Paralegal

Tetra Tech; Lexington (KY); Hybrid; USD 70,000 - 110,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Comprehensive benefits

Merit-based rewards

Work-life balance

Collaborative culture

Learning & development

Job summary

Tetra Tech is seeking an experienced Contract Specialist / Paralegal to provide strategic legal and contractual support for municipal water, wastewater, stormwater, and transportation infrastructure projects.

You will review, draft, and negotiate complex agreements, guide risk allocation, and support senior leadership with contract strategy, templates, and playbooks within a collaborative, in-office or hybrid environment. Strong communication and organization are essential to success.

Qualifications

• 7+ years of contract review and negotiation experience in the engineering/construction industry or infrastructure-focused professional services.
• Demonstrated experience negotiating and administering municipal infrastructure project agreements, including public-sector procurement.
• Strong knowledge of risk allocation in professional services contracts (indemnification, liability, insurance, etc.).
• Outstanding written and verbal communication, with the ability to engage senior leadership and cross-functional teams.

Responsibilities

• Review, analyze, draft, revise, and negotiate a wide variety of professional services and related agreements in accordance with company policies.
• Identify contractual risks and gaps and develop practical drafting solutions and redlines.
• Interpret contract terms and advise management on rights, obligations, indemnification, and liability limitations.
• Partner with project managers and risk personnel to support negotiation strategy for complex municipal projects.
• Develop and implement best practices for contract review and administration within the CLM system.
• Prepare executive summaries and risk reports for senior leadership.

Skills

Contract review

Negotiation

Public procurement knowledge

Risk assessment

Communication with leadership

Tools

Microsoft Word

Adobe Acrobat DC

Job description

The Opportunity

Tetra Tech is hiring an experienced Contract Specialist / Paralegal with experience in the AEC industry. In this role, you will provide strategic legal and contractual support to internal business partners supporting Tetra Tech’s engineering consulting services, with a focus on municipal water, wastewater, stormwater, and transportation infrastructure projects.

Essential Job Functions

• Independently review, analyze, draft, revise, and negotiate a wide variety of professional services agreements, including prime agreements with public-sector clients, subconsultant agreements, teaming agreements, NDAs, and amendments, in accordance with company policies and risk management guidelines.
• Apply advanced knowledge of engineering consulting industry standards, public procurement requirements, and municipal contracting frameworks to identify contractual risks, gaps, and inconsistencies, and develop practical solutions through clear and precise drafting and redlining of contract language.
• Interpret contract terms and conditions and advise management regarding rights, obligations, indemnification, standard of care, limitation of liability, insurance requirements, dispute resolution provisions, and compliance considerations specific to engineering consulting services.
• Partner with project managers, business unit leadership, and risk management personnel to support negotiation strategy and risk mitigation efforts on complex municipal infrastructure projects.
• Develop, refine, and implement best practices for contract review and administration within Tetra Tech’s contract management system, with a focus on consistency and risk mitigation across public infrastructure and municipal projects.
• Prepare executive-level summaries, risk assessments, and reports for senior leadership regarding contract exposure and negotiation strategy.
• Provide mentorship and informal guidance to junior contracts personnel as needed and contribute to process improvements within the contracts function.
• Support continuous improvement of contract templates, negotiation playbooks, and internal guidance materials tailored to engineering consulting and public-sector engagements.

Required Qualifications

• Seven (7)+ years of progressively responsible experience in contract review and negotiation within the engineering consulting industry, architecture/engineering (A/E) firms, or infrastructure-focused professional services organizations.
• Demonstrated experience independently negotiating and administering agreements for municipal water, wastewater, stormwater, and/or transportation infrastructure projects, including familiarity with public-sector procurement requirements.
• Strong working knowledge of risk allocation principles in professional services contracts, including standard of care, indemnification, limitation of liability, insurance, and claims management considerations specific to engineering consulting.
• Strong written and verbal communication skills, with the ability to work effectively with senior leadership, project managers, and cross-functional technical teams.
• Highly organized, proactive, and capable of managing competing priorities in a fast-paced, deadline-driven environment.

Preferred Qualifications

• Experience working within an in-house legal department or contracts function supporting engineering consulting operations preferred.
• Proficiency in Microsoft Word and Adobe Acrobat DC; experience with a contract lifecycle management (CLM) system preferred.

Physical Requirements

• Extended periods of sitting and working at a computer
• Reviewing and organizing large volumes of documents
• Filing and retrieving records
• Occasional lifting of files up to 20 to 25 pounds
• Communicating with clients, attorneys, courts, and vendors

Work Environment / Environmental Factors

• Standard office setting, either in-office or hybrid.
• Regular use of legal software, document management systems, and communication tools.
• Interaction with attorneys, clients, courts, and external agencies.
• Occasional travel for client meetings.
• Moderate noise typical of an office setting.

Life At Tetra Tech

• The perks of working at Tetra Tech include:
• Comprehensive and market-competitive benefits.
• Merit-based financial rewards.
• Flexibility and company-wide commitment to work/life balance.
• Collaborative team atmosphere that values the contributions of all employees.
• Learning and development opportunities for ongoing professional growth.

About Tetra Tech

Tetra Tech is the leader in water, environment, and sustainable infrastructure, providing high-end consulting and engineering services for projects worldwide. With 25,000 employees working together, Tetra Tech provides clear solutions to complex problems by Leading with Science® to address the entire water cycle, protect and restore the environment, design sustainable and resilient infrastructure, and support the clean energy transition.

Tetra Tech is proud to be an Equal Opportunity Employer. All qualified candidates will be considered without regard to race, color, religion, national origin, age, disability, sexual orientation, gender identity, status as a protected veteran, or any other characteristic protected by law.

Tetra Tech is a VEVRAA federal contractor and we request priority referral of veterans.

Additional Information

• Organization: 200 IEW