Vendor Contracts Manager III

Worldwide Clinical Trials; Milwaukee (WI); On-site; USD 65,500 - 130,500; Full time

Job summary

Worldwide Clinical Trials, a global midsize CRO, is seeking a Vendor Contracts Manager in the United States. You will draft, review, and negotiate vendor agreements, ensuring accuracy and compliance with policies, master agreements, and sponsor requirements.

You will lead negotiations, perform risk analyses, coordinate with legal, sourcing and business units, and drive improvements to shorten cycle times while maintaining quality and regulatory compliance.

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in Business Administration, Public Administration, Public Health, or Finance.
• 3-5 years of direct experience with CRO or pharmaceutical in negotiating vendor agreements.
• Juris Doctor degree with concentration in contracts/transactional law is preferred.
• Advanced Proficiency in MS Office (Word, Excel, PowerPoint).
• Strong negotiation and contract management experience.

Responsibilities

• Draft, review, and negotiate vendors agreement and general business purpose agreements in accordance with the company’s policies and procedures. Review contract documents for internal and external accuracy and technical completeness.
• Perform risk analysis to identify potential risks and liabilities associated with vendor contracts and offer alternative provisions to facilitate mitigation and correction. Escalate as necessary to the department head and legal counsel.
• Engage appropriate internal subject matter experts to assist with and participate in information gathering, document development, contract issue reviews, and pricing discussions.
• Prepare documents in accordance with the company’s policies and procedures. Manage the contract/issue approval process. Document all required approvals including deviations from policies, business processes, and standard operating procedures, including legal and management authorizations.
• Maintain a working knowledge of business and legal terms and conditions that are consistent within the CRO industry.
• Engage in meaningful negotiations for the purpose of achieving closure of agreements that are within the policy, as well as, consistent with business processes and standard operating procedures.
• Provide contracts status information to staff and management as needed and as required by the department. Track and measure the efficiency and effectiveness of existing processes.
• With the assistance of legal, maintain contracts standard templates and procedures and offer improvements if identified.

Skills

Independent work

Planning

Negotiation

Interpersonal skills

Stakeholder management

Communication

Project management

Networking

Flexibility

Leadership

Education

Bachelor's degree in Business Administration/Finance

Juris Doctor degree (preferred)

Tools

MS Office

Job description

Who we are

We’re a global, midsize CRO that pushes boundaries, innovates and invents because the path to a cure for the world’s most persistent diseases is not paved by those who play it safe. It is built by those who take pioneering, creative approaches and implement them with quality and excellence. We are Worldwide Clinical Trials, and we are a global team of over 3,500+ experts, bright thinkers, dreamers and doers and, together, we are changing the way the world experiences CROs - in the best possible way. Our mission is to work with passion and purpose every day to improve lives and we are looking for others who value this same pursuit.

Why Worldwide

We believe everyone plays an important role in making a world of difference for patients and their caregivers. From our hands‑on, accessible leaders, to our cohesive and supportive teams, we are committed to enabling professionals from all backgrounds and experiences to succeed. We prioritize cultivating a diverse and inclusive environment that continues to promote collaboration and creativity. We are proud to be a workplace where people thrive by being themselves and are inspired to do their best work every day. Join us!

What Vendor Management department does at Worldwide

The Vendor Contracts Manager role is responsible for the overall management of activities involved in the development/preparation and revision of contracts/change orders with its vendors. This role will prepare and process contracts and transaction documents related to on-going business operations including but not limited to, vendor contracts, purchasing, sourcing, and related functions as may be required. Negotiate and execute contracts on time to avoid study related or business sensitive delays. Additional responsibilities include developing and closing agreements that foster on‑going strategic relationships with vendors and that promote legal and contracts administration efficiency. The Vendor Contracts Manager manages a variety of clinical and non‑clinical vendor contracts in accordance with the company’s policies and procedures, applicable laws, and sponsor requirements (if applicable). The Vendor Contracts Manager is responsible for the full life cycle of the vendor contracts/change orders (amendments) process. This role is responsible for preparing the contract by drafting and/or incorporating the associated vendor budget, scope of work, and legal, financial, and operational terms, leading negotiations, ensuring adherence to master agreements, as well as providing advice to Worldwide’s business units and project teams on contract management and policy compliance matters. The Vendor Contracts Manager will work with the Legal Department, Strategic Sourcing, Business Development and Global Business Operations to author and develop master Service Agreements, statements of work, change order documents and service agreements. The Vendor Contracts Manager is responsible for managing Worldwide’s end-to-end vendor contract and change order/amendment process. The Vendor Contracts Manager must apply a working knowledge of contracting planning/strategy, production and negotiation. The Vendor Contracts Manager in conjunction with the Sr. Director Strategic Sourcing must focus on process improvement through analysis of contracting efforts to identify root causes for success/failure, and identify/implement changes to enhance the contract/change order process to reduce development cycle-time. The Vendor Contracts Manager is responsible for interacting with vendors and business operations on all contracting/change order documents.

What you will do

• Draft, review, and negotiate vendors agreement and general business purpose agreements in accordance with the company’s policies and procedures. Review contract documents for internal and external accuracy and technical completeness.


• Perform risk analysis to identify potential risks and liabilities associated with vendor contracts and offer alternative provisions to facilitate mitigation and correction. Escalate as necessary to the department head and legal counsel.


• Engage appropriate internal subject matter experts to assist with and participate in information gathering, document development, contract issue reviews, and pricing discussions.


• Prepare documents in accordance with the company’s policies and procedures. Manage the contract/issue approval process. Document all required approvals including deviations from policies, business processes, and standard operating procedures, including legal and management authorizations.


• Maintain a working knowledge of business and legal terms and conditions that are consistent within the CRO industry.


• Engage in meaningful negotiations for the purpose of achieving closure of agreements that are within the policy, as well as, consistent with business processes and standard operating procedures.


• Provide contracts status information to staff and management as needed and as required by the department. Track and measure the efficiency and effectiveness of existing processes.


• With the assistance of legal, maintain contracts standard templates and procedures and offer improvements if identified.

What you will bring to the role

• Ability to work independently with confidence.


• Strong planning, strategizing, managing, monitoring, scheduling, and analytical skills.


• Effective legal and business negotiation skills.


• Strong interpersonal skills in a fast‑paced, deadline oriented, and changing environment.


• Effective stakeholder management with cross functional teams for process improvement and/or change initiatives.


• Strong communication skills, including the ability to articulate via the phone and in person with a high degree of professionalism.


• Out-of-the-box mentality where \"making the impossible possible\" is top of mind for any project involvement.


• Proactive person, ability to deliver, practical passion to perform always stronger and better.


• Metrics driven and goal oriented with a strong attention to detail.


• Good organizational skills; ability to prioritize, delegate, and evaluate work.


• Good networking and influencing skills.


• Flexibility and ability to adjust on the fly to new demands; sense of urgency.


• Ability to successfully lead and manage projects


• Knowledge of general corporate business practices, commercial contracting principles

Your experience

• Bachelor's degree in Business Administration, Public Administration, Public Health, or Finance, plus nominal contracts management experience or equivalent combination of education and experience.


• A Juris Doctor degree with concentration in contracts/transactional law is preferred.


• 3-5 years of direct experience with CRO or pharmaceutical in negotiating vendor agreements.


• Advanced Proficiency in MS Office (Word, Excel, PowerPoint).


• Experience with process improvement and/or change management or can be mentored for development.


• Must be customer focused and able to manage challenging priorities and remain flexible and adaptable in stressful situations.

At Worldwide Clinical Trials, we are committed to fostering an inclusive and equitable workplace by providing transparent compensation.

The salary range for this position is annually (For hourly paid positions, the stated salary range reflects hourly rates):

United States of America - $65,500.00 - $130,500.00

The salary range provided is intended to give candidates an understanding of potential earnings. Compensation will fall within the provided range, and it not a guarantee of exact salary. The final salary will be determined based on relevant experience, performance, education, and internal equity. In addition to base salary, we offer a competitive benefits package depending on location. We ensure pay equity and transparency and comply with all applicable labor laws. Salary information will be discussed during the interview process, and we encourage candidates to inquire about compensation at any stage.

We love knowing that someone is going to have a better life because of the work we do.

To view our other roles, check out our careers page at Discover a world of difference at Worldwide! For more information on Worldwide, visit www.Worldwide.com or connect with us on LinkedIn.