Contract Manager

Our Company

Abyss Solutions revolutionises the industry landscape of advanced robotics, intelligent computer algorithms and data analytics, and innovative machine-learning technology to improve the safety for critical infrastructure in offshore oil and gas, water, transport, maritime, and defence sectors. Built on the values of Transparency, Innovation, Integrity, Commitment, Reliability, the company's vision is to build the intelligence that will drive all unmanned robots of the future.

Position Summary

The Contract Manager leads the company's contracting function across vendors and customers, overseeing the full lifecycle from drafting and negotiation through onboarding, compliance monitoring, and renewal. This role combines legal and commercial acumen with operational leadership. In addition to protecting the company's interests, the Contract Manager drives consistency through ownership of templates, playbooks, and clause libraries, and establishes measurable KPIs to improve contract performance and cycle times. The role also provides people leadership by mentoring and managing two junior vendor operations staff, ensuring high-quality execution of day-to-day vendor management. By embedding best practices, tools, and training across the business, the Contract Manager enables continuous improvement in how contracts are executed and governed.

Key Responsibilities (Tasks)

• Draft vendor contracts and customer service agreements.
• Negotiate commercial terms with vendors and customers.
• Define and document service level agreements (SLAs) and performance metrics.
• Manage the vendor onboarding and qualification process.
• Coordinate contract review and legal counsel input.
• Track contract lifecycle milestones, including renewals and expirations.
• Monitor compliance with contractual obligations and SLAs.
• Escalate and resolve contractual disputes or non-compliance issues.
• Standardise terms and conditions across contracts to minimize risk.
• Provide contract interpretation and guidance to internal stakeholders.
• Own and maintain contract templates, clause library, fallback positions, and negotiation playbooks; ensure updates with Legal Counsel.
• Establish, track, and report on KPIs (e.g., intake-to-signature cycle time, redline turns, renewal alerts) and administer the Contract Lifecycle Management (CLM) platform.
• Mentor and manage two junior vendor operations staff, delegating daily tasks while coaching them on vendor compliance, onboarding, and SLA monitoring.

Required Knowledge

• Contract law fundamentals (indemnities, liability caps, termination).
• Vendor management and procurement processes.
• Customer contract structures and commercial agreements.
• Service level agreements (SLAs) and key performance indicators (KPIs).
• Regulatory compliance (data privacy, anti-bribery, cybersecurity).
• Risk management principles and contract-risk mitigation.
• Contract lifecycle management tools and systems.
• Template/playbook frameworks and how they support scalable contracting.
• Contract performance metrics (cycle time, queue management, SLA attainment) and how to analyse them.
• People management basics (mentoring, workload allocation, performance feedback) for junior staff.

Required Skills

• Drafting precise, enforceable contract language.
• Negotiating favourable terms with vendors and customers.
• Defining and managing SLAs and performance metrics.
• Managing multiple contracts simultaneously and meeting deadlines.
• Interpreting and explaining contracts to non-legal stakeholders.
• Using contract management systems and reporting dashboards.
• Communicating complex contractual issues clearly to leadership.
• Resolving contractual disputes and compliance issues.
• Developing and maintaining clause libraries, fallback positions, and negotiation playbooks.
• Generating, interpreting, and presenting KPIs to leadership to drive continuous improvement.
• Mentoring junior staff, delegating tasks, and providing structured feedback.

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in Business, Law, Supply Chain, or related field (required).
• 5+ years' experience in contract management, procurement, or commercial roles.
• Experience working with external legal counsel on contract review.
• Familiarity with contract management platforms and reporting tools.

Preferred

• Certification in contract management (e.g., IACCM/WorldCC, NCMA CPCM/CCCM).
• Experience in developing or managing ISO-aligned Service Level Agreements.
• Industry experience in engineering services, technology, oil & gas.
• Exposure to cross-border contracts and international trade compliance.
• Strong financial acumen to link contract terms to cost, risk, and value drivers.
• Demonstrated ability to implement or optimise contract management systems (CLM).
• Advanced degree (MBA, JD, or LLM) or equivalent experience.