Contracts Specialist III

Job description

Work Schedule Standard (Mon-Fri) Environmental Conditions Office Job Description As part of the Thermo Fisher Scientific team, you’ll discover meaningful work that makes a positive impact on a global scale. Join our colleagues in bringing our Mission to life every single day to enable our customers to make the world healthier, cleaner and safer. We provide our global teams with the resources needed to achieve individual career goals while helping to take science a step beyond by developing solutions for some of the world’s toughest challenges, like protecting the environment, making sure our food is safe or helping find cures for cancer. What You Will Do Join Thermo Fisher Scientific as a Contracts Specialist and become a key member of the Contract Management Team supporting the Chromatography and Mass Spectrometry Division. In this role, you will independently manage the review and negotiation of customer purchase orders, sales terms, RFQs/RFPs and other commercial contracting matters within established contracting guidelines and approval requirements. You will partner closely with Sales, Order Management, Legal, Finance and other cross-functional teams across Thermo Fisher Scientific to identify and address contractual risks, facilitate commercial transactions, support business objectives, and ensure agreements are consistent with corporate and divisional policies and procedures. Key Responsibilities • Independently review and negotiate customer purchase orders, terms and conditions, RFQs/RFPs and related sales documents, including drafting addenda and redlining customer terms as necessary to address contractual requirements and mitigate risk. • Identify and assess legal, financial, regulatory and business risks associated with customer contracts, sales orders, purchase orders, and terms and conditions; resolve issues within established contracting guidelines; clearly communicate significant risks and recommendations to appropriate stakeholders; and escalate exceptions or higher-risk matters in accordance with established approval requirements. • Review and negotiate commercial terms, including delivery, warranty and payment terms, as well as legal and risk-related provisions such as indemnification, insurance and limitation of liability. • Review customer solicitations and prepare or coordinate contractual responses to RFQs, RFPs and similar requests. • Resolve conflicts in contract terms by developing and proposing alternative solutions that appropriately balance company requirements, business objectives, risk considerations and customer needs. • Collaborate effectively with Sales, Order Management, Legal, Finance and other functions across Thermo Fisher Scientific to support timely contract review, negotiation and execution. • Maintain complete, consistent and accurate contract files, approvals and related information within the company’s contract lifecycle management (CLM) and other applicable enterprise systems. • Support contract standardization, process improvements and Practical Process Improvement (PPI) initiatives. • Manage multiple contracting priorities and a high-volume portfolio of commercial contracting matters, balancing turnaround expectations, business needs and contractual risk while providing timely and responsive support to Sales, Order Management and other business partners. • Identify contractual terms that may implicate legal, regulatory, compliance or other specialized requirements and coordinate appropriate review and escalation in accordance with company policies and established guidance. How You Will Get Here • Bachelor’s degree in Business, Legal Studies or a related field, with a minimum of five (5) years of experience in contract drafting and negotiation in a commercial or legal environment; or an advanced degree with a minimum of three (3) years of relevant experience. • Experience with commercial contracting required; experience with government contracting and related compliance requirements preferred. • Experience within the Life Sciences, Laboratory Sciences, Healthcare or related industries is preferred. Knowledge, Skills and Abilities • Strong working knowledge of commercial contracting principles and contract terms, with the ability to identify and assess legal, financial and business risks. • Sound judgment and demonstrated ability to balance business and commercial objectives with contractual risks and customer requirements. • Strong understanding of commercial sales terms, including pricing, delivery, warranty and payment structures, as well as key contractual provisions such as indemnification, insurance and limitation of liability. • Demonstrated ability to apply established contracting guidance and approval requirements to independently resolve matters within established contracting parameters and appropriately escalate exceptions or higher-risk issues. • Demonstrated ability to thrive in a fast-paced environment, independently manage competing priorities and meet challenging deadlines. • Excellent written and verbal communication skills, with the ability to clearly and concisely communicate contractual issues and recommendations to business stakeholders. • Strong interpersonal and stakeholder-management skills with the ability to influence, collaborate and build effective working relationships across functions and organizational levels. • Detail-oriented with a high degree of integrity, accountability and engagement. • Proficiency with Microsoft Office and experience working with contract lifecycle management (CLM) and enterprise systems; familiarity with SAP is preferred. • Demonstrated ability and willingness to adopt approved technologies, including AI-enabled tools, to improve contract review, drafting and workflow efficiency while maintaining appropriate professional judgment and adherence to company policies and guidance. • Strong contract drafting and redlining skills, including the ability to apply established contracting guidance and develop clear alternative language and contract addenda to address unacceptable or conflicting customer terms. Our Mission is to enable our customers to make the world healthier, cleaner and safer. As one team, we share a common set of values and work together to accelerate research, solve complex scientific challenges, drive technological innovation and support patients in need. At Thermo Fisher Scientific, diverse experiences, backgrounds and perspectives are valued.