Head - Contracting

GMR Group; Hyderabad; On-site; INR 4,000,000 - 7,000,000; Full time

Job summary

GMR Group is seeking a seasoned Head – Contracting to own pre‑contract governance, clause library development, and standardization of templates and playbooks for high‑value contracts. You will drive risk frameworks, regulatory alignment, and cross‑functional collaboration across Legal, Procurement, Finance, Risk and Operations.

You will lead negotiation support, ensure accurate contract metadata in CLM and interfaces with SAP and billing systems, and oversee post‑award performance reviews and

Qualifications

• Legal education with extensive contracts/ commercial experience.
• 12–15 years in contracts, legal, or commercial roles.
• Experience with CLM/digital contracting and data-driven reporting.

Responsibilities

• Own clause library, templates, playbooks and governance for critical contracts.
• Lead risk assessment and mitigation, thresholds and pre‑contract risk registers.
• Advise negotiations bottlenecks and provide decision support without day‑to‑day drafting.
• Ensure regulatory alignment (GST, RBI, sector/local labour) in templates and workflows.
• Coordinate cross‑functional forums with Legal, Procurement, Finance, Risk & Ops.
• Oversee post‑award reviews, performance metrics and contract close‑out.

Skills

Clause library management

Governance & compliance

Contract risk assessment

Pre-contract negotiation

Templates & playbooks

Cross-functional leadership

Education

LLB

LLM or Diploma in Business Law

Tools

CLM software

SAP

Job description

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The Head – Contracting, owns all Business level pre-contracting standards and governance, with a primary focus on high-value and critical contracts. The role holder is accountable for clause library outcomes, template and playbook standardization for the related business, pre-contract risk frameworks, regulatory‑aligned processes, and sector‑informed guidance so that business units operate within defined risk appetite while achieving commercial objectives.

Additionally, the role Ensure all executed contracts and key metadata (obligations, SLAs, LD triggers, price revisions, securities, insurance, extensions) are accurately captured in CLM / contract repository and appropriately interfaced with business systems (e.g., SAP, billing, project controls) for critical contracts. Drive periodic contract performance reviews with Business, Projects, Procurement, Finance, and Operations to track performance against scope, time, cost, quality, and risk commitments for critical and high‑value contracts, and agree corrective actions.

Monitor compliance with contractual obligations (both GMR and counterparty) for critical contracts, including notices, conditions precedent, approvals, insurance renewals, bank guarantees, and change control, and elevate non‑compliances.

ORGANISATION CHART

Head- CLM --> Head-Contracting

KEY ACCOUNTABILITIES

Accountability / Focus Area

Key Activities

Clause Library Ownership & Quality

• Build, maintain, and expand a Group/Business‑wide clause library for commercial, legal, technical, and compliance risk areas.
• Own lifecycle of clauses including fallback: design, approval, deployment,.
• Convert fallout / lessons from pre‑contracting into updated clauses and positions.

Governance, Version Control & Auditability

• Establish and operate governance for clause creation, amendment, approvals, and version control.
• Institutionalise CLM as single source of truth for approved clauses, templates, and playbooks with traceable history.
• Provide audit‑ready documentation and dashboards for pre‑contract governance, especially for critical contracts.

Standardization of Templates & Playbooks

• Develop and maintain standardized templates, drafting guidelines, and negotiation playbooks for key contract types and risk categories.
• Drive adoption of templates and playbooks across BUs; Control template proliferation and formalise criteria for non‑standard use in critical contracts.

Risk Assessment & Mitigation for Critical Contracts

• Define framework for identifying critical contracts and associated risk thresholds.
• Approve risk mitigation plans for critical contracts.
• Maintain pre‑contract risk registers and link risks to clauses, templates, and approval thresholds.

Role in Negotiation Bottlenecks (Critical Contracts)

• Advise negotiation teams in bottleneck situations on risk positions, fallback options, and internal alignment for critical contracts.
• Provide structured decision support without owning day‑to‑day drafting or frontline negotiations.
• Feed recurring negotiation bottlenecks back into playbooks and standards.

Regulatory & Policy Compliance in Pre‑Contracting

• Embed applicable laws and regulations (GST, RBI, sectoral, local labor, etc.) into templates, clauses, checklists, and workflows.
• Coordinate periodic reviews with Legal, Tax, Compliance, HR to reflect regulatory changes.
• Own and update Group policies and standards governing pre‑contracting and use of clauses/templates.

Cross‑Functional Engagement & Workshops

• Lead cross‑functional forums with Legal, Procurement, Finance, Risk, Operations, and Business for standards, positions, and risk discussions on critical contracts.
• Translate outcomes into updated artefacts and actions with clear owners and timelines.
• Act as single point of accountability for reconciling BU needs with Group standards.

Training, Adoption & Change Management

• Design and roll out training programs on clause library, templates, playbooks, and risk frameworks for all relevant functions.
• Drive adoption metrics and behavioural change; publish performance reports and improvement plans if any.
• Communicate changes and implications for all stakeholders involved in critical contracts.

Contracting Governance & Performance Management

• Set up and operate a structured framework for handover of signed contracts to business owners, including allocation of obligation owners, milestones, and KPIs for critical and high‑value contracts.
• Ensure all executed contracts and key metadata (obligations, SLAs, LD triggers, price revisions, securities, insurance, extensions) are accurately captured in CLM / contract repository and interfaced with business systems (e.g., SAP, billing, project controls) for critical contracts.
• Drive periodic post‑award contract performance reviews with Business, Projects, Procurement, Finance, and Operations to track performance against scope, time, cost, quality, and risk commitments for critical and high‑value contracts, and agree corrective actions.
• Monitor compliance with contractual obligations (both GMR and counterparty) for critical contracts, including notices, conditions precedent, approvals, insurance renewals, bank guarantees, and change control, and elevate non‑compliances.
• Establish and oversee mechanisms for managing variations, claims, disputes, extensions of time, price escalations, and contractual reliefs in coordination with Legal and Business for critical contracts.
• Analyse post‑award issues, claims, and disputes and translate lessons learned into strengthened clause library, templates, playbooks, and risk frameworks.
• Provide post‑award advisory to business leadership on exercise of contractual levers (LDs, incentives, termination, step‑in, audit rights, service credits) for critical and high‑risk contracts.
• Ensure timely and controlled contract close‑out for major contracts, including defect‑liability obligations, warranties, document handback, securities release, and final account / reconciliation.

EXTERNAL INTERACTIONS

• There will not be any direct interaction with the external parties however participation with vendor/ client/ government stakeholder along with legal, procurement, business team etc. as and when required.

INTERNAL INTERACTIONS

• GMR Procurement team, GMR Legal team, GMR Finance team, GMR Operations team, GMR Business team for various sector such as airport, energy etc.

FINANCIAL DIMENSIONS

• NA

OTHER DIMENSIONS

• NA

EDUCATION QUALIFICATIONS

LLB from a reputed institution or LLM/PG Diploma in Business Law, or Contract Management certification is a plus.

RELEVANT EXPERIENCE

• 12–15 years of contracts / legal / commercial experience, with substantial exposure to at least one of Airport, Energy, Land Development, Sports,
• Proven leadership in pre‑contract governance, risk frameworks, and critical contracts in complex, multi‑BU settings.
• Experience with CLM / digital contracting and data‑driven reporting on deviations, risks, and adoption.