Manager - Contracting

Role Overview and Purpose

The Manager, Contracting is responsible for overseeing the day-to-day contracting operations supporting Neighborhood Healthcare’s Federally Qualified Health Center (FQHC) line of business. The Manager, Contracting will also support the Director, Contracting in oversight and management of matters related to corporate-level risk management, compliance, and governance as it relates to contracting.

Responsibilities

• Operational Contracting Leadership
  Oversee all FQHC-related contracting activity, including but not limited to, vendor, provider, service, lease, MOUs and grant-related agreements.
  Manage day-to-day contract intake, prioritization, negotiation, redlining, and execution.
  Ensure contracts align with enterprise legal standards and risk thresholds.

• Provide guidance on interpretation of contractual terms and risk exposure.

• Trains Contracts Team members and other Neighborhood Healthcare employees in policies, procedures, and best practices in contracting operations.

• Acts as the proxy for the Contracts Director in approvals for certain contracts.

• Team Leadership & Management
  Supervise Contracts Specialists supporting the FQHC.
  Conducts regular 1:1 meetings with direct reports and proactively provides constructive feedback regarding performance.
  Establishes clear performance expectations, workflows, and accountability structures.

• Coaches and develops team members in negotiation strategy, compliance awareness, documentation standards and customer service.

• Drives consistency in contract review quality, turnaround time, and customer service.

• Leads resourcing meetings, including reviewing Asana boards, assigning new contract requests, providing guidance for contract requests requiring escalation, and answering questions from members of the Contracting Team.

• Tracks the volume and timeliness of all active/completed tasks and prepares reports and dashboards for review by the Director, Contracting.

• Contract Drafting, Review & Negotiation
  Draft, review, and negotiate a wide range of agreements, including but not limited to vendor agreements, professional services agreements, provider arrangements, leases, SaaS, Master Service Agreements, clinical trial agreements, MOUs, subaward, and other operational contracts.

• Performs detailed legal and operational review of contract terms, including indemnification, limitation of liability, insurance requirements, data privacy provisions, payment terms, and termination rights.

• Lead negotiations with vendors and partners to achieve balanced contractual terms that align with enterprise risk standards and organizational priorities.

• Redline agreements and prepare counterproposals in coordination with internal stakeholders and leadership.

• Manage an active portfolio of contract requests while also overseeing the work of Contracts Specialists.

• Escalate high-risk provisions, complex negotiations, or material deviations from enterprise standards to the Director of Contracting in accordance with governance protocols.

• Ensure finalized agreements are properly documented, executed, and recorded in the organization’s contract management systems.

• Contract Governance & Risk Management
  Implement and maintain a formal contract audit and legacy clean-up program.
  Monitor contract exception rates and legal deviations.
  Ensure compliance with HRSA, CMS, and other regulatory requirements affecting FQHC operations.

• Liaise with Compliance leadership to ensure that contracts are compliant with current regulatory requirements.

• Process Improvement & Systems Optimization
  Serves as the subject matter expert for systems utilized by the Contracts Team such as Coupa, Asana, Leah Redline, and CLM.

• Together with the Director, Contracting, lead CLM implementation and take ownership of system maintenance and optimization.

• Lead initiatives to improve contract intake workflows, approval routing, documentation standards, and customer service.

• Enhance data integrity and reporting within contract management systems.

• Identify automation and AI opportunities to increase efficiency and reduce risk.

• Review and propose updates to enterprise contracting playbooks and escalation protocols.

• Cross-Functional Partnership
  Serve as primary contracting liaison for FQHC leaders.
  Coordinate with leaders on department-specific contracting standards.
  Escalate high-risk or complex matters to Director, Contracting in accordance with governance framework.

• Customer Relations
  Respond promptly and proactively communicate to internal and external stakeholders.
  Maintains professional working relationships with all levels of Neighborhood Healthcare staff, partners, and vendors.

Education/Experience

• Bachelor’s Degree (or relevant equivalent experience) with 6+ years of progressive experience in contract management, healthcare contracting, or related field required
• ORMBA/MHA with 5+ years of progressive experience in contract management, healthcare contracting, or related field
• JD with 4+ years of progressive experience in contract management, healthcare contracting, or related field
• At least 3+ years of progressive leadership experience required
• Demonstrated project management capability, including leading cross-functional initiatives, managing timelines and deliverables, and driving process improvements from concept through implementation required
• Experience in FQHC contracting operations preferred
• Expertise with HRSA compliance considerations preferred
• Experience in implementing and maintaining contract lifecycle management (CLM) systems preferred

Physical Requirements

• Ability to lift/carry 10 lbs./weight
• Ability to stand for long periods of time