Sales Contract Manager - Publishing

Adweek; Washington (District of Columbia); Hybrid; USD 81,000 - 110,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Remote first work environment

Flexible schedules with remote work

8% employer-paid retirement commitment

Medical benefits (PPO/HDHP)

Vacation: 15 days annually

Generous holiday leave: 17 paid office

Employer-paid training & development

Tuition reimbursement

Job summary

The American Physical Society is a nonprofit membership organization advancing physics worldwide. The Sales Contract Manager will oversee the contract lifecycle for institutional sales and maintain licensing compliance per APS policy and industry standards, bridging Sales, Sales Ops, Finance, and Legal.

A remote-first environment is emphasized across the United States. Key responsibilities include managing data in CRM, collaborating on license renewals, and using AI tools to streamline reviews.

Qualifications

• Minimum 5 years in contract management or related roles.
• Experience in publishing or association is preferred.
• Advanced knowledge of scholarly publishing contracts and licensing.
• Proficient with Open Access knowledge and trends.
• Advanced data analysis and software proficiency (CRM, Salesforce, MS Office, Google Suite).
• Excellent customer service and communication skills.
• Able to work both independently and collaboratively.
• Adaptable to rapidly changing publishing landscape.

Responsibilities

• Oversee contract lifecycle for institutional subscription and special deals.
• Collaborate with Sales Support Manager on licenses for single-site licenses.
• Handle inquiries related to contract terms per APS policy.
• Ensure accurate contract data in CRM (Salesforce).
• Be the lead on Licensing AI tool (IVO) updates and licensing SOPs.
• Review and resolve licensing terms for special sales deals (Consortia, Open Access).
• Act as primary contact for legal, finance, and sales teams to retrieve agreements or analyze data.
• Ensure annual or bi-annual collection of single-site user licenses.
• Draft complex license agreements for the Sales team.
• Review license modifications and amendments to meet APS requirements.
• Track licensing procurement for consortia, corporate, government sales.
• Manage contract records and logistics in institutional portal CRM.
• Use standard playbooks and pre-approved clauses for licensing agreements.
• Maintain an updated clause library for IVO licensing tools.
• Track expiration dates and automated renewal alerts.
• Perform standard administrative tasks.

Skills

Contract management

Paralegal work

Publishing

Open Access

CRM (Salesforce)

Negotiation

Data analysis

Communication

Education

Associate degree

Paralegal certification

Bachelor's degree preferred

Tools

Salesforce

MS Office

Google Workspace

Job description

Sales Contract Manager - Publishing

Who we are

The American Physical Society is a nonprofit membership organization working to advance physics by fostering a vibrant, inclusive, and global community dedicated to science and society. APS represents more than 50,000 members, including physicists in academia, national laboratories, and industry in the United States and around the world.

Position Summary

The sales contract manager (publishing) will oversee the contract lifecycle for institutional sales and ensure licensing compliance per APS policy and industry standards. They manage legal negotiations, renewals, third-party agreements, and compliance, often bridging the gap between Sales team, Sales Operations Team, Finance team, and Legal. They will use Customer Relations Management (CRM) systems or Artificial Intelligence (AI) resource tools to keep deals moving from initial proposal to final signature.

APS has a “remote first” concept that promotes equal treatment and equal access within the United States, independent of physical work location, with a majority of staff working primarily from remote work locations. APS values diversity and welcomes candidates from a variety of backgrounds. APS offers a dynamic work environment with an outstanding total compensation package, including salary, outstanding benefits, and excellent paid time off.

Responsibilities

• Oversee contract lifecycle for institutional subscription and special deals. The individual will use manual and technical AI tools to review and revise contracts, additional amendments, and provisions to ensure licensing terms meet APS and industry standards.
• Collaborate with the Sales Support Manager and Support team annually on reviewing and collecting licenses for single-site licenses.
• Handle any inquiries related to contract terms per APS policy and standards.
• Ensure accurate contract data in CRM (Salesforce). Individuals will monitor licensing workflow in CRM and ensure accuracy in data collection.
• Key expert on handling the Licensing AI tool, IVO, and ensuring APS is updated on new releases and licensing SOP are updated.
• Collaborate with internal and external stakeholders to review and resolve licensing terms for special sales deals (Consortia, Open Access, and etc.).
• Act as the primary point of contact for legal, finance, and sales teams seeking to retrieve agreements or analyze specific contract data.
• Ensure all single-site user licenses are collected frequently (annually or bi-annually).
• Draft complex license agreement for the Sales team.
• Licensing reviews will include review of Supplier and Purchase Order terms.
• Review and ensure license modification inquiries, amendments, and additional provisions meet APS requirements and industry standards.
• Track special licensing procurement process for consortia, corporate, and government sales.
• Manage contract records and logistic in CRM database (institutional portal).
• Utilizing standardized legal playbooks and pre-approved clauses to draft licensing agreements.
• Maintain an updated "clause library" that features pre-approved, legally compliant templates and alternative language for standard negotiations on IVO (third-party AI licensing tool).
• Track expiration dates and maintain automated alerts for renewals.
• Standard administrative tasks (meetings, filing, scanning).
• Other license-related duties as assigned

Education

• Associate degree required (Associated in business administration, finance, marketing, pre-law, LIS preferred.) Bachelor’s degree preferred.
• Preferred Education: Paralegal certification.

Experience, Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities

• Minimum of 5 years of experience in contract management, paralegal work or related roles (publishing, contract or library administration).
• Experience at a publishing firm or association is preferred.
• Advanced knowledge of scholarly publishing contracts, licensing, & negotiation.
• Proficient knowledge of Open Access knowledge & publishing trends.
• Advanced data analysis & software proficiency (CRM, Salesforce, MS Office Suite, Google Suite).
• Excellent customer service & communication skills.
• Exceptional ability to problem-solve, be detail-oriented, independent & collaborative.
• Adaptable to quickly changing schedules and Publishing landscape (licensing terms & deal type)
• Leveraging CLM resources (AI-Assisted Review) to speed up legal reviews and highlight non-standard deviation.

Travel

This position requires up to 10% travel to attend events, and meetings, including travel to APS offices in Long Island, NY; Washington DC; and College Park, MD, as well as other off-site locations for periodic meetings and training sessions. Additional travel may be required as assigned by the supervisor.

Salary

The salary range for this position takes into account various factors influencing compensation decisions, such as skill sets, experience, training, and other business and organizational requirements. The salary listed within the specified ranges considers relevant experience. Our compensation philosophy at APS aims to maintain salaries at the midpoint of the market. As a result, we typically hire within the target starting range. Exceptional, rare cases may merit reviews above target starting range for specialized or niche skills aligned with strategic operational goals.

Hiring Range: $80,800/year - $110,090/year (USD)

Target Starting Range: $80,800/year - $89,890/year (USD)

Work Environment

As noted above, APS offers a “Remote First” workplace. Although our offices are located on Long Island, NY; Washington DC; and College Park, MD, you can work from other places in the United States. We are flexible about work hours, but expect responsiveness during the core of the workday, Eastern Time.

This is Us

Help us achieve our mission of advancing and diffusing the knowledge of physics for the benefit of humanity, promote physics, and serve the broader physics community.

At APS, we:

• Provide a welcoming and supportive professional home for an active, engaged, and diverse membership
• Advance scientific discovery and research dissemination
• Advocate for physics and physicists, and amplify the voice for science
• Share the excitement of physics and communicate the essential role physics plays in the modern world
• Promote effective physics education for all

Core Values

Core values are essential to shaping the culture of an organization. They provide the structure and guidance for how we conduct ourselves in our day-to-day interactions. Every employee has a responsibility for upholding these values. The behaviors and actions associated with demonstrating competency in these Core Values are described in a separate document.

Our Core Values

• Scientific Method
• Trust, Integrity, and Ethical Conduct
• Equity, Diversity, and Respect
• Collaboration
• Education and Learning
• Speaking Out

Amazing 2026 Benefit Offerings

• Flexible schedules and ability to work remotely
• 8% employer-paid retirement contribution
• Investment advisement services: 100% employer paid
• Medical benefits: PPO or HDHP option
• Employer contribution to FSA or HSA account, eligibility based on medical plan enrollment
• Lifestyle Spending benefit up to $1,500.00 (USD) - 100% employer paid
• Vision benefits: individual and dependent coverage 100% employer paid
• Basic Life & Accident insurance: employee coverage 100% employer paid
• Supplemental Life & Accident insurance, including spouse & dependent child(ren) coverage
• Disability insurance: employee coverage 100% employer paid
• Voluntary Accident & Critical Illness insurance
• Healthcare, Commuter & Dependent care flexible spending accounts
• Vacation: 15 days annually
• Generous holiday leave: 17 paid office closures; includes one week closure at the end of December
• Personal leave: 4 days annually
• Volunteer leave: 1 day annually
• Sick leave: 10 days annually
• Bereavement & Compassion leave: 2 -15 days based on loss
• 12 weeks employer-paid family leave
• College tuition reimbursement plan
• Job related seminar & continuing education 100% employer paid
• Professional Certification/Recertification 100% employer paid
• Training and professional development; access to LinkedIn Learning on-demand courses
• Employee Assistance Program
• Mindfulness Meditation: live and on-demand classes
• APS does not offer relocation assistance/costs

The American Physical Society is an affirmative action and equal opportunity employer. It is the policy of American Physical Society not to discriminate or allow the harassment of employees or applicants on the basis of race, religious creed, immigration status, alienage or citizenship, religion, color, ethnicity, sex, national origin, age, disability, marital status, familial status, protected veteran status, protected military status, physical or mental disability, sexual orientation, gender identity, genetic information, predisposing genetic characteristics, ancestry, domestic violence victim status or any other characteristic protected by law with regard to any employment practices, including recruitment, advertising, job application procedures, hiring, upgrading, training, promotion, transfer, compensation, job assignments, benefits and/or other terms, conditions, or privileges of employment, provided the individual is qualified, with or without reasonable accommodations, to perform the essential functions of the job. This policy applies to all jobs at APS. The American Physical Society is committed to providing access, equal opportunity and reasonable accommodation for individuals with disabilities in employment, its services, programs, and activities. To request a reasonable accommodation, please contact APS Human Resources at [e-mail]. The “Know Your Rights: Workplace Discrimination is Illegal” poster, prepared by the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC), provides an overview of several laws that protect you from discrimination on the job, and several rights are afforded to you by these laws. The “Pay Transparency Non Discrimination Provision,” prepared by the U.S. Office of Federal Contract Compliance Programs (OFCCP), provides an overview of several protections implemented to protect individuals working under federal contracts from discrimination when inquiring about or discussing compensation; these protections apply to all employees and applicants. The APS has a "remote first" concept that promotes equal treatment and equal access, independent of physical work location, with a majority of staff working primarily from remote work locations.