Contract Management Paralegal

The Contract Management Paralegal provides substantive legal and administrative support to the Legal Department, focusing on drafting, reviewing, and managing contracts and related legal documents. This position provides comprehensive support to the Legal Department by managing and coordinating activities throughout the contract lifecycle. This role partners closely with attorneys, business stakeholders, and other internal clients to facilitate efficient contract review, negotiation, execution, storage, reporting, and administration as well as other duties as assigned by the General Counsel. The Contract Management Paralegal will provide training and guidance on contract management best practices. The Contract Management Paralegal must possess strong organizational skills, experience with contract management processes and systems, and the ability to manage multiple priorities in a fast-paced corporate environment. The successful candidate will join a growing legal department at a Minnesota-based company with a global footprint that was founded in 1905.  

ESSENTIAL DUTIES and RESPONSIBILITIES:

• Assist attorneys in drafting, revising, and negotiating contract language using approved templates, applying appropriate contracting standards and review procedures.

• Track contract status through execution, coordinate signatures, and maintain contract databases and repositories.

• Coordinate approvals and required stakeholder reviews.

• Manage contract intake requests and ensure requests are routed appropriately within the Legal Department.

• Review incoming agreements to determine contract type, business owner, required approvals, and applicable review procedures.

• Determine appropriate contract review workflows and approval paths, and track progress through completion.

• Serve as a point of contact for business stakeholders regarding contracting processes, providing guidance on contracting requirements, approvals, and procedural alternatives.

• Guide the review of operational requirements of contracts/routing guides, evaluating special handling needs, identifying risks and issues, and elevating issues to General Counsel for direction.

• Administer and maintain the company's contract lifecycle management system, recommending workflow and governance improvements to enhance effectiveness and compliance.

• Upload, organize, and maintain executed agreements and supporting documentation.

• Monitor contract milestones, notice periods, expiration dates, renewal deadlines, and other key obligations.

• Generate reports regarding contract status, cycle times, upcoming renewals, and compliance metrics, identifying trends and opportunities for process improvement.