Contracts Manager (Procurement)

Job Title: Contracts Manager (Procurement)

Location: Remote - US

Salary Range: $120,300 - $180,500, plus bonus eligible

Who we are: Lynx delivers modular, open standards–based software that transforms how high-assurance, mission-critical edge systems are built, deployed, and maintained. Our secure edge computing solutions enable innovation and operational excellence in the world’s most demanding environments, from aerospace and defense to commercial and industrial systems. We partner across industries including automotive, medical, and critical infrastructure to deliver tailored solutions aligned with each customer’s mission and operational requirements. Our key products and services are: 

• MOSA.ic: LYNX MOSA.ic™ is a modular software framework and architecture purpose-built for mission-critical edge computing. Based on the Modular Open Systems Approach (MOSA), it provides a flexible foundation for building secure, scalable, and certifiable edge systems.
• LYNX MOSA.ic.AI: LYNX MOSA.ic.AI is a unified CPU and GPU software platform that enables deterministic, certifiable deployment of AI and advanced workloads in mission-critical edge systems. It brings control, performance, and lifecycle governance together, allowing AI to operate predictably within safety-critical environments without compromising certification or system integrity. 
• CoreSuite 2.0: CoreSuite 2.0 is Lynx’s safety-critical GPU for graphics enablement framework designed for mission-critical edge computing systems. It provides hardware-accelerated graphics, visualization, and video processing capabilities that can be certified for high-assurance systems.
• Services: Lynx Services is Lynx’s professional services organization that helps customers design, integrate, certify, deploy, and maintain safety- and security-critical systems. It supports industries like aerospace, defense, automotive, and industrial computing through consulting, engineering, integration, and lifecycle support, reducing development risk and accelerating certification in standards-driven, mission-critical environment.

Role Summary

We are seeking an experienced, business-minded Procurement and Contracts Manager to own procurement and inbound contracting for a growing technology company delivering software, SaaS, and professional services, primarily in the aerospace and defense industry. This role supports the full vendor lifecycle—from selection and onboarding through negotiation, renewal, and ongoing management—for the vendors, suppliers, and service providers Lynx relies on.

The Procurement and Contracts Manager will manage the inbound vendor lifecycle—from intake and sourcing support through vendor evaluation, negotiation, execution, administration, renewal, and closeout. This role will work closely with Finance, IT, Engineering, Operations, and executive leadership, and will report to the Director of Legal Operations and act as the primary liaison between vendors and the legal team, helping the company select the right vendors and secure favorable terms while appropriately managing legal and commercial risk.

The ideal candidate is comfortable working independently in a fast-paced technology environment, can run a competitive sourcing process and negotiate directly with sophisticated vendors and their legal and sales teams, and knows how to distinguish issues that require escalation from those that can be resolved using established company playbooks, pre-approved fallback positions, and sound business judgment.

What Success Looks Like

Within this role, success means becoming a trusted partner to both the Legal team and the business. You will help the company select the right vendors, bring them on board efficiently, secure favorable pricing and terms, improve visibility into spend, upcoming renewals, and contractual commitments, and ensure that material risks receive the right level of review.

You will balance speed, commercial practicality, and risk management—finding workable solutions rather than simply identifying problems.

Key Responsibilities

• Manage the end-to-end procurement and contracting process for inbound vendor, supplier, and service-provider relationships, from intake request through execution and renewal.
• Partner with business stakeholders to define requirements and assist with vendor selection, including market research, requests for information and proposals (RFIs/RFPs), vendor demos, and side-by-side evaluations of capabilities, pricing, and risk.
• Support vendor due diligence and onboarding, including security, financial, and compliance reviews, in coordination with IT, Security, and Finance.
• Prepare, review, negotiate, and administer vendor agreements, starting from company standard templates, including:
• • SaaS and software license agreements
  • Master Services Agreements (MSAs) and Statements of Work (SOWs)
  • Professional services and consulting agreements
  • Non-Disclosure Agreements (NDAs)
  • Hardware, equipment, and other procurement agreements
  • Subcontractor, reseller, and teaming agreements
  • Amendments, renewals, and order forms
• Serve as the primary point of contact for contract negotiations with vendors and their legal, sales, and procurement teams.
• Negotiate pricing, payment terms, multi-year commitments, and renewal terms (including price-increase caps, auto-renewal provisions, and notice windows) in partnership with Finance and budget owners.
• Review proposed vendor terms against company standards and flag legal, commercial, operational, financial, security, and compliance risks.
• Negotiate key provisions (such as intellectual property, licensing, warranties, indemnification, limitation of liability, confidentiality, data protection, insurance, termination rights, and service levels) by advancing the company's standard terms and pre-approved fallback positions per the contracting playbook, and escalating to Legal when a vendor pushes back beyond those positions.
• Support purchase requisition and purchase order processes and help ensure purchases align with budgets, approval thresholds, and company policy, in coordination with Finance.
• Own the renewal process: track upcoming renewals and notice deadlines, engage business owners early, and drive renegotiation, consolidation, or non-renewal decisions.
• Monitor vendor performance against contractual commitments and service levels, and lead vendor business reviews and issue resolution as needed.
• Track and analyze vendor spend to identify savings opportunities, consolidate vendors, and avoid redundant tools and services.
• Coordinate with Finance, IT, Security, Engineering, Operations, and other internal stakeholders when negotiating agreements, and work with Legal to ensure applicable security requirements and flow-down terms are reflected in vendor and subcontractor contracts.
• Escalate significant or non-standard legal issues to the Director of Legal Operations as appropriate.
• Manage executed agreements and key contractual obligations, including renewal dates, notice periods, pricing and volume commitments, reporting requirements, and other milestones.
• Use LinkSquares as the contract lifecycle management (CLM) platform to manage intake, repository, renewal tracking, and reporting, following established contracting processes.
• Leverage AI tools to accelerate contract review, redlining, summarization, obligation tracking, and vendor research and comparison, applying human judgment to validate outputs and protect confidential information.
• Identify opportunities to streamline procurement and contracting workflows, reduce cycle times, and improve consistency across agreements.
• Assist with due diligence, audits, corporate transactions, compliance initiatives, and other Legal department projects as needed.

Must-Have Skills & Experience

• Bachelor's degree or equivalent combination of education and relevant experience.
• 3+ years of procurement, strategic sourcing, contracts management, commercial contracting, or comparable experience, preferably within a software, SaaS, technology, or professional services company.
• Demonstrated experience managing vendor selection and sourcing processes, including RFPs, vendor evaluations, and competitive bids.
• Experience reviewing and negotiating vendor or commercial agreements, including working from standard terms and preset fallback positions.
• Working familiarity with common technology contract terms, such as software licensing, SaaS, confidentiality, data protection, warranties, indemnities, and limitations of liability. Legal expertise is not required; Legal is available to support more complex issues.
• Experience negotiating directly with vendors, including pricing, renewal, and termination terms.
• Hands-on experience with contract lifecycle management platforms, preferably LinkSquares.
• Comfort using AI tools to improve contracting efficiency, with sound judgment about accuracy, confidentiality, and when human review is required.
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills.
• Strong organizational skills and attention to detail, with the ability to manage multiple negotiations, renewal deadlines, and stakeholders simultaneously.
• Sound judgment and the ability to determine when an issue should be escalated to counsel or senior management.
• Comfortable operating in a fast-moving environment with evolving processes and priorities.

Preferred Skills

• Experience with software/SaaS and professional services procurement, particularly in the aerospace and defense industry.
• Experience with government contracting and the FAR/DFARS, including subcontract and supplier flow-down requirements.
• Experience with spend analysis, vendor management, or procurement and spend management tools.
• Familiarity with a variety of contracting tools, including CLM, electronic signature, and AI-assisted contract review platforms.
• Familiarity with CRM and business systems such as Salesforce.

Sound Exciting? Get in touch today! We have very robust benefits including: 

• Low-cost Medical / Dental / Vision coverage options 
• 401K with generous employer match 
• Responsible Paid Time Off + Paid Holidays 
• Remote work opportunities based on role 
• Employee Assistance Program (EAP) 
• Career growth and professional development opportunities 

Lynx is an Equal Opportunity Employer. We provide equal employment opportunities to all qualified persons without regard to race, gender, color, disability, national origin, age, religion, sexual orientation, veteran status, gender identity and/or expression, or other characteristics or status protected by law.