Senior Contracts Manager

As the Senior Contracts Manager for Bezos Academy, you will contribute to the Legal Team by maintaining, developing, and improving sustainable and efficient business processes. You will own commercial contracts from business partner request to execution, as well as supporting other legal operations and other corporate and transactional work. You will play a critical role in supporting Bezos Academy’s tuition-free Montessori preschool network in under-resourced areas and in advancing our innovative technological initiatives in the early childhood education space.

You will take the lead in handling new and existing commercial contracts, escalating when necessary, and oversee the creation and continuous improvement of related templates.  This includes Software as a Service (SaaS) agreements, main services agreements (MSAs), vendor services agreements, facilities related agreements, statements of work (SOWs), event-related contracts, supplier and procurement order forms, and other corporate contracts. Your work will include reviewing and redlining contracts, assisting in the administration of policies, drafting standard operating procedures, maintaining insurance certificates, and time sensitive government filings such as state and local business registrations and renewals. You will facilitate obtaining approvals and e-signatures, and lead team processes in automation, innovation, and the effective use of systems. You will ensure that all contracts, assigned tasks, and other legal requests will be handled promptly, efficiently, and in accordance with internal policies, playbooks, and team service level agreements (SLAs). You will research best practices across industries and seek out ways to improve the overall contract management system at Bezos Academy, to prepare our organization for future scaling.

You are diligent, resourceful, organized, and comfortable working in a technology-driven startup environment where projects move quickly, and new contract assignments are received daily. You are able to drive the success of this legal function, shape strategies, and maintain alignment with organizational goals. You bring experience with traditional transactional paralegal work, particularly processing commercial contracts (from initial receipt through negotiation to full execution) and working as part of an in-house corporate legal team. You take initiative and ownership to streamline turnaround times while demonstrating exceptional customer service for internal customers in support of our child initiatives, organizational mission, and leadership principles. You are excited to develop skills in areas of the law and legal operations with which you may not have prior experience and contribute to team projects and continuous process improvement. Above all, you are a life-long learner ready to expand your horizons and impact by supporting a growing nonprofit with high goals, standards, and integrity.

LOCATION

• Flexible in the United States; Seattle, WA preferred. 
• Relocation support is available for those willing to relocate to Seattle, WA.

COMPENSATION & BENEFITS

• This is a full-time, benefits-eligible, exempt position.
• The full salary range for this position, across all United States geographies, is $111,000 – $230,000 per year. The upper portion of the salary range is typically reserved for employees who have been in the role for multiple years and have demonstrated strong performance over time. Starting salary will vary by location, qualifications, and prior experience; during the interview process, candidates will learn the starting salary range applicable for their location. 
• This role includes 15 paid days of vacation, 4 days of paid personal time off, 7 paid days of sick (care) time, 9 paid holidays, 5 paid days off for an organization-wide winter break, and additional time off if required by applicable law. Benefits for this role include medical, dental, and vision insurance, life insurance, disability insurance, a 401(k) plan with a 4% employer contribution match, paid parental leave, an employer-matched flexible spending account for dependent care, and more. Please see here for details.

MINIMUM QUALIFICATIONS

• Bachelor’s degree in a related field or equivalent experience
• Eight or more years of experience handling commercial paralegal responsibilities, including at least five years working in-house on a corporate contracts team
• Strong understanding of standard contract clauses, legal terminology, and formats (i.e., MSAs and SOWs), with ability to identify and mitigate potential risks associated with contracts
• Strong background in high volume, complex contract management, pragmatic negotiation skills, and an astute eye for detail
• Significant experience leveraging digital contract lifecycle management tools and programs (e.g., Ironclad, LinkSquares, Docusign CLM, Conga CLM, Icertis, Evisort, Agiloft, etc.)
• Advanced proficiency in Microsoft Office suite (e.g., Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Outlook), and cloud-based storage, filing, and collaboration software (e.g., SharePoint, Box, G-suite, etc.)

PREFERRED QUALIFICATIONS

• Paralegal certificate from an American Bar Association (ABA)-accredited program
• Familiarity with technology-related legal matters, including SaaS agreements, privacy and data security issues, intellectual property, and strong interest in emerging legal and practical issues in technology
• Prior experience with supporting or managing entity formations, state and local business registrations (e.g., foreign entity authorizations) and developing or managing organized, streamlined systems for renewals
• Proficiency with electronic legal research tools, as well as monitoring federal, state, and local statutes and regulations
• Comfort and confidence with insurance policies and ability to assist with obtaining and reviewing endorsements, certificates, and completing other insurance-related tasks
• Interest in learning about property management, real estate or construction matters pertaining to our network of preschools

Please click here for a full job description. 

Bezos Academy values the potential benefits of generative artificial intelligence (Generative AI) when used appropriately. Nonetheless, for this particular role, except for any accommodations authorized by Bezos Academy, the use of Generative AI tools to craft any part of the application materials, including but not limited to resumes, cover letters, responses to application inquiries, and writing samples, is strictly prohibited. Any application materials found to have been developed with the assistance of Generative AI are subject to application rejection or potential termination of employment if discovered post-hire.

Bezos Academy participates in E-Verify and will provide the federal government with employee Form I-9 Information to confirm authorization to work in the U.S. Bezos Academy only uses E-Verify once a candidate has accepted a job offer and completed the Form I-9. If E-Verify cannot confirm that an employee is authorized to work, Bezos Academy will give the employee written instructions and an opportunity to contact the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) or Social Security Administration (SSA) so the employee can begin to resolve the issue before any adverse employment action is taken. For more information about your right to work, please see the Notice of Right to Work.