Principal Contract Manager
Hybrid San Ramon or Oakland, CA Perm PositionThe
Principal Contract Manager plays a pivotal role in overseeing the lifecycle of multiple strategic third-party contracts.
This position ensures adherence to contractual terms, tracks key milestones, and manages contract renewals and amendments.
The ideal candidate is a seasoned contracts professional with expertise in monitoring, analysis, compliance, and reporting working collaboratively across departments to ensure consistent and effective compliance practices.
Job Responsibilities
- Lead complex cross-functional projects and contract activities.
- Advise senior leadership (internal and external) on contracting strategies and negotiation matters.
- Independently negotiate complex contract issues.
- Lead efforts to identify, analyze, and enhance existing business processes or create new workflows to meet evolving goals.
- Collaborate closely with key stakeholders to ensure strategic alignment.
- Act as the primary liaison between the Contracts Team and PG&E s Legal Department and compliance groups (e.g., Risk).
- Provide guidance, support, mentorship, and training to less experienced contract management staff.
- Design and deliver contract management training to internal and external stakeholders.
- Maintain oversight of program contracts and related obligations.
- Analyze contracts to detect potential compliance issues.
- Identify and resolve discrepancies or cases of non-compliance.
- Evaluate and improve compliance programs and procedures.
- Conduct audits and inspections to ensure contract compliance.
- Communicate compliance obligations clearly to all stakeholders.
- Deliver training and guidance on compliance procedures.
- Prepare detailed reports on contract compliance activities and results.
Minimum Qualifications
- Bachelor s degree or equivalent experience.
- Minimum of 9 years of direct experience in a comparable role, with the ability to manage complex sourcing strategies and ensure contract compliance during large-scale digital transformations (e.g., system integrator services and software professional services).
- Proven track record of managing sophisticated contracts to minimize value leakage.
- Experience with QA and QC of contract documents.
- Subject matter expertise in contract composition, management, administration, and negotiation.
- Ability to apply advanced business knowledge, project management practices, and industry best practices.
- Conflict resolution and negotiation skills with a focus on win-win outcomes.
- Strong budgeting, resource allocation, and procurement knowledge including RFPs, bids, and agreements.
- Experience with terms & conditions, contracts, ability to understand terms, KPI's, audit, compliance, manage supplier relationship.
- Excellent communication skills tailored to varied audiences.
- Strong analytical, critical thinking, and problem-solving abilities.
- Experience with report generation, modeling, and simulations.
- Ability to independently manage priorities based on departmental goals.
- Advanced proficiency in Microsoft Office Suite (Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Outlook) and contract systems/applications (e.g., SRM, Ariba, SAP, scheduling tools).
- Experience in process development, review, and continuous improvement.
Desired Qualifications
- Master s degree in a related discipline.
- Professional certification(s), such as:
- Project Management Professional (PMP)
- Program Management Professional (PgMP)
- Lean Six Sigma (Green or Black Belt)
- Knowledge and experience in transmission pipeline construction.
- Utility industry background.