Contracts Strategy Analyst

Company Description

By working at Harvard University, you join a vibrant community that advances Harvard's world-changing mission in meaningful ways, inspires innovation and collaboration, and builds skills and expertise. We are dedicated to creating a diverse and welcoming environment where everyone can thrive.

Financial Administration (FAD) is dedicated to advancing Harvard University’s teaching and research mission by stewarding its resources; providing support, guidance, and consultation; ensuring compliance with university and federal guidelines; mitigating risk; pursuing operational excellence; and promoting the financial health of the University.

More about FAD:

Within and across the University, we aim to be exemplary colleagues, trusted partners, valued advisors, and agents of positive change.

Within our own community, we aspire to:

• Engage with respect, honesty, and integrity
• Cultivate equity, diversity, inclusion, and belonging
• Welcome innovation, collaboration, and flexibility
• Enjoy our work, grow professionally, and aim for the extraordinary

Learn more about Financial Administration (harvard.edu) and our eight reporting units. ((Use the "Apply for this Job" box below).)

Harvard University’s Strategic Procurement Department is a central administrative function that serves all Harvard schools, institutes, and administrative units. Our mission is to create value for Harvard by optimizing the procurement of goods and services while upholding the highest standards of integrity, compliance, and supplier partnership. We manage over $3.5 billion in annual addressable spend and are committed to practices that support balance of trade, environmental sustainability, and the University’s long-term financial health.

Reporting to the Director of Strategic Contracting, the Contracts Strategy Analyst supports contract lifecycle activities across Harvard schools and departments, with a dual focus on complex contract review and transforming lower-complexity contracting work. This role manages high-visibility agreements while driving scalable solutions to improve efficiency across the contracting function.

The role also works closely with the Office of Contracting services leadership team to lead automation, templates, and AI-enabled workflows to streamline or eliminate manual review of high-volume, low-risk agreements (e.g., NDAs, hotel and event agreements).

Working with Strategic Procurement, OGC, Risk Management, and stakeholders, this role ensures compliance, manages pipelines, and supports strategic contracting initiatives.

Job-Specific Responsibilities:

• Provides advice on contract structuring, risk, and negotiation strategy by providing robust redlines to business owners.
• Lead automation and standardization of low-risk agreements, such as NDAs, hotel, events, and some software agreements.
• Support the design and maintenance of templates, playbooks, and AI-enabled workflows
• Oversee intake, triage, and contract tracking
• Maintain contract data integrity and reporting insights
• Support leadership on strategic initiatives and coordination, specifically the implementation of a new procurement orchestration system for contracting.
• Provide training and support change management efforts

Basic Qualifications:

Basic Qualifications are theminimumthreshold a candidate must meetin order tobe considered for this role.

• Bachelor’s degree or equivalent work experience required
• Minimum of 5 years’ relevant work experience

Additional

Qualifications and Skills:

• JD strongly preferred
• Experience negotiating complex agreements
• Familiarity with contract lifecycle management systems, for example Ironclad, Jaggaer, and Zip.
• Experience or interest in automation and AI workflows
• Strong analytical and communication skills
• Ability to operate strategically and tactically
• Experience managing cross-functional initiatives

Why join Harvard University Central Administration?

Harvard University's Central Administration (CADM) is a 5,000+ employee organization that supports the university's overall excellence by understanding and serving the needs of its schools, students, faculty, staff, alumni, and surrounding communities.…