Contracting Specialist

MountainOne; Williamstown, Northern (MA, KY); Hybrid; USD 88,000 - 98,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Health insurance

Retirement plan

Tuition reimbursement

Professional development opportunities

Paid leave

Gym access

Vendor discounts

Job summary

Williams College seeks a Contracting Specialist to build a centralized contract program. The role focuses on drafting, evaluating bids, and managing contracts across campus, with training and process improvements. Expect collaboration with diverse departments and a proactive, organized approach.

The incumbent will guide stakeholders, maintain contract records, and ensure best value through vendor research, while leveraging Workday for procurement workflows and reporting.

Qualifications

• Five years of contract administration experience.
• Bachelor’s degree in business, accounting, finance, or related field.
• Experience drafting and editing contracts and boilerplate terms.
• Guide stakeholders to define needs, score bids, and convert winning bids into contracts.
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills.
• Strong project management with multiple priorities.
• Ability to work independently and with diverse campus teams.
• Experience learning new software and digital tools.

Responsibilities

• Collaborate with departments to map the current contracting landscape.
• Draft RFPs, maintain bid records, analyze submissions, and present options.
• Assist departments in selecting bids and explain bidding process.
• Develop and maintain a contracts database.
• Deliver training on contract management processes and policy.
• Improve procurement guides, templates, and FAQs for staff.
• Develop and maintain a vendor list and conduct market research.
• Maintain a vendor performance tracking metric.
• Process purchase requisitions and purchase orders in Workday.

Skills

Contract administration

Negotiation

Vendor management

Project management

Communication skills

Education

Bachelor's Degree in Business Administration, Accounting, Finance or related field

Tools

Workday

Job description

Contracting Specialist

JR10000001412

Williamstown, MA (Main Campus)

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.

Additional requirements include:

• 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.

Additional preferred requirements include:

• 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.

A cover letter is required for your application to be considered; please submit a cover letter in a separate document with your application.

Application review will begin on August 26, 2026. 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. See more on our benefits by visiting our Williams HR website.

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. Remote work arrangements are subject to review and revision as policy evolves.

Employment at Williams is contingent on the verification of background information submitted by the applicant, including the completion of a criminal record check, and education when applicable. 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. As part of this commitment, 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