Contract and Vendor Management SME

Overview

•  World Business Lenders (WBL) is a privately held portfolio lender specializing in real estate-secured business loans for underserved businesses. WBL operates with a fully remote, multinational workforce and an experienced executive leadership team.
• Typically, the work schedule is from 9:00 AM to 6:00 PM Eastern Time, Monday through Friday, though additional hours may be required based on business needs.

About the Role

• WBL is seeking a Contract and Vendor Management Subject Matter Expert to own the operational framework for contracts, outside counsel, legal vendors, and other service providers supporting Corporate Legal. This role will establish consistent contracting, engagement, performance, billing, and renewal processes while balancing legal risk, cost, service quality, and business needs.

What Success Looks Like 

• Creates a controlled, searchable contract and vendor-management process with clear ownership and deadlines.
• Improves vendor and outside counsel performance while supporting responsible legal spend.
• Identifies contractual, operational, and service-delivery risks before they affect the business.
• Produces accurate reporting on contracts, renewals, performance, invoices, and open issues.

What You'll Be Doing (Core Responsibilities)

Contract Lifecycle Management

• Own the intake, review, negotiation, approval, execution, storage, renewal, and termination workflow for Corporate Legal contracts and engagement letters.
• Maintain approved templates, playbooks, approval standards, and a complete contract repository.
• Track key terms, obligations, notice periods, renewals, pricing changes, service levels, and termination rights.
• Coordinate with Legal, Finance, Operations, Information Technology, and business owners to resolve contract issues and obtain required approvals.

Vendor and Outside Counsel Management

• Manage relationships with outside counsel, legal vendors, and service providers, including onboarding, engagement scope, performance expectations, and issue escalation.
• Establish vendor performance standards, service-level expectations, review cadences, and corrective-action processes.
• Support competitive sourcing, due diligence, conflicts checks, and evaluation of new vendors and law firms.
• Drive consistency and efficiency in law firm engagement and matter-assignment processes.

Billing, Spend, and Reporting

• Review outside counsel and vendor invoices for alignment with engagement terms, approved scope, rates, and billing requirements.
• Maintain legal spend, budget, accrual, and variance reporting in partnership with Finance.
• Identify opportunities to consolidate vendors, renegotiate terms, improve service, and control costs.
• Provide concise reporting on vendor performance, contract status, upcoming renewals, spend, and risk items.

Process and Risk Management

• Build and document scalable contracting and vendor-management policies, procedures, controls, and quality-assurance standards.
• Maintain appropriate records of approvals, executed agreements, amendments, insurance, and supporting due-diligence documentation.
• Escalate material contractual, performance, compliance, security, or financial risks to Corporate Legal leadership.
• Supervise and develop the Contract and Vendor Management Associate, including workload assignment and quality review.

• Education
• • Bachelor's degree in business, legal studies, finance, supply chain, or a related field; equivalent relevant experience may be considered.
  • JD, MBA, paralegal credential, procurement certification, or contract-management certification is preferred but not required.
    
• Required Experience
• • 5+ years of experience in contract management, vendor management, legal operations, procurement, or an in-house legal environment.
  • Demonstrated experience negotiating commercial terms and administering contracts through their full lifecycle.
  • Experience managing outside counsel or professional-service vendors and reviewing invoices, rates, budgets, or accruals.
  • Strong project-management skills, attention to detail, and the ability to manage multiple deadlines and stakeholders.

Preferred Background / Industry Experience

• Financial services, commercial lending, private lending, banking, fintech, specialty finance, mortgage lending, or another highly regulated industry.

Preferred Industry Experience

• Financial services, commercial lending, private lending, banking, fintech, specialty finance, mortgage lending, or another highly regulated industry.

Specific Technical Skills

• Contract drafting, review, negotiation, and lifecycle administration.

• Vendor due diligence, performance management, and service-level monitoring.

• Legal billing, spend analysis, budget tracking, and invoice review.

• Contract repositories, matter-management systems, reporting tools, and Microsoft Office.

Key Competencies

• Negotiation

• Commercial judgment

• Stakeholder management

• Process improvement

• Clear communication

• Sound judgment

Remote Work Requirements

• Stable, reliable internet connection.

• Professional and dedicated remote working setup.

• Ability to work effectively across a remote, multinational organization and maintain confidentiality.

What We Offer

💰 Compensation in USD.

🏖️ Benefits include paid time off (PTO).

🌍 Work Environment: Fully remote work environment.

Ready to Apply?

If this sounds like you, we'd love to hear from you - submit your CV in English and hitApply