Director, Contracts

The Lippincott Contracts team is critical in supporting the creation of a variety of agreements across all areas of our business. The team ensures that Lippincott conducts business in a risk-minded way that aligns with all policies in place. From vendor agreements to client contracts, and everything in between, the team delivers creative and strategic solutions to our business while ensuring that all communications with external clients exceed expectations.

As Director, Contracts, you will support our growing business. You will work closely with Oliver Wyman (OW) Legal and Lippincott Business Partners on the entire client contract lifecycle including contract generation, negotiation, execution, storage, and retrieval.

This position will be based in our New York office and will report directly to the Partner, Head of Contracts with frequent interactions with OW Legal as well as Partners and Senior Partners across our business.

In your day-to-day, you will:

Guide contract administration

• Oversee the contract lifecycle and manage the completion of all assigned client contracts based on Lippincott’s templates as well as client-initiated Master Services Agreements (MSAs) and Statements of Work (SOWs)
• Lead contract negotiations with clients in conjunction with OW Legal to resolve discrepancies in commercial and legal terms
• Collaborate with internal business partners to resolve any business or financial issues presented in contract negotiations
• Assist with non-disclosure agreements (NDAs), vendor and administrative agreements, as needed
• Help enhance Lippincott’s processes and manage the daily tracking of incoming requests and contract status updates in Salesforce database

Advise and inform business leaders and clients

• Work closely with Business Development team in providing contract and compliance related information for Requests for Proposal (RFPs)
• Provide creative solutions during billing rate and pricing negotiations that will benefit both the client and Lippincott
• Advise Partners and Senior Partners of contractual terms that impact their project execution, e.g., non-compete terms, staffing restrictions, intellectual property terms, etc.
• Provide regular status update communications to internal Partners and Senior Partners via email and the Salesforce database
• Develop and deliver training for the broader firm on contract processes and terminology

Exhibit risk mindfulness and commercial awareness

• Investigate areas of risk associated with contractual terms and prepare courses of action / recommendations to minimize risk
• Obtain and document appropriate approvals of special terms and conditions from senior management, as required by internal compliance policies
• Track key client agreement terms in Salesforce database to ensure awareness and compliance with contractual obligations

Who you are:

Knowledgeable and skilled

• Bachelor’s degree from an accredited university or college
• 12+ years of experience with contract formation, negotiation and execution in partnership with a Legal team or department, preferably in the context of a professional services or creative services company
• Prior procurement experience strongly preferred
• Concise and clear business writing and strong proofreading skills
• Excellent judgment, integrity and problem-solving skills

An empathetic leader

• Capable of owning contract discussions with both internal and external clients, ability to maintain positive relationships with all involved
• Excellent interpersonal and relationship management skills
• Proven mentoring, supervisory, and team-building skills – being an example to others

Passionate and energized

• Motivated to meet deadlines while being responsive to fluctuating business needs
• Ability to organize and prioritize issues and workload
• Flexibility and ability to adapt to changing environment and priorities

The applicable base pay for this role ranges from $155,000 – $170,000. The base pay offered will be determined on factors such as experience, skills, training, location, certifications, and education. Decisions will be determined on a case-by-case basis. In addition to the base salary, this position will be eligible for performance-based incentives.

We are excited to offer a competitive total rewards package which includes health benefits, 401K savings as well as employee assistance programs.

About Lippincott:

Lippincott is a creative consultancy specializing in brand and innovation. We have a passion for solving our clients’ toughest challenges with a proven combination of strategic rigor and design excellence. A pioneer since 1943, we have shaped some of the world’s most iconic brands and experiences.

We recognize the benefits of flexibility but also value the interactions that happen when we come together. Our new hybrid working model allows individuals to set their own cadence for working in their preferred environment with the expectation that they will be spending at least half of their time (50%) in their local office each month.

Who We Are, Together…

We embody key values that drive our culture. We demand better, reach higher, and expect more of ourselves and our colleagues. We demonstrate gratitude, offer support, and embrace optimism every day. We celebrate debate, discussion, disagreement, and feedback, with an open mind to new ways of thinking and doing. We act with passion, intention, and goodwill while building on and elevating everyone’s contributions and sharing in our collective success.

In our pursuit to make it meaningful, we want our people to feel heard, respected and valued through our words and actions – goals we can only achieve with a sustained commitment to inclusion, diversity and belonging. We seek the best and brightest ideas from a diverse representation of backgrounds and experiences because we know that’s what it takes to continuously push the boundaries, solve our clients’ most complex challenges, and foster an inspiring culture of rigorous creativity. We celebrate and leverage our differences and our commonalities so everyone feels safe, supported and encouraged to be wide open, to say “yes, and!” and to demand better of ourselves and one another. We aspire to be positive role models for inclusion at an individual level, corporate level, and societal level.

Lippincott is an Equal Opportunity Employer. All employment decisions at Lippincott are based on business needs, job requirements and individual qualifications without regard to race, national origin, age, religion or belief, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, veteran or disability status or any other status protected by the laws or regulations in locations where we operate. We are committed to promoting a workplace of which we can all be proud.