Contract Specialist

Major Responsibilities

• Contract Management Review, draft, negotiate, approve, and prepare contract agreements as requested and submitted via the Brown Contract Management (BCM) system.
• Apply university’s standard terms and conditions prior to routing agreements for execution in accordance with university policy.
• Serve as a liaison between campus partners, departmental stakeholders, supplier contracting representatives, and Brown subject matter experts and perform internal and external review functions in BCM.
• Establish and improve communication channels with campus partners to better provide guidance and advice on basic contract review and best practices to assist them with understanding risks associated with their contracts and be able to make recommendations to mitigate such risks.
• Negotiate agreements with suppliers in accordance with Brown policies and procedures while leveraging subject matter experts as needed.
• Represent Brown’s best interests to outside parties concerning terms and conditions of product and service business agreements/contracts.
• Identify potential problems or risks and provide workable alternative solutions in the structuring of contracts to meet desired objectives and avoid unnecessary costs should a dispute arise in the course of the contractual relationship.
• Maintain relationships with key campus stakeholder groups (e.g. Office of the General Counsel, Environmental Health and Safety, Office of Information Technology, the Office of the Vice President for Research, University Communications, etc.) and identify appropriate stakeholders for specific contract discussions/negotiations.
• Work with insurance staff to understand and communicate Brown’s insurance requirements to ensure compliance and appropriate risk allocation.
• Promote compliance with Brown policies and procedures and state and/or federal regulations, and provide advice to campus partners regarding Brown policies and procedures and other information as it relates to their contract activities.
• Contract Management System Support: Perform responsibilities related to the Contract Manager Role within the Jaggaer Contract Lifecycle Management System.
• Aid in monitoring contract request intake queue and determining appropriate routing/reviewing office.
• Maintain working knowledge of Brown’s contract management system and training documentation.
• Monitor shared Contracts email box to respond to or redirect inquiries to the appropriate resource.
• Examine contract records in the contract management system for accuracy and completeness.
• Endorse, advocate, and educate users on the use of Brown’s DocuSign feature in BCM.

Job Qualifications

• Bachelor’s Degree or equivalent combination of education and experience.
• Paralegal experience preferred.
• 2 to 4 years of experience in a contract negotiations role with demonstrated understanding of contract terms and conditions.
• Experience in a higher education institution or procurement function strongly preferred.