Contracting Specialist

FHLB Des Moines; Williamstown (MA); Hybrid; USD 87,500 - 97,500; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Competitive pay

Hybrid on-site/remote work up to 2 d/w

Comprehensive benefits

Tuition reimbursement

Job summary

Williams College seeks a Contracting Specialist to join the new Department of Risk Management, Insurance, and Procurement in Williamstown, MA. This inaugural role offers the chance to build centralized contract services across campus, collaborating with departments to draft, evaluate, and finalize contracts.

The ideal candidate has 5+ years in contract administration, a relevant bachelor’s degree, and strong communication and project management skills.

Qualifications

• Five years of contract administration experience.
• Bachelor’s degree in Business Administration, Accounting, Finance, or related field.
• Experience drafting and editing contracts, including terms of service language.
• Ability to guide stakeholders to define needs, evaluate bids, and translate into binding contracts.
• Excellent written and verbal communication; strong project management and timeline prioritization.
• Ability to work independently and with diverse campus teams; comfortable with evolving digital tools.

Responsibilities

• Collaborate with departments to understand decentralized contracting landscape.
• Create RFP documentation, analyze bids, and present options to departments.
• Assist with selecting final bids and clarifying bidding processes.
• Develop and maintain a contract database and vendor records.
• Deliver training on contract management processes and policies to faculty and staff.
• Create and maintain procurement guides, templates, and FAQs for employees.
• Develop and maintain a preferred vendor list and conduct market research for best value.
• Support purchase requisitions and orders using the Workday ERP system.

Skills

Contract administration

Contract drafting

Vendor management

Stakeholder management

Project management

Communication skills

Independent work

Education

Bachelor’s Degree (Business Administration, Accounting, Finance or related field)

Tools

Workday

Job description

Williams College is seeking a Contracting Specialist to join the newly established Department of Risk Management, Insurance, and Procurement. The department’s three-person team is led by the Director of Risk Management, Insurance, and Procurement. The department of Risk Management, Insurance, and Procurement’s mission can be found on the College’s Website. We are looking for a Contracting Specialist who demonstrates an eagerness to build a program from the ground up. In this inaugural role for the college, we are looking for a collaborative problem-solver to provide centralized contract management services for our campus community.

Responsibilities

• Collaborating with departments to understand the current, decentralized contracting landscape.
• Working with departments to generate requests for proposals (RFPs) documentation and bid recordkeeping, analyze bid submissions, and present options to requesting departments.
• Assisting departments in selecting final bids; providing clarity regarding their questions on the bid(s) or bidding process.
• Developing and maintaining a database of current and former contracts.
• Developing and delivering training sessions for faculty and staff on contract management processes and policy.
• Building on existing procurement guides, contract and agreement templates, and developing FAQs/job aids for employee reference.
• Developing and maintaining a preferred vendor list, conducting market research to provide the best value for the College.
• Developing and utilizing a vendor performance tracking metric.
• Processing purchase requisitions requests and purchase orders to support all departments of the College utilizing its Enterprise Resource Planning system, Workday.

Requirements

• Candidates will be considered for the Contracting Specialist role if they have at least five years of experience in contract administration.
• Bachelor’s Degree (Business Administration, Accounting, Finance or related field)
• Experience independently drafting and editing contracts and altering boilerplate “Terms of Service” language.
• Experience guiding stakeholders to accurately define their needs, score competitive vendor bids objectively, and process winning bids into binding contracts.
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills
• Excellent project management skills and the ability to prioritize multiple assignments and timelines simultaneously.
• Ability to work both independently and in collaboration with a diverse population of departments across the campus community.
• Experience learning new software and comfort navigating evolving digital tools and technologies.

Preferred Requirements

• Experience negotiating contracts directly with vendors over indemnification, liability caps, and data privacy clauses.
• Experience leading the competitive bid process.
• Experience navigating laws pertaining to business in higher education (FERPA, GLBA, ADA Section 508, and WCGA.)
• Experience in Workday or other Enterprise Resource Planning systems.

Benefits

• Pay range is from $87,500 to $97,500, commensurate with experience.
• This full-time, year-round position is eligible for Williams College’s robust benefits package designed to support you in your work and overall health and wellness.
• We offer comprehensive health insurance with coverage starting your first day of work, robust retirement plan contributions, tuition reimbursement, professional development opportunities, paid leave, access to gym facilities, discounts with local vendors and more.
• Hybrid on-site/remote work arrangements may be available for up to 2 days of remote work per week for employees based in MA, NY, CT, or VT, following a fully in-person onboarding period.
• This position requires a majority physical presence on campus with a minimum of 3 days per week of on-campus, in-person work.

Equal Opportunity & Diversity Statement

Decisions regarding appointments, promotions, and conditions of employment comply with applicable federal or state law prohibiting discrimination based on race, color, sex, national origin, religion, age, disability, marital status, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, ancestry, or military service.

It is unlawful in Massachusetts to require or administer a lie detector test as a condition of employment or continued employment. An employer who violates this law shall be subject to criminal penalties and civil liability.

Beyond meeting fully its legal obligations for non-discrimination, Williams College is committed to building a diverse and inclusive community where members from all backgrounds can live, learn and thrive.

We will ensure that persons with disabilities are provided reasonable accommodations.

If reasonable accommodation is needed to participate in the job application or interview process please feel free to contact us via phone at [phone] or email at [e-mail].

Values

We are looking for candidates who share our values in prioritizing diversity, equity, and inclusion, and sustainability.

Mission and Culture

The mission of Williams College, “to provide the highest quality liberal arts education,” is advanced by the rich variety of backgrounds and experiences that faculty, staff, and students bring to the work that we do together. The college is committed to building and sustaining a learning and working environment where members from all backgrounds can learn, live, and thrive. We are deeply committed to our employees, providing tuition assistance, excellent benefits, and a warm and welcoming professional environment.

Location and Community

Located in the Berkshires of western Massachusetts, Williams offers a rich academic environment in a beautiful setting.

The Berkshires—known as a cultural corridor—are a great place to live, work, and play.

With natural beauty, rich history, and top‑notch schools, there Berkshires hosts an array of recreational opportunities from world‑class museums to hiking trails.

The NewYork Capital Region, Albany International Airport, and Albany‑Rensselaer Amtrak Train Station are just an hour away, and Boston and NewYork City are within a three‑hour drive.

The college's vibrant 450‑acre campus is home to approximately 2,000 students who bring vibrancy to picturesque Williamstown.

Many people relocate here for their job at Williams but stay for the community connections that they build.

We hope you’ll take some time to explore the resources here and get to know more about our community–the one here on campus as well as the broader communities of Williamstown and the Berkshires.