Associate Manager, Corporate Contracts

Summary Description

Graduate Management Admission Council (GMAC) is a mission-driven organization, with a vision to be the global leader in ensuring every talented person can benefit from the best business education for them. The organization’s priority is to heighten its impact in promoting graduate management education and attracting a qualified and diverse candidate pool from around the world.

Reporting to the Director, Legal Affairs, the Associate Manager, Corporate Contracts is a member of the Legal team, responsible for advising the business on a broad range of transactions, with an emphasis on structuring, drafting, and negotiating commercial contracts.

This role collaborates closely with internal and external stakeholders on a variety of projects across the organization to understand business needs and inform business decisions.

Key Responsibilities

• Draft, review, and negotiate a high volume of buy-side and sell-side contracts, including services agreements, licensing agreements, product terms of use, data processing and data sharing agreements, SaaS agreements, nondisclosure agreements, and collaboration agreements.
• Consult with relevant internal stakeholders to address issues arising during contract negotiations and support timely resolution.
• Utilize GMAC’s contract management system to manage contracts throughout the contract lifecycle, including intake, tracking, renewals, and amendments.
• Respond to vendor and internal client inquiries in a professional, polished, and timely manner.
• Under the direction of the Director, Legal Affairs, conduct research to resolve legal questions and provide practical, risk-based guidance to internal stakeholders, escalating complex or high-risk matters as appropriate.
• Exhibit excellent decision-making skills in resolving conflicts or differences that arise in the negotiation of new or existing agreements.
• Identify opportunities to streamline and improve processes and workflows, and support implementation in collaboration with cross-functional teams.
• Conduct regular compliance reviews to confirm that signed agreements are being executed as intended and flag any gaps or risks.
• Maintain accurate, secure, and accessible records of all agreements, ensuring that documentation is up to date and properly archived.
• Maintain Legal team SharePoint site and internal knowledge resources.
• Support due diligence activities related to third party onboarding and potential company mergers and acquisitions.
• Contribute to ongoing improvements of GMAC’s internal standard template documents, product terms, legal processes, and contract management system.
• Draft and manage terms and conditions for international and regional contests, prize drawings, and other promotions, with guidance from the Director, Legal Affairs.
• Support the development and delivery of internal trainings in partnership with Legal team members.
• Collaborate with the Director, Legal Affairs and business teams on the vendor due diligence process.
• Perform other responsibilities and duties as assigned, including supporting other Legal team members.
  
  

Minimum Requirements:

• Bachelor’s degree in related field; or equivalent combination of education, skills, and experience.
• 2 years’ related work experience, including reviewing, analyzing, and negotiating complex contracts.
• Strong project management skills and understanding of how to manage the priorities of multiple stakeholders in a complex environment.
• Ability to support others in resolving complex issues of significance to the organization.
• Excellent interpersonal, organizational, verbal and written communication, project planning, time management, multi-tasking, and analytical skills.
• Ability to work independently with minimal supervision and in a team setting, and across external and internal stakeholder groups.
• Strong attention to detail, with a keen focus on quality.
• Ability to learn GMAC’s business, including understanding non-US business cultures and GMAC’s risk appetite.
• Ability to simplify complex problems, identify underlying issues, address root causes, seek input from others, and make timely decisions.
• Ability to work in-office and remotely according to GMAC’s hybrid work environment, and to accommodate international hours as needed.
  
  

The physical demands and work environment characteristics described are representative of those that must be met by an employee to successfully perform the essential functions of this job. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions.

Desired Skills/Experience

• JD degree.
• Virginia Bar license or Virginia Corporate Counsel Certificate.
• Experience working as in-house counsel (in a for-profit or non-profit organization).
• Experience reviewing international contracts.
• Experience managing outside counsel.
  
  

GMAC’s value proposition offers our talented employees the ideal climate for innovation, and colleagues who are motivated and proactive, with diverse backgrounds and approaches.

As a global organization, we understand and appreciate the benefits of myriad cultural perspectives. GMAC is wholly committed to recruiting, developing, and retaining a diverse group of talented people, and providing equal employment opportunities to all employees and applicants without regard to the basis of actual or perceived race, creed, color, religion, national origin, ancestry, age, disability, sex (including pregnancy, childbirth, and related medical conditions), marital status, veteran status, sexual orientation, gender identity, genetic information, or any other characteristic protected by applicable federal, state or local laws.