Contracts Analyst (Temporary)

The Contracts Analyst is responsible for the negotiation of high-volume commercial agreements with focus on food service and support for the Company’s Dining Division.  This position will handle all aspects of the contract lifecycle, including drafting, analysis, internal escalations and vendor-facing negotiation of food supplier and service provider agreements.  This person should have a deep understanding of the contract redlining process, excellent negotiation skills, and ability to ensure that all contracts comply with relevant regulations and internal standards. This person will handle written product as well as live negotiation to close deals in compliance with company legal requirements.  This role partners cross-functionally with Legal, Procurement, and Dining business stakeholders to ensure contractual compliance, risk mitigation, and operational efficiency while maintaining consistency with company standards and policies.

The ideal candidate is detail-oriented, highly organized, and comfortable managing multiple agreements accurately (and simultaneously) in a fast-paced environment. This role will also be responsible for completing certain deliverables associated with documenting Company standard operating procedures, including outlining escalation points, fallback provisions, scope of authority, and practical processing.

Responsibilities:

• Hands-On Contract Review, Negotiation and Drafting.

o  Review, analyze, and redline a wide range of agreements in support of the Company’s Dining Division, including vendor agreements, NDAs, service agreements, amendments, and short-form contracts.

o  Effectively negotiate contract documents of various types and sizes in keeping with Company requirements, with a high degree of autonomy, using template documents pre-approved by the Company’s Legal Department.

o  Ensure all contracts presented for signature are consistent with internal policies, risk tolerance, and applicable legal guidelines.

o  Proactively identify and escalate any legal, operational, or financial risks contained in the agreements and work with internal stakeholders to find acceptable compromises / resolution where necessary.

• Contract Lifecycle Management

o  Manage  the  end-to-end  contract  lifecycle  from  intake  through  execution  and  post-signature  tracking  in accordance with compliance requirements.

o Maintain contract repositories and ensure accurate recordkeeping and version control.

o Own portion of quarterly contracts audit covering Dining Division.

• Cross-Functional Collaboration

o  Serve as a primary point of contact for business stakeholders regarding contract negotiation status, company requirements/standards, and process guidance.

o Work with Dining team and others to confirm contract pricing, scope, and commercial terms align with approvals.

o Assist internal teams with substantive interpretation of contract terms, practical impact and obligations.

• Contract Strategy; SOPs.

o  Update  and  publish  contract  workflow(s)  and  operating  model  in  partnership  with  Procurement  (where applicable).

o  Develop resources needed to further assist departments in contract submissions, negotiations, and/or finalization of agreements.

• Advisory Support.

o  Provide time-sensitive support to internal clients by responding to inquiries on established legal guidelines, policy inquiries, and contracts and contract-specific questions.

o Assist Legal Department in updating internal training, resources, and communications packet(s) regarding Dining

Division vendor set up.

o Assist with other Legal and/or Dining Division projects as needed.

Project Work and Deliverables:

1. 1. Prepare a contract negotiation manual or playbook covering Dining Contracts covering the following topics:
2. a. Company protocols associated with contract intake, negotiation, and setup of new vendors;
3. b. Acceptable contract compromises/revisions (e.g. first and second fallback positions) consistent with

Company risk tolerance;

1. c. Sample vendor / partner communications, FAQs, and other resource
2. 2. Build out standard operating procedure (SOP) for contract workflow including the following:
3. a. Quarterly contract audit (in cooperation with contracts administrator and paralegal). b.    Contract assignments resulting from vendor M&A activity.
4. 3. Analyze Company franchise/license agreements for restrictive covenants and catalogue in a manner to assist Dining

Division personnel with business development opportunities and compliance reviews.

1. 4. Upload fully executed foodservice and service provider agreements and related documentation into Conga (contract lifecycle management system) for the Dining Division, ensuring version control and adherence to internal

recordkeeping and audit requirements.

Qualifications:

• Bachelor's degree in Business Administration, Law, or related field
• Experience in contract management, development, hands-on negotiation and legal analysis
• Strong understanding of contract law, the purpose behind different contract provisions, and legal terminology
• Ability to quickly evaluate complex issues and identify multiple options for resolution.
• Proficient in Microsoft Office Suite (especially with respect to WORD redlining and review tools) and contract management tools
• Exceptional negotiation skills and effective communication and interpersonal skills
• Ability to work independently and as part of a team
• Dedication to confidentiality, following-up on commitments on a timely basis, adhering to deadlines, organization, and collaboration.
• Highly motivated, self-starting, and experienced advocate who enjoys working cooperatively on a growing legal team.
• Effective self-starter with a practical approach, a panoramic perspective, and positive attitude
• Extremely well organized, detail-oriented and able to meet deadlines and work in a demanding, fast-paced environment and able to solve, in a practical fashion, problems quickly and effectively.

Work Environment & Expectations

• Fast-paced, deadline-driven environment with high contract volume.
• Requires strong judgment, discretion, and professionalism when handling confidential information.
• Ability to work cross-functionally with legal and business teams.