Principal Commercial Contracts Manager

About the Team:

Relativity Space’s Legal team is nimble and entrepreneurial, filled with collaborative team players with deep domain expertise dedicated to each other’s and the company’s success. The team sits at the epicenter of business activities and decision-making and is responsible for identifying and managing risks across the organization to ensure Relativity is adequately protected through its rapid growth. Team members manage the full suite of legal and regulatory issues, including intellectual property, employment, licensing, procurement, government contracting, vendor and customer contracts, trade compliance, corporate transactions, and governance, among other business-enabling responsibilities. Unique to Relativity’s fast-paced, high-growth environment, the team works across many departments to support Relativity's ambitious goals. Additionally, the company is in a formative phase, with enough structure to build from and still plenty of room for you to define what’s next. If you want to be on the front lines of a rapidly evolving commercial space industry, Relativity is the place for you.

About the Role:

• Build and lead a brand new contract management function, including function and organizational planning
• Lead management of all contracting processes and systems, including:
• Continue to refine and improve contract administration and workflow processes for review of buy-side commercial contracts to drive faster time-to-close, including triggers for review, requirements and considerations for review, steps for review and negotiation internally and externally, and approval process
• Improve tracking and reporting of data and metrics, build process improvements, and implement new contract management and AI tools to drive contracting efficiency
• Drive communication strategy to improve adoption of all contract systems
• Maintain various contract templates for vendor procurement, such as services agreements, purchase agreements, manufacturing contracts, consultant agreements, engagement letters, statements of work, amendments, and order forms
• Manage and improve contract negotiation and vendor management processes in partnership with supply chain leadership to facilitate rapid scaling, including:
• Develop, implement, and improve negotiation playbooks and corporate negotiation standards and knowledge libraries
• Develop and perform contract negotiation and vendor management training program for business stakeholders
• Identify vendor and/or contractual risks in collaboration with engineering and business teams, and develop strategies to monitor and mitigate such risks
• Lead key cross-functional strategic initiatives involving commercial transactions such as tariffs and other supply chain risk mitigation efforts
• Lead high touch contract negotiations and post-execution compliance for significant non-sales/vendor transactions, driving commercial negotiation strategy, financial and risk analysis, and executive alignment in collaboration with business stakeholders

About You:

• Undergraduate college degree or equivalent experience
• Minimum 7 years of experience in contract management, commercial negotiations, or a related field
• Deep understanding of commercial negotiations and deal points across a wide array of vendor transactions, including construction and facilities services, equipment purchasing, software licensing and SaaS, and general services
• Significant cross-functional project management, people management, and organizational development skills
• Strong systems thinker and process builder

Nice to haves but not required:

• Ability to tailor approach and communication style for diverse range of internal and external stakeholders, with diplomacy and professionalism
• Leads with strong emotional intelligence, a client-service orientation, and a drive towards continuous improvements with a problem-solving mentality and “can-do” attitude
• Close attention to detail and accuracy at all times
• Experience managing multiple competing priorities efficiently
• Comfort with ambiguity and change management, and adaptable to new systems and technology, especially those that assist with end-to-end contract lifecycle management
• Ability to work independently, as well as part of a team at all levels and throughout the organization
• Familiarity with contract law, accounting principles, and finance