Senior Contracts Manager

Sovereign & Bale; Liverpool; Hybrid; GBP 55,000 - 85,000; Full time

Job summary

Sovereign & Bale in Liverpool is seeking a Senior Contracts Manager to provide expert contractual support across the organisation, drafting, negotiating and managing supplier and subcontractor agreements throughout their lifecycle.

You will work with Operations, Commercial and Finance to ensure compliance, mitigate risks and align contracts with business objectives, including mobilisation, variations and contract close-down. Hybrid working with two office days per week.

Qualifications

• A law or related degree is required or equivalent.
• Extensive experience drafting and negotiating contracts from scratch.
• Experience managing the full contract lifecycle from bid to award and ongoing management.
• Background in Contracts Management or Legal roles is preferred.
• Strong commercial awareness and ability to identify and mitigate contract risk.

Responsibilities

• Draft, negotiate and manage a wide range of commercial contracts from scratch.
• Support the full contract lifecycle, from bid stage through to contract award and ongoing management.
• Produce supplier agreements, heads of terms, confidentiality agreements and subcontractor contracts.
• Ensure commercial, financial and operational risks are reflected in documentation.
• Coordinate contract execution and signatures, including electronic signatures.
• Manage contract amendments, variations, renewals, breaches and terminations.
• Maintain accurate contract records across the supplier network.
• Collaborate with Operations, Commercial and Finance to ensure compliance.
• Identify contractual risks and recommend mitigation strategies.
• Support mobilisation activities and ensure documentation is completed efficiently.
• Archive documentation and fulfill contractual obligations at close-down.

Skills

Drafting contracts

Negotiation

Contract lifecycle management

Legal compliance

Stakeholder communication

DocuSign

Public Sector contracts

IT contracts

Education

Law or related degree

Tools

DocuSign

Job description

Location: Liverpool (Hybrid – 2 office days per week, including Wednesdays, and 3 days working from home)

Are you an experienced Contracts Manager or legal professional with exceptional contract drafting and negotiation skills?

Do you have extensive experience drafting contracts from scratch, negotiating complex legal agreements, and managing the full contract lifecycle from bid through to contract award?

If so, we'd love to hear from you.

The Role

As the Senior Contracts Manager, you will provide expert contractual support across the organisation, ensuring all supplier and subcontractor agreements are accurately drafted, negotiated and managed throughout their lifecycle.

Working closely with Operational Management, Support Teams and the Finance Director, you will play a key role in producing, negotiating and managing contracts relating to mobilisation, contract delivery, contract variations and contract close-down.

You'll be responsible for translating complex commercial arrangements into legally robust agreements, ensuring commercial and financial risks are appropriately managed while maintaining compliance with commissioner requirements.

Key Responsibilities

• Draft, negotiate and manage a wide range of commercial contracts from scratch.


• Support the full contract lifecycle, from bid stage through to contract award and ongoing management.


• Produce supplier agreements, heads of terms, confidentiality agreements and subcontractor contracts.


• Ensure commercial, financial and operational risks are accurately reflected within contractual documentation.


• Coordinate contract execution and signature processes, including electronic signature platforms.


• Manage contract amendments, variations, renewals, breaches and terminations.


• Maintain accurate contract records and documentation across the supplier network.


• Work closely with Operations, Commercial and Finance teams to ensure contractual compliance.


• Identify contractual risks and recommend appropriate mitigation strategies.


• Support mobilisation activities and ensure contractual documentation is completed efficiently.


• Archive documentation and ensure contractual obligations are fulfilled during contract close-down.

Skills and Experience

• A relevant degree or equivalent qualification in Law, Business, Management or a related discipline.


• Extensive experience drafting and negotiating contracts from scratch.


• Proven experience managing the full contract lifecycle, from bid through to contract award and ongoing management.


• Previous experience within a Contracts Management or Legal role.


• Strong commercial awareness with the ability to identify and mitigate contractual risk.


• Excellent organisational skills with exceptional attention to detail.


• Strong written and verbal communication skills.


• Experience managing multiple contracts and competing priorities within a fast-paced environment.


• Confidence communicating with stakeholders at all levels, both internally and externally.


• Experience using DocuSign or other electronic signature platforms.


• Previous experience working with commercial contracts within the Public Sector or IT sector.


• Experience working within a service-led, commercial or target-driven business environment.