Paralegal

This position will report to the Senior Director of Purchasing and serve as an internal resource for reviewing, drafting, negotiating, and administering a broad range of commercial agreements across the organization. The ideal candidate is comfortable working independently with business leaders, understands how to identify and prioritize contractual risk, and knows when an issue requires escalation to outside legal counsel. The primary objective of this role is to build greater contract-review capability internally, allowing the company to handle routine and moderately complex matters efficiently while using outside counsel strategically for specialized or higher-risk matters. Key Responsibilities Contract Review & Negotiation: Review, draft, revise, and coordinate negotiation of a variety of commercial agreements, including vendor and supplier agreements; service and professional services agreements; employment agreements and related documents; confidentiality and non-disclosure agreements (NDAs); new business and customer agreements; automotive OEM agreements and related commercial documentation; purchasing terms and conditions; software, technology, and licensing agreements; other corporate and operational contracts. Review contracts for key business and legal risks, including indemnification, limitation of liability, warranties, insurance, confidentiality, intellectual property, termination rights, payment terms, dispute resolution, and governing law. Prepare contract redlines and proposed revisions consistent with company standards and established risk parameters. Work directly with Purchasing, Operations, Human Resources, Finance, Sales/Business Development, and executive leadership to understand the business purpose of agreements and recommend practical solutions to contractual issues. Support negotiations with vendors, customers, OEMs, suppliers, and other business partners. Legal Risk Management: Identify contractual provisions and legal issues requiring escalation to executive leadership or outside counsel. Help establish clear guidelines regarding which agreements can be handled internally and which require attorney review. Coordinate with outside counsel when specialized legal expertise is necessary. Help reduce reliance on outside counsel for routine contract review and matters that can appropriately be managed internally. Track recurring contractual issues and recommend improvements to company contracting practices. Contract Administration: Maintain the new established centralized contract management process and repository. Maintain executed agreements, amendments, renewals, and related documentation. Track important contractual dates, including renewals, expirations, termination windows, pricing adjustments, and notice requirements. Maintain standard contract templates, clauses, checklists, and approved fallback language. Assist in developing standardized contract review and approval processes across the organization. Corporate & Employment Support: Assist with employment agreements, confidentiality agreements, restrictive covenant agreements, separation agreements, and other employment-related documentation, working with outside employment counsel when appropriate. Support corporate record-keeping and governance activities as needed. Assist with due diligence, acquisitions, divestitures, new business opportunities, and other strategic initiatives. Coordinate responses to routine legal requests and maintain appropriate documentation. Support leadership with special projects involving contracts, compliance, corporate matters, and risk management. Qualifications Associate's or Bachelor's degree and/or paralegal certificate from an accredited program. 5+ years of relevant paralegal, contracts, or corporate legal experience, preferably in an in-house corporate environment or law firm with a significant commercial-contract practice. Demonstrated experience reviewing and redlining commercial agreements. Strong understanding of common commercial contract provisions and associated business risks. Ability to distinguish routine contractual issues from matters requiring attorney involvement. Excellent written communication, organizational, and analytical skills. Strong attention to detail while maintaining the ability to understand broader business objectives. Ability to manage multiple contracts and priorities in a fast-paced business environment. Comfortable interacting directly with executives, business leaders, customers, suppliers, and outside counsel. High degree of professionalism, judgment, discretion, and confidentiality. Preferred Qualifications Experience in the automotive, manufacturing, distribution, or related industries. Experience reviewing agreements with automotive OEMs and Tier 1/Tier 2 suppliers. Familiarity with automotive purchasing terms and conditions and customer-specific contractual requirements. Experience with employment-related agreements and documentation. Experience establishing or administering a contract lifecycle management system or centralized contract repository. Experience developing contract templates, playbooks, approval matrices, and standardized fallback provisions. What Success Looks Like The successful candidate will become a trusted internal resource for contractual matters and will help the company: Handle a significantly greater percentage of routine contract review internally; Reduce unnecessary outside legal spend while ensuring appropriate legal matters continue to receive attorney review; Improve consistency in contractual terms and risk acceptance across the organization; Provide faster turnaround to internal business teams; Establish greater visibility into contractual obligations, renewals, and risks; Develop scalable contract-review processes that support continued growth. Ideal Candidate This role is well suited for someone who combines strong contract skills with practical business judgment. The successful candidate will not simply identify contractual concerns—they will help the business understand the significance of those concerns, propose practical alternatives, and move agreements toward completion. They will also recognize the boundaries of the paralegal role and exercise sound judgment regarding when a matter should be escalated to qualified legal counsel. #J-18808-Ljbffr