Contract Manager (m/f/d)

Cylib; Nordrhein-Westfalen; On-site; EUR 60,000 - 90,000; Full time

Job summary

cylib, a German battery recycling company, seeks an experienced contract professional to draft, review, and negotiate complex agreements with customers, suppliers, and partners. You will manage contract lifecycles, monitor deadlines, and ensure GDPR and export controls compliance within a cross-functional team.

You will advise internal departments, run trainings on processes, and coordinate with Legal and external firms on intricate matters, leveraging SAP S/4HANA and CLM systems in a

Qualifications

• Law degree or equivalent in law, business law, or industrial engineering.
• 3+ years of professional experience in contract management, procurement, sales, or legal department.
• Solid knowledge of German contract and commercial law (BGB, HGB).
• Fluent in German and English, written and spoken. Ability to explain complex matters clearly.

Responsibilities

• Draft, review, and negotiate contracts with customers, suppliers, and partners.
• Manage contract processes from approval to renewal or termination; maintain CLM system.
• Identify and assess contractual, financial, and legal risks; ensure GDPR and export control compliance.
• Verify services, SLAs, prices, and warranties; handle deviations and amendments.
• Develop and maintain contract templates and clause libraries; define negotiation guidelines.
• Advise internal departments and train staff on contract processes.
• Coordinate with Legal, external law firms, and teams on complex matters.

Skills

Fluent German & English

Analytical mindset

Structured, independent

Negotiation skills

Cross-functional collaboration

Education

Law degree or business law / equivalent

Tools

MS Office

SAP S/4HANA

CLM systems

Job description

Your mission

• You draft, review, and negotiate contracts with customers, suppliers, and partners, including supply, framework, service, NDA, and license agreements.
• You manage contract processes from approval and filing through deadline monitoring to renewal or termination. You also maintain our Contract Lifecycle Management (CLM) system and keep contract status and key metrics up to date.
• You identify and assess contractual, financial, and legal risks and define appropriate measures. You ensure compliance with internal policies and legal requirements such as GDPR and export controls.
• You check whether agreed services, SLAs, prices, and warranties are being met, and you handle deviations, contract amendments, and claims.
• You develop and maintain contract templates, clause libraries, and negotiation guidelines.
• You advise internal departments on contract questions and run training sessions on our contract processes.
• You coordinate closely with Legal, external law firms, and the teams involved on complex matters.

Your profile

• You hold a degree in law, business law, business administration, or industrial engineering. Alternatively, you have a commercial apprenticeship plus relevant further training.
• You have at least three years of professional experience in contract management, procurement, sales, or a legal department.
• You have solid knowledge of German contract and commercial law, particularly the BGB (German Civil Code) and HGB (German Commercial Code).
• You are fluent in German and English, both written and spoken, and can explain complex matters clearly to different audiences.
• You are confident with MS Office and have experience with SAP S/4HANA and CLM systems. Knowledge of international contracts, Incoterms, and the UN Convention on Contracts for the International Sale of Goods (CISG) is ideal.
• Experience in an industrial or technical environment, or a contract management certification, is a plus.
• You approach problems analytically, have a good sense for risk, and work in a structured, careful, and independent way.
• You negotiate confidently and communicate clearly and persuasively.
• You enjoy cross-functional work, bring different perspectives together constructively, and find pragmatic solutions.

Why us?

• You take ownership from day one – after an intensive onboarding, you'll build something unique with us and shape outcomes with real impact on results.
• You work on something that truly matters – with your contribution, you strengthen Europe's battery supply chains and make circular economy a reality on an industrial scale.
• You're part of a mission-driven team – in a fast-paced scale-up environment, we live collaboration, because we can only move things forward together.
• You work to the highest standards – we combine the professionalism of leading industry with the innovative power of a top-tier, research-driven technology team.
• You grow with us – at cylib, you will do what is likely to be the most impactful work of your career and develop personally as we scale together.

About Us

cylib is a German battery recycling company that emerged from research at RWTH Aachen University in 2022. With an integrated network of sites, we bring together research and development at our headquarters in Aachen, dismantling and mechanical processing in Wernberg-Köblitz, and hydrometallurgical processing in Dormagen (in ramp-up). Our goal: building a resilient European value chain through the recovery of high-quality materials for sustainable batteries.

With our innovative OLiC technology (Optimized Lithium and Graphit Recovery), we recover over 90% of the contained raw materials – with a CO2 footprint that is 80% lower than conventional processes. Towards the realization of a true circular economy in the European market.