Contracts Manager – Finance – Firm Wide

Vacancy details

We are looking for a Contracts Manager to implement and manage the Firm’s procurement and supplier management policy and processes.  In this new role, you will be reporting to our Head of Central Operations, based in our finance department.

Role: Contracts Manager
Location: Firm Wide
Hours: Full Time
Term: Permanent
Vacancy Reference: 1160-BBL

Who we are

You’ll be joining a national law firm that enjoys a strong reputation, made possible by our exceptional people – each chosen for their industry knowledge and passion for their field. We want to help you to reach your full potential, love the work you do and deliver the best results for your clients. It’s our goal to make you feel great about working with us, and we work hard to cultivate a culture that makes it easy for you to stay with us for many years.

We work flexibly and you’ll be empowered to work where you do your best work, balancing your individual needs with the need for us to engage as teams and deliver excellent client service.

Most of our people choose to work in a hybrid fashion, working from home and attending our offices on occasion. Our offices are in Bristol, Birmingham,  Cardiff, London, Manchester, Southampton, and Taunton.

Day to day, you’ll be successful in this role by:

Policy Management and Administration:

• Support the promotion, maintenance and roll-out of the Firm’s procurement policy and processes, anticipating change to the procurement landscape and proactively making recommendations for change
• Manage the procurement inbox, coordinating with budget holders and internal stakeholders (such as Risk and ISDP) to ensure the Firm’s procurement policy and processes are adhered to
• Provide training and support for any budget holders/support staff on procurement policy and processes
• Propose updates or changes to the procurement policy and process where relevant, and where opportunities for improvement are identified
• Support the development of any standard policies where they are linked to the Firm’s procurement policy or process (e.g., in relation ESG or Standard Terms and Conditions)

Procurement Data Maintenance, Collation and Reporting:

• Maintain centralised contract repository for all suppliers, to be systematised over time, with key details such as contract termination/renewal dates
• Centrally coordinate and assess supplier adherence to our internal policies, raising any non-adherence with the business owner for the relevant supplier
• Take the lead on, and establish mechanisms for reporting key supplier information to key stakeholders (including for bids and tenders, Lexcel and ESG for example)
• Take the lead on ensuring data associated with suppliers is up to date
• Ultimately taking a lead role in the design and implementation of a contracts database across the Firm’s support functions with internal Project Management support

Contract and Sourcing Management:

• Work closely with budget holders to maintain a firm-wide sourcing plan, identifying when major contracts are due for renewal or when rolling contracts need to be reviewed
• Work with budget holders to plan timely commencement of contract renewals, sourcing processes, contract extensions and contract terminations
• Advise and support budget holders on contract renewal/sourcing processes with reference to the Firm’s procurement policy and processes
• Manage the newly designed procurement process, ensuring that the process is completed swiftly, bringing in stakeholders/authorisers at the right time; be the ‘glue’ to ensure the process is followed efficiently and fully, bringing in people at the right time
• Suggest and implement amendments to the procurement process over time to iteratively improve it, communicating changes to the relevant personnel

Contract Completion:

• Support budget holders when contracting with new suppliers, including co-ordinating input and review from Risk, Finance, Commercial and Employment teams
• Provide support to budget holders during the drafting of wording for all parts of the contract cycle (renewal, variations, extensions, and terminations); bank of standard Firm approved clauses and the supplier code of conduct to be maintained and updated periodically with the Risk and ISDP teams

Supplier Management Support:

• Support budget holders with the monitoring of supplier performance against contracted SLA/KPIs, and provide support to budget holders when remedial action is required to resolve supplier performance issues
• Support Risk and ISDP team when they are undertaking periodic risk reviews of suppliers (e.g., assessing insurance cover levels, minimum supplier accreditations held)
• Support ad hoc supplier compliance or profiling reviews as required (e.g., for ISO27001 audits, ESG and/or tender requirements)
• Support external audits to demonstrate compliance with the procurement policy

It is an integral part of this role that you comply with information security and all firm policies and procedures.

This role is right for you if you:

• Understand all aspects of the contracting process and have strong commercial acumen
• Have strong organisational skills and ability to self-manage and self-start
• Possess excellent communication and presentation skills
• Broadly understand current legal regulatory compliance and ESG issues and agendas
• Can confidently communicate with senior stakeholders and build relationships to make recommendations for change and take the lead on implementing them
• Have previous experience of procurement processes and policies in a previous organisation(s) with significant experience of what constitutes best practice
• Have previously worked in a Contract Management (including commercial terms) and/or Contract Administration role
• Have relevant qualifications in business administration/procurement/contract management (not essential)

What we can offer you:

A career at Clarke Willmott will feel different to other law firms. We thrive on our individual differences and diversity because as a team, we are united by our shared values and mutual respect. Working with us you will feel empowered, valued and free to be yourself in a safe and supportive environment.

Our mission is to help you realise your full potential whilst maintaining a positive work-life balance. We provide a comprehensive learning and development programme and a range of wellbeing initiatives to support your career journey.

There’s no doubt we expect the best from our people and even the occasional extra mile. In return, your dedication and commitment to the continued success of the firm will be rewarded with a comprehensive range of flexible benefits.

Listen to what a few members of our team have to say about what life here at Clarke Willmott is really like, to see if it’s the right fit for you.