Senior Contracts Manager

This position is listed on behalf of a partner company, who manages all applications and next steps. Our partner is looking for a Senior Contracts Manager based in India.

We are looking for an experienced Senior Contracts Manager to lead vendor contracting and procurement legal operations within a fast-growing, technology-driven organization. In this highly autonomous role, you will manage the full lifecycle of vendor agreements, balancing commercial efficiency with sound risk management. You will negotiate directly with vendors and their legal teams while advising internal stakeholders across Finance, IT, Security, and business operations. You will also develop contract playbooks, streamline approval workflows, and introduce self-service resources that help teams move faster. Working with AI-powered legal tools and contract lifecycle management systems, you will help modernize how contracts are reviewed, negotiated, and managed. This is an opportunity to build scalable processes and have a meaningful impact on the organization's operational and legal infrastructure.

Accountabilities

As Senior Contracts Manager, you will own vendor contracting activities from initial intake through execution and ongoing contract management. You will also build the processes and tools needed to make procurement more efficient as the organization scales. Key responsibilities include:

• Lead end-to-end vendor contracting

  • Review, draft, and negotiate a high volume of vendor agreements, including Master Services Agreements (MSAs), order forms, Statements of Work (SOWs), SaaS and cloud subscription agreements, Data Processing Agreements (DPAs), and Non-Disclosure Agreements (NDAs).

  • Act as the primary point of contact for vendor contracting requests from Finance Operations (FinOps), IT, Security, and business stakeholders.

  • Manage the complete contract lifecycle, including intake, negotiation, signature, renewals, amendments, disputes, and vendor offboarding.

  • Support the broader Commercial Legal team on additional matters when capacity allows.

  • Manage contractual risk and compliance

    • Apply and continuously improve established contracting playbooks and risk frameworks, independently handling agreements within approved parameters.

    • Escalate non-standard terms, exceptions, and emerging legal risks to the Assistant General Counsel, Commercial.

    • Negotiate privacy, data protection, information security, and cross-border data transfer provisions within established Security guidelines.

    • Coordinate with Commercial Legal and Privacy stakeholders when contractual issues fall outside approved positions.

    • Review AI vendor agreements, with particular attention to data usage for model training, ownership of generated outputs, and model updates or changes.

    • Build and scale contracting operations

      • Develop and maintain vendor contracting playbooks using Claude to ensure consistent guidance and enable efficient handling of low-risk agreements.

      • Design and improve contract intake, triage, and approval workflows in collaboration with FinOps.

      • Manage vendor and procurement workflows in Ironclad, including intake processes, templates, approval routing, and contract repositories, in partnership with Legal Operations.

      • Track renewal dates and contractual notice periods alongside FinOps, while identifying potential spend concentration risks.

      • Create training materials and self-service resources that help business teams navigate contracting processes independently.

      • Improve the visibility and effectiveness of the contracts function as a strategic business partner.

      Requirements

      The ideal candidate brings extensive experience in technology procurement and vendor negotiations, strong commercial judgment, and the ability to build efficient contracting processes. The following qualifications are expected:

      • Experience and legal expertise

        • 6–8+ years of experience negotiating procurement, vendor, or technology transaction agreements.

        • Ideally, experience in a buy-side contracting role within a US-based SaaS or technology company.

        • Deep understanding of SaaS agreements, cloud services, software licensing, and technology procurement terms.

        • Proven ability to negotiate directly and independently with vendors and their legal counsel while managing a high volume of agreements.

        • Strong working knowledge of privacy, data protection, and information security provisions in commercial contracts, including DPAs and international data transfers.

        • Contract management and operational skills

          • Experience designing and implementing consistent, transparent, and business-friendly contracting processes.

          • Ability to develop practical contract playbooks, risk frameworks, and workflows that support efficient decision-making.

          • Excellent written and verbal communication skills, with the ability to explain legal and commercial risks clearly to non-legal stakeholders.

          • Strong judgment when determining whether to maintain a negotiating position, accept reasonable commercial risk, or escalate an issue.

          • Technology and AI proficiency

            • Comfort working with AI-powered tools, particularly Claude, and the ability to assess, verify, and appropriately use AI-generated outputs.

            • Sound judgment regarding confidential information and data protection when using AI tools.

            • Experience with Ironclad or similar Contract Lifecycle Management (CLM) platforms, such as Juro or DocuSign CLM, is preferred.

            • Exposure to AI-assisted legal workflows and AI governance is an advantage.

            • Additional preferred qualifications

              • A degree in a relevant discipline, such as law, economics, or political science; practical experience is valued more than a specific academic background.

              • Sell-side experience negotiating customer, partner, or reseller agreements within a SaaS or technology business.

              • Experience working across multiple jurisdictions and with globally distributed teams.

              • Previous experience in a high-growth, developer-focused, cloud, security, or open-source organization.

              Benefits

              • Fully remote working arrangements, with the flexibility to work from anywhere in the world.

              • WeWork membership or co-working allowance to support your preferred work environment.

              • Employee Stock Option Plan (ESOP), giving every team member an opportunity to share in the organization's growth.

              • Technology allowance to purchase equipment such as a laptop, monitor, or headphones.

              • Health insurance covering 100% of employee premiums and 80% of dependent premiums, wherever applicable.

              • Annual company-wide off-sites in different cities, providing opportunities for collaboration and team connection.

              • Flexible, asynchronous working arrangements with autonomy over your schedule.

              • Annual professional development allowance for courses, books, conferences, and other learning opportunities.

              • Opportunity to shape and scale vendor contracting operations while working with modern AI-powered legal tools.