Contracts Specialist

We are seeking an experienced Contracts Specialist to join our Strategic & Commercial Relationships legal team. This non-attorney role combines contract drafting, negotiation support, and contract administration duties to ensure efficient and legally compliant contracting processes. The Contracts Specialist will be responsible for a high volume of client and vendor contracting work, including drafting initial agreements and amendments, preparing Statements of Work and Non-Disclosure Agreements, and coordinating the end-to-end contract process.

The ideal candidate has strong communication skills and some background in technology, as well as a strong background in contract drafting and administration, with the ability to handle both substantive contract details and administrative workflow tasks. This role focuses on ensuring efficient contract lifecycle management while not compromising SEI's standard positions, in close collaboration with the legal team and business stakeholders.

Key Responsibilities:

• Contract Drafting & Preparation: Independently draft and prepare a variety of contracts and legal documents using approved templates and playbooks. These include vendor agreements, SOWs, NDAs, and contract amendments. Tailor standard templates to specific deal terms and business needs while maintaining consistency with the organization's contracting guidelines.

• Contract Review & Editing: Review and edit incoming contracts or redlines from counterparties. Conduct initial issue-spotting on key clauses and incorporate input from SEI's legal team for any non-standard provisions.

• Negotiation Support: Collaborate with internal stakeholders (attorneys, procurement, business managers) and external counterparties to negotiate contract terms within defined parameters. While final negotiation of complex or high-risk terms will involve SEI legal counsel, the Contracts Specialist will handle routine negotiations (e.g., resolving minor wording issues, clarifying SOW details, adjusting NDA clauses) to expedite agreement on contract drafts.

• Contract Administration & Workflow Coordination: Manage the contract lifecycle from initiation to execution. This includes organizing and prioritizing a pipeline of contract requests, coordinating internal approvals (e.g., business sign-off, risk or compliance review if needed), and facilitating electronic signatures.

• Volume Management & Organization: Prioritize a high volume of contracts efficiently by employing strong organizational systems. Track the status of numerous agreements simultaneously, and consistently meet turnaround targets for draft preparation and reviews.

• Stakeholder Communication: Serve as a liaison between the legal department and business teams for contract matters. Work with business teams across the organization to obtain appropriate input and approvals and address issues raised within legal documents including validation of alignment between customer obligations and supplier offerings. Communicate clearly and professionally with internal clients (e.g., sales, account management, procurement, IT security) about contract requirements, timelines, and updates. Clarify contract obligations and processes to stakeholders, ensuring they understand any responsibilities (like deliverables or notice requirements) that the contract entails. Coordinate with external parties (counterparties' legal or procurement contacts) as needed to facilitate smooth negotiations and document exchange.

• Process Improvement: Contribute to ongoing improvement of contract templates and processes. Update standard templates to address common negotiation sticking points and recurring edits. Assist in developing internal guidelines, playbooks, or checklist tools to streamline future contract preparations. Suggest and implement efficiency improvements in contract workflow (for example, adopting new features of the contract management system, or refining approval processes) to handle growth in contract volume without compromising quality.

This position reports to a senior member of the Legal department (e.g., Senior Director or Managing Director of the team). It is an individual contributor role with no supervisory duties - focused on executing contract tasks rather than managing staff. The Contracts Specialist will operate with autonomy in managing their contracts workload, while regularly coordinating with the attorneys for oversight on legal matters and approvals.

What we need from you:

• Experience & Education: Bachelor's degree required. 5+ years of experience in contract drafting, review, and administration (e.g., as a Contracts Specialist, Contracts Administrator, or similar role), ideally in a corporate or financial services setting. Experience with client and vendor contracts and familiarity with the financial or regulatory context of a legal department is strongly preferred. (A paralegal certification or Juris Doctor is not required, as this is a non-attorney role, but a solid understanding of legal contract principles is essential.)

• Attention to Detail: Exceptional attention to detail in drafting and reviewing contracts. Capable of catching errors, inconsistencies, or unfavorable terms in documents. Uses an analytical approach to ensure that contracts accurately reflect business terms and that risk is managed (e.g., spotting any terms that deviate from approved company positions).

• Communication & Interpersonal Skills: Excellent written and verbal communication skills. Able to translate legal or technical contract language into clear summaries for business stakeholders, and to explain contract requirements or changes in a user-friendly way. Comfortable liaising between attorneys and business teams, and confident in communicating with external vendor or client representatives on routine contract matters. Strong interpersonal skills to maintain positive relationships across departments in a fast-paced environment.

• Organization & Time Management: Proven ability to manage multiple priorities and a high volume of work efficiently. Uses tools (spreadsheets, contract management systems) and good personal organization to keep track of contract statuses and deadlines. Self-motivated in moving contracts forward and in following up with others to obtain information or approvals, ensuring timely contract completion.

• Technical Skills: Proficiency in Microsoft Office, especially Word (for contract drafting and redlining) and CoPilot. Experience with contract management software or document management systems is highly desirable. General comfort with learning new technology tools (e.g., e-signature platforms, collaboration software) to improve contract workflow.

• Professionalism & Team Collaboration: A team-oriented mindset with the ability to work under the guidance of attorneys and according to established legal processes. Ethical integrity and discretion when handling sensitive contractual information. The candidate should be able to work independently on day-to-day tasks, but also collaborate effectively with the broader legal team and seek input on complex issues, ensuring all contracts meet the organization's standards and legal requirements.

SEI's competitive advantage: