredictable short-term demands.
• Ability to be proactive, flexible, and able to switch gears quickly from one project to the next.
• Capable of handling confidential information in a discrete manner.
• Ability to work extended hours when deadlines are approaching.
• Ability to listen to and understand information and ideas presented through spoken words and sentences.

Equal Opportunity Employer/Protected Veterans/Individuals with Disabilities

The contractor will not discharge or in any other manner discriminate against employees or applicants because they have inquired about, discussed, or disclosed their own pay or the pay of another employee or applicant. However, employees who have access to the compensation information of other employees or applicants as a part of their essential job functions cannot disclose the pay of other employees or applicants to individuals who do not otherwise have access to compensation information, unless the disclosure is (a) in response to a formal complaint or charge, (b) in furtherance of an investigation, proceeding, hearing, or action, including an investigation conducted by the employer, or (c) consistent with the contractor’s legal duty to furnish information. 41 CFR 60-1.35(c)