Manager - Contracting

ABOUT US: Community health is about more than just vaccines and checkups. It's about giving people the resources they need to live their best lives. At Neighborhood, this is our vision: a community where everyone is healthy and happy. We're with you every step of the way, with the care you need for each of life's chapters. At Neighborhood, we are Better Together. As a private, non-profit 501(C) (3) community health organization, we serve over 414,000 medical, dental, and behavioral health visits from more than 95,000 people annually. We do this in pursuit of our mission to improve the health and happiness of the communities we serve by providing quality care to all, regardless of situation or circumstance. Since 1969, our employees have been making this mission a reality. Regardless of the role, our team focuses on being compassionate, having integrity, being professional, always collaborating, and consistently going above and beyond. If this sounds like an organization you would like to be a part of, we would love to meet you. ROLE OVERVIEW and PURPOSE: The Manager, Contracting is responsible for overseeing the day-to-day contracting operations supporting Neighborhood Healthcare's Federally Qualified Health Center (FQHC) line of business. The Manager, Contracting will also support the Director, Contracting in oversight and management of matters related to corporate-level risk management, compliance, and governance as it relates to contracting. This role provides contracting operational leadership, ensures adherence to enterprise contracting standards, and strengthens contract governance, compliance, and process optimization across all activities of the Contracts & Licensing Team. The Contracts Manager serves as a key leader within the Contracts Team and partners cross-functionally with Operations, Finance, Compliance, Clinical, IT, HR, and Executive Leadership to ensure timely, compliant, and strategically aligned contract execution. This hybrid role consists of 8 hours on-site and 32 hours remote per week, subject to organizational needs and performance expectations. RESPONSIBILITIES: Operational Contracting Leadership * Oversee all FQHC-related contracting activity, including but not limited to, vendor, provider, service, lease, MOUs and grant-related agreements. * Manage day-to-day contract intake, prioritization, negotiation, redlining, and execution. * Ensure contracts align with enterprise legal standards and risk thresholds. * Provide guidance on interpretation of contractual terms and risk exposure. * Trains Contracts Team members and other Neighborhood Healthcare employees in policies, procedures, and best practices in contracting operations * Acts as the proxy for the Contracts Director in approvals for certain contracts Team Leadership & Management * Supervise Contracts Specialists supporting the FQHC * Conducts regular 1:1 meetings with direct reports and proactively provides constructive feedback regarding performance * Establish clear performance expectations, workflows, and accountability structures. * Coach and develop team members in negotiation strategy, compliance awareness, documentation standards and customer service. * Drive consistency in contract review quality, turnaround time, and customer service. * Leads resourcing meetings, including reviewing Asana boards, assigning new contract requests, providing guidance for contract requests requiring escalation, and answering questions from members of the Contracting Team * Tracks the volume and timeliness of all active/completed tasks and prepares reports and dashboards for review by the Director, Contracting Contract Drafting, Review & Negotiation * Draft, review, and negotiate a wide range of agreements, including but not limited to vendor agreements, professional services agreements, provider arrangements, leases, SaaS, Master Service Agreements, clinical trial agreements, MOUs, subaward, and other operational contracts. * Perform detailed legal and operational review of contract terms, including indemnification, limitation of liability, insurance requirements, data privacy provisions, payment terms, and termination rights. * Lead negotiations with vendors and partners to achieve balanced contractual terms that align with enterprise risk standards and organizational priorities. * Redline agreements and prepare counterproposals in coordination with internal stakeholders and leadership. * Manage an active portfolio of contract requests while also overseeing the work of Contracts Specialists. * Escalate high-risk provisions, complex negotiations, or material deviations from enterprise standards to the Director of Contracting in accordance with governance protocols. * Ensure finalized agreements are properly documented, executed, and recorded in the organization's contract management systems. Contract Governance & Risk Management * Implement and maintain a formal contract audit and legacy clean-up program. * Monitor contract exception rates and legal deviations. * Ensure compliance with HRSA, CMS, and other regulatory requirements affecting FQHC operations. * Liaise with Compliance leadership to ensure that contracts are compliant with current regulatory requirements. Process Improvement & Systems Optimization * Serves as the subject matter expert for systems utilized by the Contracts Team such as Coupa, Asana, Leah Redline, and CLM * Together with the Director, Contracting, lead CLM implementation and take ownership of system maintenance and optimization. * Lead initiatives to improve contract intake workflows, approval routing, documentation standards, and customer service. * Enhance data integrity and reporting within contract management systems. * Identify automation and AI opportunities to increase efficiency and reduce risk. * Review and propose updates to enterprise contracting playbooks and escalation protocols. Cross-Functional Partnership * Serve as primary contracting liaison for FQHC leaders. * Coordinate with leaders on department-specific contracting standards. * Escalate high-risk or complex matters to Director, Contracting in accordance with governance framework. Customer Relations * Respond promptly and proactively communicate to internal and external stakeholders. * Maintains professional working relationships with all levels of Neighborhood Healthcare staff, partners, and vendors. * Ensures that the Contracts Team is upholding high standards of customer service across the board. EDUCATION/EXPERIENCE: * Bachelor's Degree (or relevant equivalent experience) with 6+ years of progressive experience in contract management, healthcare contracting, or related field required OR * MBA/MHA with 5+ years of progressive experience in contract management, healthcare contracting, or related field OR * JD with 4+ years of progressive experience in contract management, healthcare contracting, or related field * At least 3+ years of progressive leadership experience required * Demonstrated project management capability, including leading cross-functional initiatives, managing timelines and deliverables, and driving process improvements from concept through implementation required * Experience in FQHC contracting operations preferred * Expertise with HRSA compliance considerations preferred * Experience in implementing and maintaining contract lifecycle management (CLM) systems preferred Physical Requirements * Ability to lift/carry 10 lbs./weight * Ability to stand for long periods of time ADDITIONAL QUALIFICATIONS (Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities): * Excellent verbal and written communication skills with demonstrated strong drafting, redlining, and proofreading capability. * Strong understanding of risk allocation, indemnification, liability, and regulatory considerations. * Strong relationship-building, stakeholder management, and conflict-resolution skills * Ability to handle highly confidential information in a professional and ethical manner. Pay Range: $113,600 - $172,800 annually, depending on experience Compensation Disclosure: The posted salary range reflects the designated pay grade for this position. While this range represents the broader classification of the role, actual compensation will be based on several factors, including but not limited to: the candidate's overall knowledge, skills, and experience, market data and industry benchmarks, internal equity within the organization, Budgetary considerations and organizational needs. As a result, placement within the range is not guaranteed, and the full pay grade range may not be utilized. #NHC123