Contract Specialist: V

TekWissen LLC; Houston (TX); Hybrid; USD 120,000 - 180,000; Full time

Job summary

TekWissen Group is seeking a highly experienced Contract Specialist: V in Houston for a six-month hybrid assignment. The role focuses on leading complex contracting activities across materials, services, operations, maintenance, and capital projects, with emphasis on sourcing strategies, risk mitigation, and performance oversight.

The ideal candidate has 20+ years in contracting or related fields, 10+ years in Oil & Gas or petrochemical industries, and strong leadership to mentor junior staff.

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree or equivalent in related discipline.
• 20+ years of contracting/procurement/supply chain or commercial experience.
• 10+ years of Oil & Gas, Petrochemical, or related industrial experience.
• Demonstrated experience independently managing complex, high-value contracts and negotiations.
• Experience leading major sourcing and contracting initiatives across multiple contract categories.

Responsibilities

• Independently leads complex contracting activities for major materials, services, operations, maintenance, turnaround, capital projects, and professional services agreements.
• Develops and executes contract strategies, including sourcing approaches, bid strategies, and risk mitigation.
• Leads all phases of the contracting lifecycle from requirements gathering to post-award administration.
• Provides commercial leadership and guidance to stakeholders regarding contracting options, risk, and supplier capabilities.
• Leads complex negotiations balancing commercial, legal, operational, and financial considerations.
• Serves as senior advisor and mentor to Contracts Advisors with coaching and guidance.
• Supports Contracts Manager and acts as acting Contracts Manager during absences.
• Aligns cross-functional teams to ensure successful contract execution and compliance.
• Leads major competitive bidding events and bid evaluations.
• Reviews Scopes of Work and contracts exhibits to mitigate ambiguity and risk.
• Identifies and mitigates commercial and operational risks throughout contracting.
• Drives process improvements and governance in contracting activities.
• Develops contracting standards, templates, and playbooks.
• Performs cost analyses and supplier performance assessments to inform decisions.
• Ensures compliance with policies, governance, and audits.
• Reports risk and status to leadership.
• Participates in strategic initiatives supporting operational excellence.
• Supports supplier qualification and due diligence including cybersecurity and compliance.

Skills

Contracting leadership

Negotiation

Stakeholder management

Risk assessment

Process improvement

SAP

Executive communication

Analytical thinking

Mentoring

Team leadership

Education

Bachelor's degree in Supply Chain, Business Administration, Finance, Engineering, Law, or related discipline

Tools

SAP

Microsoft Office

Job description

Overview:

TekWissen is a global workforce management provider headquartered in Ann Arbor, Michigan that offers strategic talent solutions to our clients world-wide

Job Title:

Contract Specialist: V

Location:

Houston, TX, 77002

Duration:

6 Months

Job Type:

Temporary Assignment

Work Type:

Hybrid

Job Description:

• Independently leads complex contracting activities for major materials, services, operations, maintenance, turnaround, capital project, and professional services agreements.
• Develops and executes comprehensive contract strategies, including sourcing approaches, bid strategies, commercial models, negotiation plans, and risk mitigation strategies.
• Leads all phases of the contracting lifecycle, including requirements gathering, bid package development, supplier engagement, evaluation, negotiations, award recommendations, contract execution, and post-award administration support.
• Provides commercial leadership and strategic guidance to business stakeholders regarding contracting options, commercial risk, market conditions, supplier capabilities, and contracting methodologies.
• Leads complex negotiations involving commercial, legal, operational, and financial considerations while protecting company interests and maintaining strategic supplier relationships.
• Serves as a senior advisor and mentor to Contracts Advisors by providing coaching, guidance, technical expertise, and support on contracting strategies, negotiations, governance, and issue resolution.
• Supports the Contracts Manager in department leadership activities and serves as acting Contracts Manager during absences or as delegated.
• Facilitates alignment between Supply Chain, Legal, Operations, Finance, Tax, Safety, Security, Health & Environment, and other stakeholders to ensure successful contract execution and compliance.
• Leads major competitive bidding events, including bid strategy development, bidder engagement, clarification management, commercial evaluations, recommendation development, and award execution.
• Supports development and review of complex Scopes of Work and commercial exhibits to ensure clarity, operational alignment, and mitigation of contractual ambiguity and risk.
• Identifies commercial, operational, financial, and contractual risks and develops appropriate mitigation strategies throughout the contracting process.
• Drives continuous improvement initiatives related to contracting processes, governance, controls, systems utilization, supplier performance, and operational efficiency.
• Supports development and implementation of contracting standards, templates, procedures, playbooks, and best practices.
• Performs commercial evaluations, cost analyses, benchmarking, and supplier performance assessments to support strategic decision-making and value optimization.
• Ensures compliance with company policies, procedures, governance requirements, delegated authority structures, records retention requirements, and audit expectations.
• Provides regular reporting, status updates, risk visibility, and executive-ready communications to leadership and stakeholders.
• Participates in special projects, strategic initiatives, and cross-functional improvement efforts supporting organizational readiness and operational excellence.
• Supports supplier qualification, due diligence, and risk evaluations including financial, safety, technical, cybersecurity, and compliance considerations.
• Maintains strong working knowledge of contracting trends, industry practices, market conditions, and Client operational requirements.
• Demonstrates leadership behaviors that promote accountability, collaboration, disciplined execution, and enterprise prioritization.

Minimum education required:

• Bachelor's degree in Supply Chain, Business Administration, Finance, Engineering, Law, or related discipline. Equivalent industry experience may be considered in lieu of degree requirements.

Minimum experience required:

• 20+ years of contracting, procurement, supply chain, or commercial experience
• 10+ years of Oil & Gas, Client , Petrochemical, Midstream, or related industrial experience
• Demonstrated experience independently managing complex, high-value contracts and negotiations
• Demonstrated experience leading major sourcing and contracting initiatives across multiple contract categories
• Prior leadership, mentoring, or supervisory experience strongly preferred

Minimum knowledge, skills and abilities required:

• Advanced understanding of contracting and procurement principles, commercial terms, and risk allocation strategies
• Strong understanding of operational contracting environments within Client , Oil & Gas, or industrial operations
• Ability to independently manage highly complex and high-risk contracting activities
• Advanced negotiation and dispute resolution skills
• Strong leadership, mentoring, and stakeholder management capabilities
• Strong understanding of governance, controls, delegated authority processes, and compliance requirements
• Ability to influence and communicate effectively with all levels of management, including executive leadership
• Strong analytical, organizational, and problem-solving skills
• Ability to prioritize competing demands in a fast-paced operational environment
• Strong presentation and executive communication skills
• Strong process improvement mindset with focus on standardization, efficiency, and operational excellence
• Proficiency in SAP and Microsoft Office applications (Excel, Word, PowerPoint)
• Experience with contract lifecycle management systems and document management systems such as OpenText preferred

TekWissen Group is an equal opportunity employer supporting workforce diversity.