Description:

Responsibilities:

Oversee management of the contracting process for all commercial contracts, including contract drafting, process flow, approvals, negotiations, and reporting. Ensure the contract is correct, as intended by the parties, and consistent with internal processes.
Oversee and actively participate in the drafting, review and negotiation of substantive commercial agreements, including but not limited to customer agreements, vendor agreements, purchase agreements, distribution agreements, supplier agreements, non-compete agreements, confidentiality agreements and consulting agreements
Develop and maintain the operating strategy for the contracting team and ensure that it is meeting the goals of the team, department, and company, including positive customer relations and appropriate risk management
Coordinate with the appropriate internal teams/departments to ensure proper communication and resolution protocols are in place to avoid operational issues
Work closely with internal and external stakeholders, including those in the Legal, Sales, and Operations departments, as well as our Customers, to ensure that the documents tie out with applicable needs, requirements, and expectations, including contracting strategies, business objectives, and other contract conditions
Develop and standardize departmental processes and procedures to ensure that all contract requests, approvals, information requests, and other requirements are processed within appropriate timelines
Provide advice on legal matters pertaining to Affiliate relations, including contract drafting, interpretation and negotiation, and risk management efforts
Manage a team of Attorney - Contract Managers and Attorneys and ensure each is properly trained and performing the functions of their position to the best of his/her abilities
Organize and prioritize overall workload so as to most efficiently enable and facilitate team effort to accomplish departmental and company goals
Periodically review and provide feedback to team members on their performance and formulate improvement plans and/or development plans as needed
Foster a collaborative environment and seek alternative ways to innovate and improve current processes and procedures, including developing risk management strategies
Ensure that team members are properly maintaining review notes when reviewing assigned contracts and presenting business cases to senior Legal team members
Respond to various partner/stakeholder questions, inquiries, requests for clarification, etc. regarding contracts, terms/conditions, and other items
Monitor and perform analysis on existing customer contracts using approved performance methodologies, tools, etc.; includes identifying and recommending opportunities for improvement
Perform and/or oversee research of applicable laws, regulations, and statutes, as well as contractual terms and legal concepts, and provide guidance with respect to SMS Assist's compliance with such requirements
Keep General Counsel apprised of current and potential issues and communicate effectively on a regular basis
Identify potential risk and liability related to business practices, policies and deals
Establish and maintain the process for capturing all pertinent paper and electronic files in compliance with company and departmental policies, in order to allow for easy retrieval and reference
Other duties / special projects as directed
Travel requirements: Travel Expected: less than 10% of the time

Professional Skills:
These are the professional skills we would expect from an individual fully established in this role.

Analysis - Expert
Problem Solving - Expert
Verbal Communication - Expert
Written Communication - Expert
Process Orientation - Expert
Prioritization - Expert
Teamwork - Expert
Relationships - Expert
Negotiation - Expert
Customer Service - Expert
Organizational Awareness - Expert
Learning Agility - Expert

Role Specific Skills

Exceptional oral and written communication skills
Ability to independently analyze, research, and problem solve
Capable of prioritizing and managing multiple tasks in a fast-paced environment
Professional, with a high-level of integrity and ability to maintain confidentiality
Fluent in the Microsoft Office suite, specifically Word, Excel and Outlook

People Management Skills
Manager

Proficient in all people management processes, including recruitment, performance management and reward
Proficient in building, growing and developing a team; including department structure design and resourcing
Proficient in coaching and developing individual team members to reach their potential
Proficient in engaging a team through communication, processes, personal impact and influence]

Qualifications:
Minimum Qualifications:

J.D. Degree required
Admission to a State Bar (preferably Illinois)
A minimum of 5 years of strong contracting law experience in a law firm and/or in-house legal position
Must have strong experience negotiating complex commercial transactions; drafting commercial contracts and the ability to handle heavy volume
Must be detail oriented and have advanced skills in identifying legal and compliance issues

Please note, this job description is not designed to cover or contain a comprehensive listing of activities, duties or responsibilities that are required of the employee for this job. Duties, responsibilities and activities, and schedule may change at any time with or without notice.

SMS Assist is an Equal Opportunity Employer (EOE) that welcomes and encourages all applicants to apply regardless of age, race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identify and/or expression, national origin, disability, veteran status, marital or parental status, ancestry, citizenship status, pregnancy or other reasons prohibited by law.