Senior Contracts & Claims Manager

Spectraforce; Vacaville (CA); On-site; USD 140,000 - 210,000; Full time

Job summary

Spectraforce is seeking a Senior Contracts & Claims Manager in Vacaville, CA to oversee commercial management for CAPEX projects. You will lead contract strategy, risk mitigation, and claim handling across global teams to protect the organization’s interests and drive value.

Strong negotiation and cross-functional collaboration are essential. The role requires extensive experience with major contractors, cost control, and dispute resolution, working closely with Legal, Finance, and SGIE to

Qualifications

• Minimum 10 years of relevant experience with major contractors/consultants in project change procedures, cost management, claims and disputes with owners and subcontractors
• Experience developing and implementing contract strategies for CAPEX projects
• Ability to work cross-functionally with Project Management, Legal and Finance
• Business fluent English communication and negotiation skills

Responsibilities

• Lead contract management activities to protect organizational rights and optimize value
• Develop and negotiate major contracts and change orders; manage deviations and variations
• Coordinate with SGIE, Global Procurement and project teams to ensure compliance with processes
• Identify and pursue outgoing claims and defense strategies; support arbitration and disputes as needed
• Monitor contractor performance, cost control, and risk mitigation throughout project lifecycle

Skills

Contract management

Claims management

Negotiation

Risk management

Education

Bachelor's degree in Business, Engineering or Law

Tools

ERP systems

Contract management software

Job description

Position Title: Senior Contracts & Claims Manager

Assignment Duration: 6 Months

Position Summary:

As a member of the Global Capital Sourcing team, a Senior Contracts & Claims Manager is sought to be responsible for the commercial management of a variety of projects within large and medium green or brown field CAPEX schemes (CAPEX project sizes/spend of min 5 m USD). The aims are to protect The Organization’s rights and entitlements as provided in the contracts, ensure the Contractors’ obligations are fulfilled, ensure The Organization is fulfilling their obligations, optimizing value-for-money, reducing contract risks, lowest Total Cost of Ownership (TCO), on time/schedule delivery, quality and in-cost project purchases to support the goal for The Organization’s growth investments.

He/she is in position to mitigate risks related to the contract creation / execution, identify cost benefit solutions to complex contractual matters (including regular delivery and close out of complex negotiations with external Stakeholders and Consultants).

The position is expected to act as a commercial expert working in close cooperation and coordination together with the Global Engineering team (SGIE), the local project team and any other relevant internal or external stakeholder, ensuring a common The Organization approach to suppliers.

Key Responsibilities:

CONTRACT MANAGEMENT

• Support the definition of the Risk mitigation plan;
• Participate in development of contracting strategies;
• Involve Cost Control Group and ensure the implementation of cost control system e.g. progress measurement, remeasurement, bank guarantees, additional items, claims, cash flow and back-charges;
• Analyse the contract conditions and assist the project management in the preparation and conduction of the execution of those contracts;
• Involvement with the review of new tenders and contracts with Strategic Supplier;
• Support the negotiation of major contracts, subcontracts and own the final review and document preparation with Strategic Supplier;
• Ensure relevant Procurement & SGIE process and standards are followed.
• Lead the execution of contracts to secure our The Organization contractual rights and entitlements;
• Responsible to report contracting plan status and variations to the Project & Procurement on a periodic basis;
• Manage the contracting plan during project execution, commissioning and evaluation stages, including the contractor's cost in cooperation with Cost Control;
• Prepare a summary of key contractual points (deviations from norms, identified risks, of concern to The Organization) generated by a review such that they can be readily identified and addressed;
• Negotiate and agree contract extensions & change request;
• Coordinate activities such as change orders, delay management, conflict management, preparation for potential litigation / arbitration / ADR in terms of proper documentation, timely responses to the contractor as per contract;
• Monitor and safeguards the legal right as per the provisions of the contract;
• Manage the Warranty and performance guarantees of the project assets;
• Ensuring all requirements of The Organization, are met with respect to contract review;
• Coordinating the involvement of legal counsel and/or Client legal counsel in reviews as required;
• Support in Arbitration and in Alternative Dispute Resolution Procedures;
• Overseeing, managing, directing and supporting the project commercial teams to ensure optimization of project returns.

CLAIM MANAGEMENT

• Identifying opportunities for outgoing claims, development of claim strategies, supporting/preparing notifications/correspondence as well as negotiation and settlement;
• Analysis of incoming claims, development of defense strategies, supporting/preparing response/correspondence, claim negotiation and settlement;
• Collection and registration of all claim related documentation in company’s claim repository.

SUPPLIER RELATIONSHIP MANAGEMENT

• Manage escalation of issues and claims management with supplier;
• Develop the supplier relationship according to the expectations per supplier segment;
• Support supplier relationship management and to ensure reliable high quality supply;
• Support the supplier performance, compliance and accountability through supplier scorecards and performance metrics;
• Involved in periodic commercial audits of main contractors.

STAKEHOLDER MANAGEMENT

• Identify and engage with internal stakeholders, including Project Management, Global SGIE, Global Procurement and Corporate Functions (mainly Legal and Finance);
• Clarify stakeholder requirements;

Perform other duties as assigned.

Qualification & Experience:

Education

• A higher commercial background equivalent to a Bachelor (BSc/BA), preferably Master degree (MSc/MBA) or equivalent and a good thorough technical understanding and knowledge
• Field of Study: Purchasing, Engineering or Legal, Quantity Surveying or Cost Consulting

Language(s)

• Required: English Ability Level 2 - Business Fluent

Certifications

Work Experience

• Minimum 10 years of relevant experience with major contractors / consultants in roles dealing with management of project change procedures, cost management, claims and variations, negotiation and settlement of disputes with owners and subcontractors.
• Demonstrated experience developing and implementing contract strategies that have yielded measurable business results
• Ability to work cross functionally in project work and project management
• Has preferably overseen, sourced from or worked for EPCMV / EPC contractors
• Experience operating at a senior level on a major project or in a Commercial / Claims Manager role in a large construction company.
• Experience in a regulated industry (i.e. pharmaceutical, food) advantageous.
• Level: Highly Experienced - 10+ years
• Agility: Looks for opportunities to make improvements; Drives and supports change and takes personal responsibility to make it happen.
• Business Acumen: Understands the goals of the company; works with managers to address and implement company strategies Uses her Business Acumen to help solve issues and make timely decisions.
• Collaboration: Works as a team across all functional areas; Shares information and seeks to seek our and share different perspectives.
• Customer Focus: Works to understand Internal and External Customer needs; uses metrics to track improvement; Seeks effective solutions to issues that affect customers
• Driving Results: Ability to establish clear concise goals for oneself as well as help in the development of team goals; Helps overcome obstacles for oneself and others. Ability to create and work within budgetary constraints
• Leadership: Takes personal accountability for outcomes; Supports teams professional development and provides feedback when and where necessary; Creates a positive work environment and works to ensure good quality communication

Skills

• Business and financial acumen;
• Contracting strategy & execution, strategic sourcing expertise, procurement/sourcing knowledge/experience for large CAPEX projects;
• A strong understanding of construction technology, sequencing and practices;
• Exceptional problem solving and analytical skills;
• Demonstrated project management skills;
• Demonstrated experience developing and implementing sourcing strategies that have yielded measurable business results
• Ability to work cross functionally in project work and project management
• Has overseen, sourced from or worked for EPCMV contractors
• Skills in all procurement processes including commodity management, supplier management, negotiations, contract management and e-procurement systems.
• Research, analysis, summary recommendation skills.
• Strong negotiating and influencing skills on international level.
• Experience managing global relationships, both internal and external.
• Experience with international commercial contracts and agreements
• Effective interpersonal and communication skills and ability to build business relationships and to work in multifunctional team

Working Conditions & Physical Demands (If Applicable):

Safety: Must know and follow job safety procedures, attend required health and safety training, proactively promote safety at work, and promptly report actual and potential accidents and injuries. Must comply with safety policies of the company and site.

Quality Responsibility: Adherence to cGMPs is required at all times during the manufacture of APIs. All personnel own the quality of what they deliver and are responsible for notifying responsible management in a timely manner of regulatory inspections, serious GMP deficiencies, process deviations, product defects and related actions.

Additional Information (If Applicable):

Supervision Received: General Supervision

Key Stakeholders: SGIE Project Managers, Capex Lead Buyers, Project Controls Managers

People: 0 Internal staff, TBA external EPCM contractors’ Contract Managers

Budget: TBA – depending upon project(s) assigned

Quality: Quality of work drives cost containment. Meticulous to a fault

Safety: Always maintain a safe work environment and ensure others are as well

At SPECTRAFORCE, we are committed to maintaining a workplace that ensures fair compensation and wage transparency in adherence with all applicable state and local laws.