Contract Manager - Vendor Management

Job Title: Contract Manager – Vendor Management (Contract)

Location: Boston, MA or New York, NY (Hybrid - 2 to 3 days onsite per week)
Duration: 6 Months (Strong possibility of extension and potential conversion to permanent)
Employment Type: Contract

About the Opportunity

A leading investment management organization is seeking an experienced Contract Manager – Vendor Management to support a growing portfolio of investment-related vendor agreements and third-party services. This role will partner with investment, operations, procurement, legal, information security, and risk management teams to manage the full lifecycle of vendor contracts supporting investment operations, data services, and technology platforms.

The ideal candidate will possess a strong background in investment industry contracting, vendor negotiations, market data agreements, and third-party service management within asset management, private equity, fund administration, insurance investments, or related financial services organizations.

Key Responsibilities

Contract Negotiation & Administration

• Draft, review, negotiate, and manage commercial agreements including:
• • Master Service Agreements (MSAs)
  • Statements of Work (SOWs)
  • Service Level Agreements (SLAs)
  • Amendments and Order Forms
  • Data Privacy Agreements
  • Information Security Agreements
• Lead vendor negotiations to achieve favorable commercial and operational outcomes while mitigating risk.
• Coordinate contract reviews with Procurement, Legal, Information Security, Data Privacy, and Third-Party Risk teams.

Vendor & Stakeholder Management

• Act as a trusted advisor to investment, operations, and technology stakeholders on contractual obligations, risks, and vendor performance.
• Translate complex legal and commercial terms into practical business recommendations.
• Ensure vendor deliverables and contractual commitments align with business requirements.

Investment Data & Service Provider Management

• Manage agreements related to:
• • Market and reference data providers
  • Investment technology platforms
  • Fund administration services
  • Loan servicing providers
  • Managed services and consulting engagements
• Support commercial relationships with data, analytics, and investment operations vendors.

Contract Lifecycle Management

• Maintain contract repositories and ensure all agreements, amendments, renewals, and obligations are accurately documented.
• Monitor contract expiration dates, renewal provisions, termination rights, and spend commitments.
• Ensure compliance with internal policies, information security requirements, privacy regulations, and third-party risk standards.

License, Usage & Cost Management

• Track software licenses, market data entitlements, API usage, user counts, and consumption-based pricing arrangements.
• Analyze utilization trends and identify cost optimization opportunities.
• Provide recommendations for license expansion, entitlement reallocation, or contract renegotiation.

Renewal & Performance Oversight

• Manage contract renewal schedules and support negotiation strategies.
• Investigate and resolve vendor performance issues, invoicing discrepancies, service-level concerns, and contract disputes.
• Support service-credit claims and vendor performance reviews.

Required Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in Business, Legal Studies, Finance, Supply Chain, or a related field.
• 5-7 years of experience in:
• • Contract Management
  • Vendor Management
  • Procurement
  • Commercial Contract Negotiation
  • Contract-Focused Legal Operations
• Experience within:
• • Asset Management
  • Investment Management
  • Private Equity
  • Fund Administration
  • Insurance Investments
  • Alternative Investments
• Strong experience negotiating and administering MSAs, SOWs, SLAs, Data Privacy Agreements, and Information Security Terms.
• Excellent stakeholder management, communication, and negotiation skills.
• Experience managing multiple contracts and competing priorities in a fast-paced environment.
• Familiarity with contract lifecycle management systems and contract repositories.

Preferred Qualifications

• Experience supporting alternative investment managers, private equity firms, fund administrators, or investment operations organizations.
• Knowledge of market data licensing, redistribution rights, and subscription agreements.
• Familiarity with enterprise, seat-based, tiered, and consumption-based software licensing models.
• Understanding of third-party risk management, outsourcing, and operational resilience requirements within financial services.
• Experience managing offshore or nearshore vendor relationships.

Top Skills Required

• Contract Management
• Vendor Management
• Contract Negotiation
• Investment Operations
• Asset Management
• Market Data Licensing
• Procurement
• Third-Party Risk Management
• Commercial Agreements
• Fund Administration
• Stakeholder Management
• Software Licensing
• Financial Services
• SLA/MSA/SOW Management
• Investment Vendor Management

I am recruiting for 3rd Largest financial services company in all portfolios. Being direct with my client, I work with hiring managers directly. All niche projects need talented resources coming from great companies, let me know if you want to be part of it?