Contract Specialist/Paralegal

Contract Specialist/Paralegal, Boston Corporate Office - Boston, MA

Summary: Under the general supervision of the Associate General Counsel/Property Management, the Contract Specialist/Paralegal position will provide legal and administrative support to the Legal Service Center in providing a full range of legal services in a variety of legal matters, including property management, contracts, compliance, employment law, real estate, litigation support, and dispute resolution (such as landlord/tenant disputes, eviction, possession and monetary judgment, vendor disputes, etc.). This position requires a highly organized and detail-oriented professional with experience in litigation support, a wide variety of procurement and contracting duties, including document contract drafting, and case management. The ideal candidate will thrive in a dynamic environment, managing multiple tasks simultaneously, and collaborating with colleagues across departments.

Reports to: General Counsel/Associate General Counsel

Direct Reports: N/A

FLSA Status: Exempt

Location: Hybrid in Boston, MA

Essential Functions of the Position

Reviews and analyzes terms and conditions of contract documents for accuracy, completeness, and compliance with laws and regulations to identify risks and ensure alignment with internal and external standards.

Creates, updates, and maintains contract templates, including standard agreements and specialized clauses, to reflect current legal requirements, preferred terms and best practices, and identifies potential risks associated with contract language within the templates.

Organizes and maintains the contract template repository and streamlines the contract review process.

Provides guidance and training on how to utilize and interpret the contract templates and identifies opportunities to streamline the contract process through template optimization and standardization.

Collaborates with internal stakeholders to identify and address compliance issues with contract review and management.

Provides comprehensive legal administrative support in the form of preparation, review, organization, filing, and/or tracking of legal documents, including but not limited to contracts, pleadings, and correspondence.

Provides support to the Associate General Counsel/Property Management in conducting screening and intake of property management and various legal matters, and various administrative tasks, including legal research, document preparation, assisting in gathering information and documentation related to landlord-tenant matters and other legal issues and supporting responses to subpoenas and discovery requests, and assisting with conducting various types of research and business writing.

Provides administrative support, including scheduling meetings, organizing files, and preparing correspondence.

Assists with the development and update of legal processes, policies, procedures, and training materials.

Assists with managing relationships with third-party vendors and service providers and liaises with internal stakeholders, external counsel, and government agencies as needed.

Maintains the legal ticketing system and/or other legal matter management solution or platform and represents the Legal Service Center to internal Service Centers and external contacts on a variety of issues and serves as an information source to colleagues in the Legal Service Center.

Performs other duties as directed by the General Counsel and/or Associate General Counsel/Property Management.

Minimum Qualifications

• Education: Bachelor’s degree in paralegal studies, contracts, real estate, property management, or equivalent knowledge or experience.
• Experience: Minimum of 3-5 years of experience as contracts, real estate, or corporate paralegal at a law firm, real estate firm, or property management company or a combination of related experience.
• Advanced proficiency in use of Microsoft Office applications (e.g., Outlook, Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Teams, etc.).

Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities

• Familiarity with basic concepts of contract law, real estate law, property management and affordable housing, particularly experience with developing and/or managing contracts, including tracking documents through the contracting lifecycle, and contract compliance items preferred.
• Interpreting, applying, and explaining to others policies, procedures, instructions, and contract requirements.
• Ability to maintain a variety of filing, record keeping, and legal management systems.
• Knowledge of methods, techniques, and practices of data collection, business letter writing, and research.
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills.
• Excellent organizational and project management skills, including organizing own work, setting priorities, and meeting critical time deadlines.
• Ability to work effectively, independently, and collaboratively in a fast-paced team environment.
• Ability to respond to and effectively prioritize multiple requests for service.
• Self-starter with the ability to manage multiple tasks simultaneously.
• Process-oriented mindset.
• High level of commitment to quality of work product, organizational ethics, integrity and compliance.

Travel Requirements

Minimal travel related to occasional conferences, team retreats or regional site visits.

Work Environment

The position is conducted in an office work environment, sitting most of the time and using a computer approximately 90% for this position’s duties. Hybrid work schedule.

Compensation

Compensation: $100,000 - $125,000 annual salary Actual compensation is influenced by a variety of factors including but not limited to skills, experience, qualifications, and geographic location.