Senior Contracts Specialist

The Senior Contracts Specialist will work directly with NEEA’s Contracts/Legal Team and internal contract owners to support the dynamic, demanding, diverse, and high-volume contracting needs of NEEA’s internal stakeholders, cross-functional teams, and external partners. This person will take a detail-oriented approach to supporting a wide range of contracting processes and needs with varying degrees of complexity in a fast-paced contracting environment.   

Using strong problem-solving and communications skills, good judgment, and organizational skills, this person will support the Contracts/Legal Team by: providing best-in-class customer service; ensuring successful and timely administration of contracts documentation and related activities; monitoring ongoing contract requirements, advising contract managers on processes and resolving issues; and being able to multi-task and prioritize workload appropriately. 

This position is based in the Portland, OR metro area, with a hybrid work location. We are looking for candidates who can meet the requirement of working at least 2 days per week onsite at NEEA’s office location.  Finalists must have eligibility to work in the US as NEEA is not able to provide VISA sponsorship or have remote work outside of the US. 

Salary range: $60,000 - $75,000, exempt 

• Salary is based on the applicants Experience, Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities. 

The Typical Day May Include… 

• Review contract specifications and documents from internal Contract Owners. Identify options and coach Contract Owners on next steps in the contracting process. Assign tasks/timelines/actions in accordance with identified steps.  

• Proactively communicate with Contract Owners, Contracts/Legal Team, Finance, IT, and vendors on issues as needed, including regular recurring reporting on contracts team KPI’s.   

• Draft commercial and technical requirements for vendor agreements, with a focus on detailed descriptions of activities and deliverables. 

• Manage the vendor vetting process.  

• Engage as needed in multiple stages of the contracting process, including contracts intake, vendor vetting, contract setup, approvals and execution.  

• Ensure that all contract and competitive bidding documentation is accurate, complete, and uploaded in SharePoint per process requirements. Resolve any discrepancies or issues that may arise from inaccurate or incomplete information.   

• Perform quality control per established procedures prior to contract submission to ensure that all data is accurate in financial systems. Resolve all issues or discrepancies that arise from this review.   

• Able to triage complex technical issues in the contracting process.   

• Engage cross-functionally to provide proactive support on contracting issues at all levels of the organization.  

• Compile all necessary contract documents and distribute the contracts packets for approvals and signatures.   

• Assist with documenting Contracts/Legal team processes and decisions.    

• Provide recommendations for and assist with the implementation of process improvements.    

• Provide organizational training on contracting processes.  

• Conduct all functions in compliance with NEEA’s policies, practices, and procedures.   

• Perform other duties which may be necessary or desirable to support the organization’s success. 

Supervisory Responsibilities: 

This position does not have direct supervisory responsibilities over NEEA staff. 

Your Experience, Education, and Skills: 

• Bachelor’s degree in a related field (e.g., pre-law, business).    

• 3 - 4+ years of experience with contract administration and/or project support.   

• Proficiency in Microsoft Office and related applications including Word, Excel, SharePoint, and PowerPoint, along with proficiency in financial systems (e.g., Workday, NetSuite, etc.) is required.  

• Attention to detail and ability to multi-task.   

• Demonstrated customer service skills and ability to work cross-functionally with many internal and external stakeholders.   

• Strong writing and editing skills.   

• Ability to work collaboratively as part of a team.   

• Comfortable in a fast-paced environment, while remaining flexible and enthusiastic about supporting the Contracts/Legal Team.   

• Ability to solve problems creatively and think critically.  

• Strong work ethic and drive to get things finished in an accurate and timely manner.     

• Ability to collect and synthesize data to support decision making.   

• Ability to spot and communicate patterns, trends, and inaccuracies.    

• Possesses exceptional communication and active listening skills.   

• Ability to vary communication style based on audience. 

• An equivalent combination of education, experience and training that would provide the knowledge, skills and abilities required for the successful performance of the essential job duties will also be considered. 

Highlights of NEEA’s Benefits: 

• 90% of medical/dental premiums paid by NEEA, including for dependents 

• Employer funded Health Savings Account 

• 136 hours of PTO/year 

• Automatic 6% retirement contribution with an additional 2% matching 

• Flexible work environment, including hybrid work location and 9/80 schedule options 

• Professional development opportunities 

About NEEA  

The Northwest Energy Efficiency Alliance (NEEA) is an alliance of more than 140 electric and natural gas utilities and energy efficiency organizations working on behalf of Northwest energy consumers to increase the adoption of energy-efficient products services and practices. Since 1997, the region has achieved more than 959 average megawatts (aMW) of Co-Created electric energy savings – the equivalent of enough energy to power more than 700,000 Northwest homes each year.     

NEEA welcomes individuals from all backgrounds and fields of expertise, with or without previous experience in the energy industry.  

Follow this link to our website and learn more about the organization. 

NEEA is an Equal Opportunity Employer