Contract Manager

Areas of Responsibility and Duties

– Management of the full contract lifecycle for assigned accounts: from pre-award review through execution, variation, renewal and close-out

– Contractual risk identification, assessment and mitigation

– Commercial negotiation with customers and suppliers on contractual terms, pricing adjustments and scope variations

– Protection of company margins through proactive contract monitoring and enforcement

– Interface with Business Development, Legal, Finance and Project Management on all contractual and commercial matters

– Support to pre-sales and bid processes on contractual risk and commercial structuring

Organizational Function / Reports to:
The Contract Manager reports to the Head of Business Development during Phase 1 (months 1–6). The role operates with a dotted-line relationship to Legal Counsel and Finance Controller.

Core Contract Management Skills:

-Contract Lifecycle Management: Full ownership of the contract from pre-signature review to close-out. Drafting, reviewing and negotiating contract terms, amendments, variations (Change Orders) and extensions. Ensuring all contractual obligations are tracked, met and documented.

-Commercial and Contractual Risk Management: Identification, assessment and mitigation of contractual risks, including liability clauses, SLA exposure, penalty provisions, force majeure and IP rights. Maintenance of a live contract risk register for all assigned accounts.

-Scope and Variation Management: Monitoring of project scope against contractual commitments in coordination with Project Managers. Formal management of scope deviations: drafting and negotiating Change Orders to ensure all out-of-scope work is contractually captured and commercially valued.

-SLA and Performance Monitoring: Tracking of contractual SLA compliance across assigned accounts. Management of penalty exposure and bonus/malus mechanisms. Escalation and resolution of performance disputes with customers.

-Pricing, Invoicing and Cash Flow: Oversight of invoicing milestones in accordance with contract payment terms. Management of price revision clauses (ISTAT/inflation indexation). Monitoring of receivables and coordination with Finance on collections and cash flow forecasting.

-Pre-Award and Bid Support: Review of tender documentation, terms and conditions and contractual requirements during bid preparation. Identification of contractual risks and non-standard clauses. Drafting of contractual sections of proposals and customer-facing commercial documents.

-Supplier and Procurement Contracts: Review and negotiation of supplier and subcontractor agreements. Alignment of back-to-back obligations with prime contract requirements. Management of supplier claims and disputes.

-Legal and Regulatory Knowledge: Working knowledge of Italian and French public procurement law (D.Lgs. 36/2023; Code de la commande publique). Understanding of applicable EU procurement directives (2014/24/EU, 2014/25/EU). Familiarity with GDPR contractual obligations (DPA clauses, data controller/processor liability). Knowledge of post-award contract modification limits and reserve management under public procurement frameworks.

-Contract Closeout: Formal management of contract acceptance, final invoicing, warranty obligations and post-delivery contractual commitments.

Required Qualifications

-Bachelor’s or Master’s degree in Law, Economics, Business Management, Engineering or related discipline with strong commercial/legal component.

-Minimum 3–5 years of experience in contract management, commercial management, legal or procurement roles.

-Demonstrated experience in drafting, reviewing and negotiating commercial contracts.

-Professional certification in contract management (IACCM, CPCM or equivalent) is considered a strong advantage.

Technical Skills

– Experience with Contract Lifecycle Management (CLM) software

– Familiarity with public sector procurement processes in Italy and/or France

– Experience in technology or systems integration sectors (HW/SW solutions)

– Knowledge of EMV/NFC payment standards or automatic fare collection systems (advantageous, not required)

– Experience managing contracts in multi-jurisdictional environments

Soft skills

-Commercial Negotiation: Ability to lead contractual and commercial negotiations with customers, procurement counterparts and suppliers. Skilled in negotiating under public procurement constraints where contractual modifications are legally restricted.

-Value Protection and Recovery: Proactive identification of upsell opportunities, value recovery mechanisms and commercial levers within existing contracts. Ability to translate operational issues into contractual claims or recoverable variations.

-Stakeholder Management: Effective management of relationships with customer commercial and procurement contacts, internal Project Managers, Legal Counsel, Finance and Business Development. Ability to act as the primary commercial interface with strategic accounts.

-Customer Interaction on Commercial Matters: Ownership of all commercial and contractual interactions with assigned customers. Escalation of operational issues (raised by Project Managers) into formal contractual positions where appropriate.

-Decision Making under Uncertainty: Ability to make timely, well-reasoned commercial decisions balancing contractual risk, financial exposure and relationship preservation.

Languages
English C1. French B2 (contractual reading and negotiation in French is required)

Work Place: Florence