Manager, Contracts Accounting

Job Summary

The Manager, Contracts-Accounting is responsible for managing and coaching a team to lead high value, complex negotiations on vendor contracts to ensure best value for L.A. Care. The position is accountable for managing a team in administering the overall vendor contracting process for multiple categories and commodities. The position is also accountable for continuously improving the L.A. Care's vendor contracting process and managing and developing business requirements for contract management system ensuring the integrity and inventory of vendor contract records, executed contracts, and reports.  L.A. Care's contract management system will be the repository for all vendor contracts for L.A. Care.  The Manager of Contracts  works closely with the Director of Contracting and Procurement, L.A. Care legal department, and primarily senior internal staff in developing, drafting, reviewing, and negotiating legally approved contract terms, clauses, and templates in order to support L.A. Care time expectations and operations. The Manager of Contracts is the Procurement Department subject matter expert on all vendor contract terms and the contracting process to lead and to provide consultation and expertise to other Procurement and L.A. Care staff who need assistance in drafting, structuring, reviewing, and negotiating vendor contracts. The Manager ensures the team's collective efforts will decrease vendor contract turnaround time, increase customer service, and increase L.A. Care operations by allowing the Procurement Department to operate more independently and by allowing the L.A. Care legal department to be used at Procurement's discretion. This is a high visibility position and will interface at the senior levels of the organization and outside of the organizations with senior level vendor contacts as well as manage a team of procurement resources. This position manages all aspects of running an efficient team, including hiring, supervising, coaching, training, disciplining, and motivating direct-reports.

Duties

Manages the overall contracting process to ensure the inventory and integrity of all vendor contracts within L.A. Care contract management system. Develops requirements that will leverage and optimize the contract process and contract management system. Supervises procurement team, trains and mentors direct reports and internal staff on contracts and contracting process. Ensures accurate vendor contract records with corresponding executed contracts; optimized process for proper contract and system maintenance; proper procedures to ensure accurate reports including contract expirations; and contract training program and materials. 

Continuously improve the end-to-end contracting process and contract management. Ensures end-to-end contracting process (initiation to termination) complies with L.A. Care policies while incorporating best practice for effectiveness, efficiency, and better customer service. Allows Procurement to work more agile and independently using L.A. Care legal as needed. Implements end-to-end contracting processes that are compliant to L.A. Care policies and meet L.A. Care's objectives. Ensures contract procedures and training materials compliment procurement processes.

Leads negotiations on high value vendor contracts from Procurement and L.A. Care staff and provides consultative expertise to L.A. Care staff on other vendor contracts. Subject Matter Expert for Procurement and L.A. Care staff on proper contract structure and acceptable contract terms that balances risks and flexibility.  First line of escalation for Procurement staff on contracting support and issues before engaging L.A. Care legal. Ensures processes and procedures that provides, at a minimum, how to apply the right type of contract to the business situation; how to structure a contract; and how to manage the contract end-to-end that apply to specific business situations and requirements.

Duties Continued

Liaisons with the L.A. Care legal department to develop effective contract processes, tools, and standard procedures while leveraging the L.A. Care contract management system to its fully extent possible.  Allows Procurement to be more agile and independent by understanding the limits of what contract terms and templates are acceptable and not acceptable.  Safeguards acceptable contract clauses, language, templates, and tools pre-approved by legal that implemented in the contract management system.  

Leads and facilities formal meetings with senior internal staff in developing strategic and tactical plans for savings opportunities and/or contracting strategies that allow L.A. Care to function more effectively.  Performs vendor contract inventory analysis and reports that include contracts expirations, contract spend, and other data for L.A. Care Officer review and that will feed into strategic sourcing plans for potential RFQs/RFPs and vendor consolidation opportunities as well as better management of vendor compliance to contracts. 

Effectively trains staff to ensure they are equipped with up to date contracts process and policy, and support staff in all aspects of contract management. Provides guidance, instruction, and requirements to staff and supports in trouble shooting issues. 

Develops goals, objectives and actions plans for assigned staff which includes full management responsibility for the hiring, performance reviews, salary reviews and disciplinary matters for direct reporting employees.

Performs other duties as assigned.

Education Required

Education Preferred

Experience

Required:

At least 5 years of experience in contract negotiation and contract management for services related categories and commodities. 

At least 3 years of supervisory/management experience.

Equivalency:  Completion of the L.A. Care Management Certificate Training Program may substitute for the supervisory/management experience requirement.

Experience building reports including contract expiration and contract spend reports.

Preferred:  
Legal or paralegal background with procurement experience.

Skills

Required:
Effective communications and presentation skills required.

Able to or provide direction to draft and negotiate contract terms with outside vendors.

Ability to negotiate contracts with outside vendors that are in the best interests of L.A. Care.

Tactful, diplomatic in implementing new processes, procedures, and systems across L.A. Care and be able to convince staff and management why changes are needed.  

Skilled in incorporating change through out companies.

Must be proactive, resourceful, and able to find alternative solutions to deliver results.

Demonstrated ability to communicate, problem solve, and work effectively with procurement and legal professionals.

Ability to be consultative to Procurement and L.A. Care staff on developing the best contract recommendation options.

Excellent organizational skills with the ability to manage multiple projects.

Strong internal stakeholder management skills: capacity to listen, build trusting relationships in all levels of the organization, understand and capture stakeholder's needs and deliver effective solutions.

Good knowledge of legal environment related to purchasing contracts and framework agreements.

Strong analytical and problem solving skills, with keen understanding of relevant cost drivers.

Demonstrated ability to select, manage, develop and coach others.

Excellent written and verbal communication skills in order to secure most favorable prices and/services levels and contract terms.

Persuasion Skills: Effective negotiator who exhibits high levels of personal integrity and honesty. Skill in planning and coordinating vendor visits and negotiations, and comprehensive knowledge of market conditions. Understanding of the flow and accounting requirements to facilitate document flow and efficiency. Ability to enforce policy compliance.

Licenses/Certifications Required

Licenses/Certifications Preferred

Required Training

Physical Requirements

Additional Information

Financial Impact: Effective vendor contract negotiation will have a high financial impact and influence because of negotiation of pricing and contract terms.