Contract Management Specialist I – Portfolio Ops

Ascendum Solutions; Cincinnati (OH); On-site; USD 65,000 - 95,000; Full time

Job summary

Ascendum Solutions is seeking a Contract Management Specialist in Cincinnati, OH to support IT labor and services contracts across the lifecycle. The role focuses about 75% on contract management, with the remainder spanning portfolio operations, budgeting, and procurement coordination.

You will proactively track expirations, coordinate with portfolio leads and sourcing teams, place purchase orders, and maintain accurate contract data in systems.

Qualifications

• 3–5 years of contract management experience, preferably supporting IT labor, services, or technology-related contracts.
• Understanding of IT services and labor contracting concepts, including managed services, fixed-bid, and time-and-material agreements.
• Experience managing multiple contracts, deadlines, renewals, and stakeholder requests simultaneously.
• Strong organizational skills with excellent attention to detail and follow-through.
• Strong written and verbal communication skills with the ability to work effectively with portfolio leads, sourcing teams, vendors, and other stakeholders.
• Strong Excel skills and comfort working with budget, financial, and contract-related information.
• Demonstrated ability to work proactively, anticipate upcoming needs, and initiate follow-up without waiting for direction.

Responsibilities

• Manage contract activities including new requests, change requests, renewals, and extensions.
• Proactively track contract expiration dates and engage stakeholders in advance of upcoming renewals.
• Coordinating with portfolio leads to understand contract requirements, changes, timelines, and renewal need.
• Review contract requests for completeness and help ensure required information is captured before moving through the sourcing process.
• Manage multiple contracts and follow-up activities simultaneously while maintaining strong attention to deadlines and detail.
• Support IT labor and services contracts, including managed services, fixed-bid, and time-and-material engagements.
• Partner with sourcing teams, vendors, portfolio leads, and other stakeholders throughout the contract process.
• Place Coupa purchase orders and support related purchasing and invoicing activities.
• Assist with operating budget tracking and other financial or Portfolio Operations activities as needed.
• Maintain accurate contract and operational information within applicable systems and tracking tools.
• Identify upcoming needs and proactively follow up with stakeholders to keep contract activity moving forward.
• Help support planning of contract renewals throughout the year to improve predictability and avoid unnecessary delays.
• Communicate status, risks, and outstanding actions clearly to appropriate stakeholders.

Skills

Contract lifecycle management

Organization

Communication

Excel skills

Budgeting understanding

Proactive follow-up

Time management

Stakeholder management

Tools

ServiceNow

Coupa

Job description

Ascendum Solutions is seeking a Contract Management Specialist in Cincinnati, OH to support IT labor and services contracts across the lifecycle. The role focuses about 75% on contract management, with the remainder spanning portfolio operations, budgeting, and procurement coordination.

You will proactively track expirations, coordinate with portfolio leads and sourcing teams, place purchase orders, and maintain accurate contract data in systems.