Contract Manager
Strada Education Network
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See open jobs at Strada Education Network.See open jobs similar to "Contract Manager" ASU+GSV Summit.Legal
Remote
Posted 6+ months ago
The following functions may not be comprehensive in scope regarding work performed by an employee assigned to this position classification. Management reserves the right to add, modify, change or rescind the work assignments of this position. Management also reserves the right to make reasonable accommodations so that a qualified employee(s) can perform the essential functions of the position.
Overview of the Council for Adult and Experiential Learning (CAEL): Strada Collaborative, Inc. d/b/a CAEL (referred to in the document as “CAEL”), is a national, nonprofit membership organization dedicated to partnering with educators, employers, and workforce and economic developers to reimagine and create lifelong pathways that integrate learning and work for adults. CAEL helps organizations succeed by providing expertise, resources, and solutions that effectively support adult learners as they navigate on-and-off ramps between education and employment. We partner with entities across the adult learner ecosystem to help create actionable career pathways along the journey of lifelong learning and meaningful work.
CAEL’s work is rooted in and expresses the organization’s values; we are committed to being an inclusive organization; prioritize equity, diversity, and inclusion in our recruitment, hiring, and retention efforts; look for opportunities to communicate the link between our mission and eliminating systemic inequity; acknowledge and appreciate daily the challenges facing all those in support of justice for these communities; do not accept or condone racism in any form; commit individual and corporate resources to the pursuit of justice; require employee training on topics such as racial equality and unconscious bias toward maintaining an inclusive culture; provide a library of media and organizational resources to our staff to increase understanding of racial inequality; and incorporate business agreement language that reinforces our anti-racism stance.
CAEL is a virtual organization; all employees work remotely out of their homes.
Overview of Position: The Contract Manager will work remotely as an integral member of the CAEL Finance & Administration team. The Contract Manager will ensure that CAEL’s formal relationship with outside entities – be they educational institutions/systems, units of government, foundations, for-profit and non-profit organizations, vendors, or subcontractors – are executed in a way that protects the organization and minimizes risk to CAEL’s financial health, reputation, and intellectual property while enabling CAEL to execute contracts in a way that allows for the organization to engage with others and fulfill mission, impact, and financial goals with minimal friction or delay.
The Contract Manager will pursue these objectives by ensuring that key CAEL stakeholders are engaged in the process and that each of those stakeholders is accountable for their role in the process. Stakeholders include staff focused on CAEL Partnerships, CAEL’s Solutions and Initiatives, and Legal, Finance/Accounting, and Information Technology staff at CAEL’s parent organization, Strada Education Foundation. Additionally, the Contract Manager will execute contracts on behalf of all CAEL departments to ensure a smooth and efficient process.
Essential Job Functions:
- Communicating and maintaining adherence to established processes for review and approval of contracts, utilizing email, shared documents, instant messaging, telephone.
- Advancing contracts through the life of the contract process, ensuring that proper approvals are in place from legal, programmatic, executive, finance, and other staff at CAEL and Strada.
- Periodically reviewing existing processes and suggesting process improvements as appropriate.
- Maintaining and communicating the current status of contracts in process using contract management software and other tools.
- Working with internal stakeholders to prioritize contracts for review and execution.
- Communicating with internal stakeholders and supporting them as they adhere to processes, timelines, and quality standards.
- Initially maintain a library of pre-approved contract templates and ensure the use of the contract template appropriate to the particular client/project/initiative/solution, and work with Strada Legal to implement Contract Management software and tools that will house these templates (Contract Management software is expected to be in place and available to CAEL during Q1 of 2025).
- Compiling complete contract packages by assembling templates, unique scopes of work, and other artifacts critical to the client agreement.
- Ensuring that the content of contracts is approved by Strada legal, by verifying the use of pre-approved templates and gaining approval for any changes to those templates or use of client-provided contracts.
- Serving as a liaison between CAEL staff and Strada Legal, Finance and Accounting, and Information Technology teams and ensuring that each has information sufficient to perform their roles in the contracting process.
- Preparing contract documents for signature using Contract Management software (i.e., Docusign, ContractPod) or similar tools.
- Follow the approved contract signature authority matrix as assigned by Strada Education Foundation.
- Suggest areas for process improvement, efficiency gains, risk mitigation, and alignment with contract management best practices.
- Participate in and occasionally facilitate meetings with internal and external stakeholders by coordinating and procuring necessary information and documents needed for contracts.
Education and Experience:
- 2-4 years of relevant work-related experience with contract administration, contract management, or other contract-related work. Familiarity with contract law is preferred.
- Associate or Bachelor’s degree or relevant training/experience in paralegal studies, contract management, administrative services, or a similar field.
Skills and Competencies:
- Superior attention to detail to spot inconsistencies in contracts and scopes of work, and variables in the proposed work that may impact cost/price, ability to deliver, reporting requirements, etc.
- Proactive, comfortable taking the lead in ensuring that others are supported and encouraged in following processes.
- Calm and deliberate, with the ability to maintain grace and clarity amidst competing interests and multiple deadlines.
- Superior communication skills, comfortable utilizing multiple communication tools and mechanisms (email, instant messaging, web conferencing platforms) for different situations and stakeholders.
- Highly organized, prepared to see and seize opportunities to advance priority items and remove barriers to progress.
- Ability to prioritize work and sequence contracts appropriately based on an understanding of the opportunity, risk, and level of effort required for each contract.
- Advanced proficiency with Google GSuite Productivity tools (e.g., Docs, Sheets, Slides, etc.), as well as Microsoft Office Word (i.e., track changes functionality).
- Competent user of contract management technology/software (e.g., DocuSign, ContractPod).
- Ability and desire to work in a fast-paced, high-volume atmosphere and meet tight deadlines.
- Ability to work autonomously, while operating as a team player.
- Mature, professional manner with a demonstrated ability to develop good working relationships with co-workers and external clients with varying seniority levels; including executive level management team and external client stakeholders; and under the challenging conditions of a remote organization operating in all time zones, where stakeholders have erratic schedules and shifting priorities and timelines.
Travel Requirements: This position will require the incumbent to travel approximately two to five percent (2-5%) of the time for business meetings with some overnight travel required. This is an annual average, and differences may exist week-to-week or month-to-month. Travel amounts are variable depending on project needs and external factors, but travel preferences are part of staffing considerations. The amount of travel and expectations are subject to change based on business needs and demands.
Typical Physical & Mental Demands: Requires prolonged sitting with some bending, stooping, and stretching; eye-hand coordination and manual dexterity sufficient to operate a keyboard, telephone, and other office equipment. Requires normal range of hearing and eyesight to record, prepare, and communicate
appropriate reports. Also requires moderate to intense concentration due to complexity and/or the need to meet deadlines, and flexibility to readily adapt to a changing environment.
Security is Everyone’s Responsibility: To protect Strada’s personnel, affiliates, customers, assets, and mission, security is the responsibility of every employee. To maintain security, employees are required to read, understand, and follow company security policies including but not limited to the WISP and Employee Handbook. In addition, security training supporting those policies is required at least annually.
CAEL is an equal-opportunity employer. We celebrate and support diversity in our workforce and are committed to creating an inclusive environment for all employees. We thrive on diversity and inclusion for the benefit of our employees, our products and services, and our stakeholders. CAEL advocates for equitable treatment and support of both adult learners and other underserved populations. CAEL is proud to be an equal-opportunity workplace.
When applying, please include a resume and a cover letter. Thank you!
This job is no longer accepting applications
See open jobs at Strada Education Network.See open jobs similar to "Contract Manager" ASU+GSV Summit.