Contracts Manager Job Description, Key Duties and Responsibilities

Contracts Manager Job Description, Key Duties and Responsibilities

This post provides exhaustive information on the job description of a contracts manager to help you learn about the work they do.

It highlights the key tasks, duties, and responsibilities that commonly define the contracts manager work description in most organizations.

It also presents the major requirements you may be required to fulfill to be considered for hiring by recruiters/employers for the contracts manager role.

Please, read on to learn more about the contracts manager career:

What Does a Contracts Manager Do?

A contracts manager is responsible for overseeing, managing, handling, and negotiating contracts for his/her organization or/and clients.

His/her job description entails carrying out duties such as preparing contracts, examining, assessing, and reducing risks; overseeing and handling negotiations, communicating contract terms when required, and monitoring and/or supervising payments.

A contracts manager refers to an individual who handles and/or manages contracts between companies and clients.

He/she utilizes his/her expertise and professionalism to negotiate and create contracts that provide a beneficial solution for both a company and a client.

Contracts managers, in the process of carrying out their duties of managing and overseeing contracts throughout their lifecycle, are expected to perform a range of important tasks.

One of the essential tasks that must be executed by a contracts manager is to write and edit contracts between companies and potential clients which often requires specific style and terminology, both of which the manager must have an in-depth understanding of.

A contracts manager may also be responsible for evaluating other contracts as he/she may not be involved in the creation of every contract, and may be required to evaluate contracts that he/she did not create.

It is also highly important that a contracts manager oversees and handles negotiations with clients, which may require him/her to travel to clients’ locations when necessary.

Also, since contracts are regulated by legislation which may differ depending on the industry, a contracts manager must carry out various researches on legislation and regulations to ensure that contracts are current and in compliance with established standards.

A contracts manager must also build and maintain healthy relationships with vendors and contractors who may execute the work carried out in a contract.

To become a contracts manager and succeed in the career, interested individuals should have certain skills and qualities such as in-depth understanding of contract language, excellent negotiation skills, and well-developed writing and editing skills.

Others include good relationship management skills, excellent verbal and written communication skills, and strong interpersonal skills; good mathematics skills and excellent time management skills.

In terms of academic qualifications, the job position of a contracts manager demands that candidates should majorly possess a Bachelor’s degree in Contract Management, Accounting, Business law, or in any other related discipline.

Most employers and/or clients also prefer candidates who have acquired several years of professional experience.

Contracts Manager Salary: The average salary for a contracts manager is $81,201 annually.

Contracts Manager Job Description Example/Sample/Template

Below is a sample job description showing the major tasks, duties, and responsibilities commonly performed by contracts managers:

• Overseeing the planning of projects and ensuring that they are programmed to a certain level of detail
• Making sure that the procurement and reconciliation of materials are executed accordingly and accurately
• Examining and/or assessing risks and coming up with suggestions and recommendations through which they can be minimized
• Meeting and liaising with clients, companies, vendors, and/or contractors to communicate and negotiate contract terms
• Supervising funds and/or payments and ensuring that they are well-utilized and managed
• Handling the writing and editing of contracts between companies and potential clients
• Leading negotiation with a client once the contract has been written
• Carrying out thorough research on legislation and regulations to make sure that contracts are current and in compliance.

Contracts Manager Job Description for Resume

If you are making a new resume or CV, it is wise to add the professional or work experience section to it if you have some experience working as a contracts manager.

With a well written professional experience, you can convincingly show to the recruiter/employer that you have been successful performing the duties and responsibilities of a contracts manager.

This piece of information can make a great impression on the recruiter/employer to want to give you an interview, especially if working experience as a contracts manager is important for success on the new job.

You can easily create an impressive professional experience section for your resume/CV by applying the contracts manager job description example above.

Contracts Manager Requirements – Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities for Career Success

If you are seeking the job of a contracts manager, here are major requirements recruiters/employers may want you to meet to be hired:

• An in-depth understanding of contract language, since a contracts manager must have an intimate knowledge of contract language and contract style guidelines
• Excellent negotiation skills, since a contracts manager must be able to negotiate by understanding where to stand his/her ground while keeping both the organization and client’s best interests in mind
• Good writing and editing skills which enables a contracts manager to write and edit contracts clearly and concisely as required
• Relationship management, as building and maintaining healthy relationships with upper management, clients, vendors, and so on is an essential skill, as well as being able to manage conflicts between these parties
• Excellent verbal and written communication skills, since a contracts manager must be able to negotiate complex contracts both in-person and through written communication
• Strong interpersonal skills which enable him/her to work collaboratively with a variety of people
• Several years of proven work experience
• A Bachelor’s degree in Contract Management, Accounting, or Business law, or in any other related or relevant field.

Conclusion

This post is helpful to individuals interested in the contracts manager career to learn all they need to know about the duties and responsibilities of the role to be able to make the best decision about getting into the career.

It is also useful to recruiters/employers seeking to hire capable hands for the contracts manager position in their companies; they can apply the sample job description provided on this page in making a detailed description of the role for their organizations.