Commercial Contract Manager

Purpose of the job

The Commercial Contract Manager (Win Centre) plays a vital role in ensuring commercial agreements are closed efficiently, ensuring they are aligned with Collinson policies, legal requirements, and business objectives. The Commercial Contract Manager is responsible for the end-to-end contracting process for deals in the assigned region, using commercial and contractual expertise and knowledge of company policies and processes to place these deals in the best position of closing, and achieving the right outcome for both business and customers. The Commercial Contract Manager is an expert at stakeholder management, tracking multiple threads of activities, and is comfortable using influencing and communication skills to get everyone on the same page and working collaboratively towards the close plan. Often Collinson solutions sold are non-standard, from time to time, with new products and customizations offered to customers for which the Commercial Contract Manager needs to be comfortable coming up with workable solutions to new problems not encountered before. The Commercial Contract Manager ensures smooth, compliant and accelerated deal closures, enhances customer satisfaction through efficient processing, and supporting the mitigation of risks for the company. This role bridges the gap between legal, sales, operations teams and subject matter experts, driving alignment and operational efficiency. Experience working in a matrix remote structure, with intuitive ability to influence functional areas efficiently when needed.

Key Responsibilities

Proposal Support:

· Advise business development (BD) and account teams on suitable commercial terms for proposed deals

· Assist with amending commercial terms adjustments in contracts, approvals and deal structuring to close deals faster.

· Support BD to develop a realistic close plan, including identifying key milestones, anticipating potential issues and identifying resolutions, especially where deal term negotiations are pivotal to the closing.

· Advise on negotiation strategy for commercial terms.

· Develop a thorough understanding of product variations and pricing models to advise on suitable commercial terms for proposed deals that align with Collinson’s standards and negotiation strategies

Contract Drafting and Reviews:

· Drive the end-to-end contracting process on behalf of commercial teams, partnering closely with the commercial opportunity owner

· Identify the right deal information sheet (DIS) based on proposed deal, to collate required client contract information, complete DIS and issue to operations.

· Where needed, due to the non-standard nature of the deal, append to the DIS template requests for additional information

· Initiate internal contract kick-off meeting ensuring relevant stakeholders are briefed and assigned to support when required

· Select suitable contract template from globally shared standard template repository

· For non-standard and complex deals where client template is used, initiate drafting review of third-party templates, cross referencing existing templates where possible with Collinson’s template. Closely collaborate with legal to ensure the right framework is developed.

· Coordinate with legal, operations, product, finance, data protection, and other SMEs to review and collaborate on closing the contract.

· Manage internal stakeholder updates across different levels, as required via email or calls/meetings.

· During contracting negotiations, closely work with the commercial opportunity owner and articulate the rationale behind Collinson policy and contract terms. Know when to defer to functional stakeholders during negotiations.

· Lead objection handling activities for assigned deals including review and responding to customer redlines and issues lists.

Other Support for Business Development Operations:

· Support BD to request NDAs from prospects and client’s executing Collinson’s NDA, and providing strong arguments against using client templates.

· Where needed, assist in coordinating required amends to NDAs.

· Assist BD in reviewing 3rd party client NDAs and by providing guidance and rationale to manage clients.

· Assist with prospect and client due diligence per company processes.

· Advise BD on the appropriate terminology to include to ensure that the contract term requests are clear and unambiguous

· Review and redline of RFP Conditions for deals at RFP stage

· Assist in registrations for RFPs and client audits with company policy and governance related questions.

Escalations and Risk Management:

· Escalate to SMEs to ensure terms comply with legal and regulatory requirements, as well as company policies.

· Identify and mitigate commercial risks in contracts, providing recommendations to resolve key issues. 

· Keep register of issues and escalate complex issues to appropriate stakeholders in close consultation with the commercial opportunity owner and legal. 

Compliance and Governance: 

· Maintain compliance with internal policies, including approval workflows and contract templates. 

· Stay updated on regulatory and industry changes for assigned region and product focus affecting contracts and implement necessary updates. 

Process Optimization: 

· Continuously review and improve processes for efficient contract management. 

· Collaborate with Business Development, finance, legal, tax, data protection and product teams to resolve contract-related bottlenecks efficiently. 

· Support implementation of solutions (e.g., Contract Lifecyle Management system) to improve efficiency and transparency. 

· Leverage generative AI solutions made available by the company to drive optimization of contract drafting, reviews and analysis. 

· Develop playbook for commercial terms across various deals, ensuring it provides a comprehensive and up to date register of agreed commercial terms relating to all deal configurations. 

Stakeholder Collaboration:  

· Act as a point of contact between legal, sales, operations and other teams as required regarding contract and deal terms. 

· Support cross-functional alignment and support training on contract-related policies and best practices. 

· Facilitate internal discussions amongst functional stakeholders to reach practical business solutions to complex contracting issues 

Reporting and Metrics: 

· Track contract status, timelines, and key metrics for reporting to leadership. 

· Weekly management reporting on deal status, real time visibility into deal plans, issues, and s ales participation 

· Ensure accurate record-keeping of all contracts within contract lifecycle management tools. 

Handover: 

· Support handover process between BD and Account Management to ensure clarity and continuity of agreed contractual obligations, including contractually agreed product-specific obligations, pricing structures, and delivery timelines. 

· Support Account Management teams with clarification and guidance for tracking and monitoring of contractual obligations.

Knowledge, skills and experience required

Essential Qualifications and Experience 

· Bachelor’s degree in business, commercial, legal studies, or a related field. A paralegal certification is a plus. 

· 5+ years of experience in contract management, preferably in product benefit or reward space. 

· Familiarity with Contract Lifecycle Management systems and CRMs (e.g., Salesforce, DocuSign). 

· Strong understanding of commercial contracts, deal structuring, and sales operations. · Excellent communication, negotiation, and analytical skills. 

· Ability to manage multiple priorities in a fast-paced environment. 

Essential Skills  

· Experience working in a deal desk or sales operations environment. 

· Knowledge of pricing models, discount structures, and revenue recognition rules. · Interest in and knowledge of generative AI solutions. 

· Certification in contract management (e.g., Certified Commercial Contracts Manager (CCCM).