Associate Manager, Corporate Contracts

About the role

The Associate Manager, Corporate Contracts is a member of the Legal team at the Graduate Management Admission Council (GMAC), a mission-driven organization dedicated to promoting graduate management education and attracting a qualified, diverse candidate pool globally. Reporting to the Director, Legal Affairs, this role advises the business on a broad range of transactions, with a focus on structuring, drafting, and negotiating commercial contracts. The position collaborates closely with internal and external stakeholders to understand business needs and inform decisions.

Responsibilities

• Draft, review, and negotiate a high volume of buy-side and sell-side contracts, including services agreements, licensing agreements, product terms of use, data processing and data sharing agreements, SaaS agreements, nondisclosure agreements, and collaboration agreements.
• Consult with internal stakeholders to address issues arising during contract negotiations and support timely resolution.
• Utilize GMAC’s contract management system to manage contracts throughout their lifecycle, including intake, tracking, renewals, and amendments.
• Respond to vendor and internal client inquiries in a professional, polished, and timely manner.
• Conduct research under the direction of the Director, Legal Affairs, to resolve legal questions and provide practical, risk-based guidance to internal stakeholders, escalating complex or high-risk matters as appropriate.
• Exhibit excellent decision-making skills in resolving conflicts or differences during the negotiation of new or existing agreements.
• Identify opportunities to streamline and improve processes and workflows, and support implementation in collaboration with cross-functional teams.
• Conduct regular compliance reviews to confirm that signed agreements are executed as intended and flag any gaps or risks.
• Maintain accurate, secure, and accessible records of all agreements, ensuring documentation is up to date and properly archived.
• Maintain the Legal team SharePoint site and internal knowledge resources.
• Support due diligence activities related to third-party onboarding and potential company mergers and acquisitions.
• Contribute to ongoing improvements of GMAC’s internal standard template documents, product terms, legal processes, and contract management system.
• Draft and manage terms and conditions for international and regional contests, prize drawings, and other promotions, with guidance from the Director, Legal Affairs.
• Support the development and delivery of internal trainings in partnership with Legal team members.
• Collaborate with the Director, Legal Affairs and business teams on the vendor due diligence process.
• Perform other responsibilities and duties as assigned, including supporting other Legal team members.

Requirements

• Bachelor’s degree in a related field; or equivalent combination of education, skills, and experience.
• 2 years’ related work experience, including reviewing, analyzing, and negotiating complex contracts.
• Strong project management skills and understanding of how to manage the priorities of multiple stakeholders in a complex environment.
• Ability to support others in resolving complex issues of significance to the organization.
• Excellent interpersonal, organizational, verbal and written communication, project planning, time management, multi-tasking, and analytical skills.
• Ability to work independently with minimal supervision and in a team setting, and across external and internal stakeholder groups.
• Strong attention to detail, with a keen focus on quality.
• Ability to learn GMAC’s business, including understanding non-U.S. business cultures and GMAC’s risk appetite.
• Ability to simplify complex problems, identify underlying issues, address root causes, seek input from others, and make timely decisions.
• Ability to work in-office and remotely according to GMAC’s hybrid work environment, and to accommodate international hours as needed.

Skills

• JD degree (desired).
• Virginia Bar license or Virginia Corporate Counsel Certificate (desired).
• Experience working as in-house counsel (in a for-profit or non-profit organization) (desired).
• Experience reviewing international contracts (desired).
• Experience managing outside counsel (desired).