Director, Contract Management

The Opportunity: 

The Legal department is seeking a Director, Contract Management to lead the day-to-day operational effectiveness and long-term strategy of the Contract Management function and serve as a key partner to the Executive Director, Contracts in driving strategic initiatives and managing business impact. 

This role will oversee a team of approximately five Contracts Managers, directly and through subordinate managers as the function grows, and ensure consistent, appropriate use of the company's Contract Lifecycle Management (CLM) system by Contracts staff and internal business clients. The Director will make final decisions on the implementation of contracting processes, workflows, templates, approvals, and documentation standards; monitor team performance against established service levels; address gaps in compliance, responsiveness, and quality; and mentor staff at all levels to strengthen judgment and independence. 

The ideal candidate combines strong people leadership with deep contract-management experience and a disciplined approach to process governance, technology adoption, service-level management, and staff development. 

• Lead the day-to-day activities of the Contract Management team, including workload prioritization, matter assignment, escalation management, coaching, and operational support.  

• Participate with Legal leadership and senior management to establish strategic plans and objectives for the Contract Management function, translate them into operational plans, and guide execution; manage actions that impact the Contract Management budget.  

• Drive consistent and proper use of the CLM system across Contracts staff and internal business clients, reinforcing required intake, workflows, approvals, documentation practices, and system standards.  

• Monitor CLM adoption, data quality, and process compliance; identify deviations or incomplete records and implement corrective actions, training, and process improvements as appropriate.  

• Partner with the Executive Director, Contracts to establish and maintain contracting standards, operating procedures, templates, playbooks, governance practices, and escalation protocols, contribute to the development of organizational policies, and make final decisions on their implementation.  

• Establish, monitor, and manage service-level expectations, including responsiveness, turnaround time, contract aging, workload, quality, and other relevant performance measures.  

• Analyze service-level data and team metrics to identify trends, bottlenecks, resource constraints, and opportunities to improve contract velocity and client service; hold team members accountable while providing coaching and support.  

• Mentor and develop Contracts staff at all levels, including leadership development, on contract review, negotiation approach, issue spotting, escalation judgment, use of templates and playbooks, and effective business partnering.  

• Serve as a resource on complex, non-standard, or sensitive matters; promote consistency in negotiation practices and escalate legal issues to the Executive Director, Contracts or other attorneys as appropriate.  

• Develop and deliver training for Contracts staff and business clients on CLM processes, contracting procedures, system navigation, and best practices, reinforcing the CLM as the system of record.  

• Partner with Legal Operations to develop and maintain dashboards and reporting on service levels, workload, cycle times, aging, CLM adoption, and other key performance indicators; recommend process, system, training, or resource solutions based on trends.  

• Lead CLM enhancements, workflow changes, reporting improvements, and other technology initiatives in partnership with Legal Operations, IT, and system vendors, including change management planning, communication, stakeholder sponsorship, resourcing, training, and adoption.  

• Foster a culture of accountability, responsiveness, consistency, professional development, and high-quality client service, while directly handling selected strategic or escalated matters as appropriate.