Contract Administrator I or II

PPL Corporation; Louisville (KY); On-site; USD 60,000 - 90,000; Full time

Job summary

Louisville Gas and Electric Company and Kentucky Utilities Company, part of the PPL Corporation family, seek a Contract Administrator for the Project Engineering team. You will lead sourcing, contracting, and administration of capital projects across energy generation and facility initiatives.

The role requires a Bachelor's Degree and strong negotiation/media skills, with emphasis on safety, compliance, and timely delivery.

Qualifications

• Bachelor's Degree required.
• Strong negotiation and analytical skills; CP/M, CPSM certifications preferred.
• Ability to manage multiple complex projects with coordination across stakeholders.
• Excellent financial analysis and communication skills; proficient with Microsoft Office.
• Knowledge of utilities/sourcing terminology and processes is a plus.
• Valid driver’s license.

Responsibilities

• Executes sourcing functions for capital projects including bidding, negotiating, and contracting with suppliers.
• Drafts and edits service, material, and equipment contracts; NDAs and IT protection agreements.
• Drafts change orders/amendments for capital projects.
• Builds relationships with internal stakeholders to align with strategic direction.
• Issues Purchase Orders for goods/services related to projects.
• Ensures compliance with policies and maintains auditable records.
• Identifies alternate sources and opportunities with diverse suppliers.
• Monitors supplier performance and delivery; assists with Oracle processing issues.
• Supports Accounts Payable with invoice resolution.
• Drives continuous improvement with suppliers and internal customers.
• Performs other duties as assigned by Senior Manager/Lead Contract Administrator.

Skills

Negotiation skills

Analytical skills

Written and verbal communication

Leadership / team facilitation

Managing multiple complex projects

Strategic business understanding

Office software proficiency

Problem solving

Adaptability to ambiguity

Driver’s license

Education

Bachelor's Degree

Tools

Oracle

Microsoft Excel

Job description

Company Summary Statement Louisville Gas and Electric Company and Kentucky Utilities Company, part of the PPL Corporation (NYSE: PPL) family of companies, are regulated utilities that serve more than 1.3 million customers and have consistently ranked among the best companies for customer service in the United States. LG&E serves 334,000 natural gas and 433,000 electric customers in Louisville and 16 surrounding counties. KU serves 569,000 customers in 77 Kentucky counties and five counties in Virginia. LG&E and KU are major employers and active supporters of the communities they serve. They empower employees, community members and initiatives across their service territory through volunteerism and investments in organizations that support education, sustainability and wellbeing.

Overview

As a Contract Administrator in the Project Engineering department, you will be a front-facing individual responsible for commercial activities of assigned capital projects. This includes, but is not limited to, the solicitation, negotiation, and management of contracts for the acquisition of materials, equipment, and critical services of capital projects at the best overall value on behalf of the customer(s). This position will be responsible for bidding, negotiating, contracting and managing capital projects of moderate complexity.

Project Engineering Department Overview – Project Engineering projects include new generation (such as natural gas combined cycle plants and solar facilities), large-scale battery storage, other environmental compliance (selective catalytic reduction technology, effluent guidelines water treatment, etc.), and facility projects. Project Engineering works interdepartmentally within LG&E-KU, as well as with outside consultants in planning, permitting, and execution of major capital projects.

Responsibilities

• Executes sourcing functions in support of capital projects for new generation and facility operations. Through bidding, selecting, negotiating, and contracting with approved suppliers, responsibilities include measurement and feedback of safety performance, risk mitigation and management, costs, and quality control.
• Drafts, negotiates and edits a variety of service, material, and equipment contracts for capital projects; master agreements; non-disclosure agreements (NDAs); and information technology protection agreements.
• Drafts, negotiates and edits a variety of change orders/amendments for capital projects.
• Establish strong relationships with internal business stakeholders; build a strong understanding of strategic business direction, requirements, and priorities across assigned suppliers and/or spend categories.
• Issues Purchase Orders (PO’s) on behalf of the internal clients for goods or services associated with projects.
• Ensures compliance with and maintains accurate and auditable records in accordance with company policies and best practices.
• Works to develop and certify alternate sources of supply in areas where competition is not prevalent.
• Locates and provides opportunities to diverse suppliers.
• Provides continuous performance monitoring of suppliers/contractors, including monitoring backorders and ensuring timely delivery of material for projects.
• Advises and assists internal customers on ORACLE processing issues.
• Assists Accounts Payable with invoice resolution.
• Drives continuous improvement and productivity with suppliers and internal customers.
• May assist Sourcing Assistants in processing POs from the buyer’s pool.
• Performs other duties and assignments as directed by Senior Manager/Lead Contract Administrator.
• Complies with all policies and standards.

Qualifications

Required Experience

Bachelor's Degree

Preferred Qualifications

• Utility-related experience
• Must be adaptable and have the ability to manage multiple complex projects simultaneously.
• Strong analysis and negotiation skills; certification in purchasing/supply chain (C.P.M., C.P.S.M., etc.); ability to identify, assess and solve problems of both tactical and strategic nature; Outgoing and personable; analytical; comfortable with high levels of ambiguity; excellent financial analysis skills; good communicator (written, oral, listening), proficient with modern office software (Excel, Word, etc.), learns quickly, action oriented, able to think strategically, strong negotiating skills; experienced team leader and facilitator.
• A bachelor’s degree in a business, legal and/or engineering.
• Action-oriented, service minded and customer-focused.
• Ability to understand terminology used in the utilities and sourcing profession.
• Valid driver’s license.