Summary of the Attorney - Contract Manager

SMS Assist is looking for an Attorney – Contract Manager to serve in a key role reviewing, managing, and negotiating commercial agreements for the SMS Assist Legal Department. The role will negotiate agreements directly with suppliers, work with SMS Assist attorneys on more complex agreements, ensure efficient management of the contracting process, and accurately document each contract. The role will require diligence, teamwork, and strong project management skills to advance multiple projects to completion and work seamlessly across all business units to ensure quick turnaround of agreements. The Attorney – Contract Manager role has been designed to provide opportunities for a junior attorney to develop and expand their skillset. It is expected that this role will continue to grow and evolve with SMS Assist. This position reports to the Associate General Counsel – Commercial Transactions and is located in our Chicago headquarters.  This is a full-time, exempt position.

About SMS Assist

SMS Assist is a growing Chicago tech company that specializes in managing our clients’ facilities in a better, faster, and simpler manner. SMS Assist’s tremendous growth over the past few years has resulted in numerous awards, including being recognized as an award-winning technology company and industry leader.

Responsibilities of the Attorney - Contract Manager

·         Review, negotiate, and manage the following types of agreements: non-disclosure agreements, service agreements, license agreements, and other commercial agreements

·         Draft, manage, and keep scopes of work, insurance requirements, service level agreements, and other vendor documents current and in compliance with SMS Assist’s risk management policies

·         Serve as the point of contact for internal business owners on contractual matters, ensuring timely contract review and approval, efficient contract management, and consistent follow-up on key compliance issues

·         Provide redlined recommendations to ensure efficient contract management and conserve managing attorneys’ time

·         Appropriately manage contracts to match SMS Assist’s needs, requirements, and expectations and in accordance with SMS Assist’s contracting strategies, business objectives, and other contract conditions

·         Record key contract data and conduct various analyses and modeling of contract data

·         Act as record-keeper by maintaining a database of all contracts, contract statuses, and ensuring contract compliance

·         Monitor existing contracts using approved performance methodologies, tools, etc.; including identifying and recommending opportunities for improvement

·         Organize and prioritize workload so as to most efficiently enable and facilitate team efforts to accomplish company goals, and anticipate and identify current and future needs

·         Share information and offer ideas and solutions in a team environment

·         Maintain client confidence by keeping company/attorney information confidential

·         Other duties/special projects as directed

 Qualifications of the Attorney - Contract Manager

    Minimum Qualifications of the Attorney - Contract Manager

·         J.D. degree required

·         Active membership in at least one U.S. State bar (preferably Illinois)

·         1-4 years of legal experience

·         Demonstrated ability to independently analyze, research, and problem solve

·         Capable of prioritizing and managing multiple tasks in a fast-paced environment

·         Fluent in the Microsoft Office suite, specifically Word, Excel and Outlook

    Preferred Qualifications of the Attorney - Contract Manager

• Previous legal experience
• Project management experience
• Demonstrated attention to detail with advanced skills in identifying legal and compliance issues
• Exceptional oral and written communication skills
• Strong interpersonal and communication skills
• Travel expected:  none

Please note, this job description is not designed to cover or contain a comprehensive listing of activities, duties or responsibilities that are required of the employee for this job. Duties, responsibilities and activities, and schedule may change at any time with or without notice.