Contract Manager
Talascend is currently seeking a Contract Manager for a contract opportunity with our client in Lake Forest, Illinois.
Overview
We are seeking a mid-level Contract Manager (Temporary) to support increased contract volume across government, customer commercial, and supplier agreements. This role focuses on execution, throughput, and workload relief supporting government, commercial, and supplier contracts. You will independently manage contract review and negotiations, helping reduce cycle times, clear backlog, and improve overall workflow efficiency.
Responsibilities
- Own and manage contracts through the full lifecycle: intake, drafting, negotiation, execution, and close-out
- Draft, review, and negotiate customer, supplier, and service agreements using standard templates and playbooks
- Handle a high volume of medium-complexity contracts, ensuring timely turnaround and quality output
- Proactively drive contracts forward by coordinating inputs, resolving comments, and managing timelines
- Support government contracting workflows including solicitation responses, representations, and certifications
- Review and apply standard terms
- Identify risks and escalate appropriately
- Help manage compliance-related documentation and contract requirements
- Independently manage customer commercial and supplier agreements
- Review contract terms, identify deviations from standards, and propose practical alternatives
- Partner with supplier managers, sales, and legal to resolve issues and close contracts efficiently
- Balance speed and risk to support business timelines
- Identify contractual risks and apply pre-approved fallback positions and playbooks
- Escalate non-standard or high-risk issues appropriately
- Ensure alignment with company policies, legal requirements, and risk tolerance
- Help reduce backlog and improve contract turnaround times
- Support workload balancing across the team by taking ownership of assigned work
- Maintain accurate contract records and ensure documentation is organized and audit-ready
- Contribute to process improvements that increase efficiency and scalability
- Act as a key liaison between legal, business stakeholders, procurement, and sales
- Provide clear, practical communication on contract status, risks, and next steps
- Work closely with team members to relieve bandwidth constraints and keep work progressing
Qualifications
- Bachelor's degree or equivalent experience
- 3-6 years of contract management experience in a corporate or in-house legal environment
- Experience handling commercial and/or supplier contracts independently
- Exposure to government contracting (FAR/DFARS familiarity helpful but not required)
- Strong understanding of contract lifecycle management and risk assessment
- Proven ability to manage high-volume, deadline-driven work
Preferred Qualifications
- Experience with contract lifecycle management (CLM) tools
- Contract management certification (CPCM, CCCM, etc.)
- Background supporting both government and commercial contracting environments
We thank all applicants for their interest. However, only those qualified individuals who closely meet the qualifications of the position will be contacted. The details of the position are only a summary, other duties may be assigned as necessary.
Background Check and Drug Screen may be required.
Pay range is not a guarantee of compensation or salary, as final offer amount may vary based on factors including but not limited to experience and geographic location. Talascend also offers a variety of benefits including: health and disability insurance, 401(k), EAP, paid time off, and company-paid holidays. The specific programs and options available to an employee may vary depending on date of hire, plan requirements, schedule type, and client work site mandates.
Talascend is an Equal Opportunity Employer that recruits and hires qualified candidates without regard to race, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, age, national origin, ancestry, citizenship, disability, or veteran status.