Contract Specialist (Hybrid: Onsite & Remote)

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This role reports directly to the Assistant General Counsel - Commercial and is responsible for negotiation and management of several of the Company’s most frequently used form agreements. With appropriate supervision, this position will serve as the primary point of contact and main legal negotiator for form vendor agreements, product development agreements, nondisclosure agreements, and others. This position also will be primarily responsible, in conjunction with an outside law firm, for maintaining and keeping up to date the Company’s trademark registrations and assessing trademark-related risk. This role may also provide assistance from time to time on other matters as requested by the Legal Team. A strong performer in this role not only will display excellent analytical, drafting, and communication skills but also will develop strong working relationships with internal business clients, serving as a trusted advisor and representative of the Legal department.

This position has been segmented as Hybrid meaning there is a combination of three onsite days per week and the rest remote. This role is based out of headquarters in Rosemont, IL.

Responsibilities:

• With appropriate training, supervision, and business support, draft and negotiate to completion several types of contracts, primarily based on the Company’s form agreements. These contracts may include but are not limited to the following:

  • Vendor agreements

  • Product development/innovation agreements

  • Referral agreements

  • Nondisclosure agreements

• Advise business teams on the impact of contractual language and make recommendations to appropriately mitigate risk while working toward appropriate Company goals.

• Maintain the Company’s trademark registrations, including coordinating with outside law firm and internal Company stakeholders to collect specimen photographs and other information necessary to support registrations. Advise on trademark-related risk for development of new products and brands.

• Review and revise various non-contractual materials to assess and mitigate potential legal risk.

• Proactively identify and seek out relevant subject matter experts and decisionmakers to develop necessary information relevant to the foregoing tasks.

• Independently manage, track, and complete projects in a timely manner. In other instances, support and advise business teams that are taking primary responsibility for projects.

• Manage contracts in electronic contract management databases as requested.

• Other duties as assigned by manager.

Relationships:

• Internal: This role will require professional interaction primarily with internal business clients across various departments, Legal Team members, support staff, and contractors such as outside counsel hired by the Company.

• External: Less frequently, but still regularly, this role requires professional interaction with external parties, such as vendors or customers, and/or their counsel.

Work Environment:

• Hybrid: This role is partially remote, and the associate is expected to perform assigned responsibilities from a combined home-based and office-based environment.

• This role occasionally may require tasks that are only possible to do from the corporate office, such as interacting with foodservice products in the on-site corporate kitchen.

• No regularly scheduled travel. Any required travel is anticipated to be rare.

Minimum Qualifications:

• Minimum three (3) years related transactional experience in contracts; prior in-house experience preferred but not required.

Education:

• Bachelor’s degree required.

• Additional relevant education and/or certificates a plus but not required (for example, paralegal certificate, J.D.).

Certifications/Training:

• None required but may be considered a plus if relevant; see “Education,” above.

Licenses:

• None required but may be considered a plus if relevant; see “Education,” above.

Preferred Qualifications:

• Knowledge of legal requirements involved with contracts.

• Time management and problem-solving skills.

• Ability to manage multiple projects.

• Strong analytical skills.

• Ability to express, whether written or oral, legal issues in clear, concise language.

• Ability to work with varying seniority levels.

• Demonstration of strong organizational skills, excellent grammar, and attention to detail.

• Microsoft Office expertise, especially Word, Excel, Outlook and PowerPoint. Experience with SharePoint, Teams, and OneNote a plus.

• Familiarity and use of a legal department matter management system (i.e., Legal Tracker or similar matter-management system) a plus.

• Experience in the foodservice industry a plus.

• Experience with trademark law or registrations a plus.

Compensation depends on relevant experience and/or education, specific skills, function, geographic location, and other factors as applicable by law. The expected base rate for this role is between $65k and $100k.

This role will also receive: annual incentive plan bonus. ​​Benefits for this role may include health insurance, pre-tax spending accounts, retirement benefits, paid time off, short-term and long-term disability, employee stock purchase plan, and life insurance. To review available benefits, please click here: https://www.usfoods.com/careers/benefits.html.

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