Senior Specialist, Contract Governance & Digitization - Canada Remote

Job description

OVERVIEW Reporting to the Senior Manager, Data Management & Governance, the Senior Specialist, Strategic Contract Data Governance is responsible for leading proactive contract governance, standardization, and contract digitization enablement initiatives across Circular Materials’ enterprise procurement and contract lifecycle processes. This role is accountable for establishing standardized contract structures, pricing schedules, Statements of Work (SoWs), exhibits, and operational language before procurement cycles begin, ensuring contracts are operationally scalable, analytically consistent, and digitally optimized . This role requires deep expertise in commercial contract interpretation and contract lifecycle management. The successful candidate will analyze complex contractual agreements, understand negotiated business and operational requirements, and translate contractual obligations, pricing structures, service deliverables, and governance requirements into standardized operational, reporting, and system-ready data structures. Success in this role requires the ability to bridge legal, procurement, operational, and technology disciplines to ensure contract terms can be consistently governed, digitized, and operationalized across the enterprise. The successful candidate will partner closely with Procurement, Operations, Legal, Technology, Service Provider Reporting and Data Governance teams to establish standardiz ed contract frameworks and governance practices . Working across these functional areas to translate complex contractual language, commercial terms, pricing structures, and operational obligations into scalable business processes, reporting requirements, and system-ready data structures that support enterprise-wide consistency, and automation. This is a full-time, salary paid position, which requires residency in Canada. RESPONSIBILITIES Lead enterprise-wide contract exhibit, pricing, and language standardization initiatives across procurement cycles. Analyze and interpret complex commercial contracts to identify business rules, operational requirements, pricing mechanisms, service obligations, performance metrics, and reporting requirements that must be standardized and converted into structured, system-ready information. Evaluate historical contracts, Statements of Work (SoWs), and procurement artifacts to identify opportunities for operational and reporting standardization . Translate negotiated contract terms and legal language into operational processes, data elements, metadata structures, reporting requirements, and technology-enabled workflows. Establish standardized contract structures and governance practices that improve consistency, reduce operational complexity, and support downstream analytics. Partner with Procurement, Operations, Legal, Technology, and Data Governance teams to define future-state contract requirements prior to procurement release cycles. Support the development of standardized contract language, metadata structures, and reporting requirements through the creation of an effective digital repository for contract data and downstream impacts for each term or contract exhibit Work with Technology teams to operationalize AI-enabled contract digitization and automated data extraction capabilities using AWS Textract and related platforms. Support scalable, automation-driven contract governance processes that reduce manual intervention and operational risk. Support future-state contract governance strategies that improve operational efficiency, vendor management, analytics, and reporting capabilities. Develop, maintain , and continuously improve functional SOPs, work instructions, process maps, and related business documentation across enterprise systems, including SAP and Microsoft Dynamics 365. Document end-to-end business processes, including process inputs and outputs, business rules, controls, decision points, exception handling, roles and responsibilities, and system dependencies. Facilitate process discovery sessions, walkthroughs, and interviews to gather detailed functional and operational information. QUALIFICATIONS Education Bachelor’s degree in business, supply chain, information systems, data management, legal studies, or a related discipline. Certification in Contract Management, Data Governance, Business Analysis, or Process Governance would be considered an asset. Certification in business analysis, technical writing, process mapping, or content management would be considered an asset. Experience 10+ years of experience in contract governance, procurement operations, enterprise contract management, or data governance. Demonstrated experience reviewing, interpreting, and operationalizing complex commercial agreements, including multi-year service contracts, pricing schedules, Statements of Work (SoWs), exhibits, governance frameworks, and performance obligations. Proven experience standardizing contract exhibits, pricing schedules, Statements of Work (SoWs), and reporting structures. Experience translating contractual language into business processes, system requirements, data structures, contract lifecycle management platforms, or enterprise applications. Experience supporting contract digitization, intelligent document processing, or automated data extraction initiatives. Strong understanding of how contractual terms, obligations, and commercial constructs are represented within operational and technology environments. Experience working with enterprise systems including SAP ECC/ S/4HANA, CLM systems, D365 . Knowledge /Competencies/Skills Exceptional ability to interpret sophisticated contract language and understand the operational, financial, reporting, and system implications of negotiated contractual terms. Strong understanding of procurement lifecycle management, contract governance, and operational standardization practices. Strong technical understanding of AWS Textract , OCR/intelligent document processing technologies, or similar automation platforms. Advanced understanding of unstructured/semi-structured contract data, metadata structures, and contract data governance. Ability to bridge legal, procurement, operational, and technology disciplines to transform contractual language into structured, scalable business processes and system requirements. Strong stakeholder management skills across Procurement, Legal, Operations, Technology, and Data Governance teams. Ability to identify operational risks and standardization opportunities before procurement execution. Strong process mapping and documentation skills, including experience with Visio, BPMN, Lucid or similar. Ability to translate technical system functionality into business-friendly language without losing critical operational detail. High attention to detail and commitment the bigger Data Man a gement & Governance strategy Proficiency in Microsoft Office tools, including Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Lucid and Visio or comparable documentation tools. WORKING CONDITIONS All CM employees work 40 hours per week, remotely from a home office environment. PAY TRANSPARENCY Expected Compensation : An annual base salary in the range of $85,000 to $115,000. The salary range listed complies with the Ontario Employment Standards Act and reflects a potential base salary range for this role. The actual salary offered will be determined within the range, and will depend on factors, such as the candidate’s unique qualifications, relevant experience, work location and expected contributions. Job Vacancy Reason This position is a new role. Artificial Intelligence AI is not used during our hiring processes. Applicant and Interviewee Communication We thank all applicants for their interest. However, only those under consideration will be contacted. Applicants who have been interviewed will be informed whether a hiring decision has been made within 45 days of their final interview. Record Retention Job posting records and associated application forms will be retained for at least three years. ABOUT CIRCULAR MATERIALS Circular Materials is a national not-for-profit producer responsibility organization (PRO) that supports producers in meeting their extended producer responsibility (EPR) obligations across Canada. Created by producers for producers, we design, and deliver effective recycling programs that drive advance innovation, improve environmental outcomes and create value across the recycling supply chain. Through full-service program delivery, including collection, management, promotion, education, and reporting, we are advancing systems where more materials are recycled and returned to producers for use in new packaging and products. Learn more at . Circular Materials is an equal opportunity employer, committed to building a workforce that reflects diversity of thought, skills, experiences, and backgrounds as we work together to accelerate a circular economy for people and the planet. Our inclusive hiring practices aim to foster a culture where all employees feel a strong sense of belonging. We are proud of our recent diversity survey results which showed that: 54% of Circular Materials employees identify as women. 50% of Circular Materials employees identify as visible minorities. 90% of employees believe Circular Materials fosters a strong sense of belonging for employees of all backgrounds. 86% of employees recommend Circular Materials as an inclusive workplace. We welcome applications from candidates of all backgrounds, including Indigenous Peoples (First Nations, Inuit, and Métis), persons with disabilities, racialized individuals, and members of the 2SLGBTQIA+ community. Circular Materials is committed to reconciliation and to advancing Indigenous representation and partnerships across our organization and programs. We recognize that we operate on the traditional territories of diverse Indigenous Nations, and are dedicated to respecting Indigenous rights, governance, and contributions in our work and communities. Circular Materials supports reasonable requests for accommodation in accordance with all applicable provincial accessibility standards. Requests for accommodation will be provided by Circular Materials through the recruitment and/or assessment processes, upon contacting . This email is only used for accommodation requests.