Legal Contracts Specialist job description

Job brief

We are seeking a detail-oriented Legal Contracts Specialist to join our legal operations team and manage our growing portfolio of commercial agreements. In this role, you will lead the negotiation of standard terms, refine our contract templates, and serve as the primary point of contact for internal stakeholders regarding legal compliance. This is a high-impact position for a professional who thrives in a collaborative environment and wants to play a key role in scaling our legal processes. You will work closely with our General Counsel to ensure our risk management strategies remain agile and effective as we expand into new markets.

What is a Legal Contracts Specialist?

A Legal Contracts Specialist is a dedicated professional focused on the end-to-end lifecycle of corporate agreements, ensuring all documentation aligns with regulatory frameworks and internal policies. By utilizing CLM (Contract Lifecycle Management) software like Ironclad or DocuSign, a Legal Contracts Specialist bridges the gap between operational needs and legal requirements. Their work serves as a critical safeguard for the organization, directly impacting risk mitigation, vendor relationships, and the enforceability of commercial commitments.

What does a Legal Contracts Specialist do?

A Legal Contracts Specialist spends their time redlining commercial agreements, managing contract repositories, and coordinating with procurement and sales teams to finalize terms. They evaluate legal risks in NDAs, MSAs, and SOWs, ensuring every document meets corporate governance standards and industry-specific regulations. Beyond daily drafting, they collaborate with external counsel on high-stakes litigation prep and assist the legal department in maintaining audit-ready document archives.

Key responsibilities

• Draft, redline, and negotiate a high volume of commercial contracts, including MSAs, NDAs, and licensing agreements.
• Manage the end-to-end lifecycle of agreements using CLM software to ensure timely renewal and compliance tracking.
• Perform rigorous legal research on state and federal regulations to update standard operating procedures and contract templates.
• Collaborate with internal departments like Finance and Procurement to align contractual obligations with business objectives and budgets.
• Maintain a centralized and secure legal document repository, ensuring all executed versions are properly categorized and version-controlled.
• Coordinate with external law firms during litigation or complex regulatory disputes to gather necessary case files and evidence.
• Execute quarterly compliance audits to verify that current contracts adhere to internal governance and data privacy standards.
• Translate complex legal jargon into actionable guidance for non-legal stakeholders to facilitate smoother contract execution cycles.

Requirements and skills

• 3+ years of experience in a dedicated contract management, paralegal, or legal operations role within a corporate environment.
• Proven proficiency in using industry-standard CLM platforms such as Ironclad, Conga, or SAP Ariba for contract automation.
• Deep working knowledge of contract law, including principles of indemnity, limitation of liability, and breach of contract.
• Paralegal certification or a Bachelor’s degree in Legal Studies, Business Administration, or a related field.
• Exceptional analytical skills with the ability to identify hidden legal risks in multi-page commercial documents.
• Experience managing sensitive documentation in accordance with ISO 27001, GDPR, or CCPA compliance requirements.
• Ability to communicate complex legal constraints to non-legal cross-functional teams in a concise and professional manner.
• Strong organizational skills to prioritize multiple high-priority drafting requests simultaneously under tight business deadlines.

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