Contracting Associate

Support contract drafting, negotiations and risk management in a collaborative, fast-paced environment!

Be You.

The Contracting Associate serves as a member of The Contracting Office, an operational function supporting procurement-related contracting across Duke University and Duke University Health System. The Associate reviews, drafts, revises, and negotiates commercial agreements in accordance with approved institutional policies, contracting playbooks, standard templates, delegated authority, and established escalation protocols.

Working collaboratively with Strategic Sourcing, business units, Information Security, Privacy, Compliance, Finance, Risk Management, and the Office of General Counsel, the Associate identifies contractual, financial, compliance, operational, and reputational risks and helps develop practical solutions that support timely and effective contract execution. Matters requiring legal advice, interpretation of law, establishment of a new legal position, or deviation from approved guidance are escalated to the Office of General Counsel.

The Associate also advances a standardized, technology-enabled contracting function through AI-assisted contract review tools, enterprise contract lifecycle management technology, and continuous process improvement.

Role Boundaries and Relationship with the Office of General Counsel

The Contracting Office is an operational function and is not part of the Office of General Counsel. This position does not serve as legal counsel to Duke University, Duke University Health System, or their employees; does not independently provide legal advice; and does not create an attorney-client relationship.

The Associate performs contract review and negotiation activities only within authority delegated through approved institutional policies, contracting playbooks, standard templates, and escalation protocols. The Associate may identify potential legal issues but must refer matters requiring legal interpretation, legal advice, or the exercise of legal authority to the Office of General Counsel.

The Associate may not represent or imply, internally or externally, that the Associate is acting on behalf of the Office of General Counsel or serving as Duke's legal counsel. The Office of General Counsel retains responsibility for providing legal advice, interpreting applicable law, determining institutional legal positions, and addressing matters requiring attorney-client privilege or other legal protections.

Work Arrangement - Hybrid with option to become remote.

DEPARTMENTAL PREFERENCES

JD plus attorney license, preferred.

MINIMUM QUALIFICATIONS

Education - JD or LLB degree required.

Experience - A license to practice law or sat for current year bar exam with results pending.

Be Bold.

Position Impact

The Associate contributes to Duke University's and Duke Health's mission by helping ensure that procurement-related agreements are reviewed efficiently, negotiated consistently, and executed in a manner that protects institutional interests while enabling operational excellence. Through standardized contract review, contractual risk identification, collaboration with Strategic Sourcing, and effective use of AI and enterprise contracting technologies, the Associate helps advance a modern, scalable, and high-performing contracting function.

Core Competencies

• Contract analysis and issue identification
• Contract drafting and redlining
• Commercial contract negotiation
• Contractual risk assessment and mitigation
• Practical business and operational judgment
• Sound decision-making within delegated authority
• Understanding of role boundaries and escalation requirements
• Collaboration and relationship building
• Written and verbal communication
• Strategic problem solving
• Organizational and time management
• Adaptability and continuous improvement
• Technology proficiency, including AI-assisted contract review and contract lifecycle management systems

Essential Duties and Responsibilities

Contract Review and Drafting

• Review, draft, revise, and negotiate procurement-related contracts, amendments, statements of work, and other transactional documents.
• Review and respond to vendor-provided agreements and vendor redlines.
• Ensure contracts accurately reflect business requirements and align with Duke's approved contractual, compliance, risk, financial, and operational positions.
• Identify contractual, regulatory, financial, compliance, operational, and reputational risks within proposed provisions.
• Apply approved standard contract language and fallback positions consistent with institutional playbooks and delegated authority.

AI-Assisted Contract Review

• Use Duke's approved AI-based contract review and redlining tools to perform initial contract reviews and generate proposed redlines.
• Review, validate, and refine AI-generated redlines for accuracy, transaction-specific relevance, and alignment with Duke's approved contract positions.
• Apply professional contracting judgment to address transaction-specific nuances not captured through automated review.
• Support continuous refinement of OGC-approved playbooks, clause libraries, and tool configurations to improve consistency and accuracy.
• Escalate AI-generated recommendations that present novel legal questions, material deviations, or issues outside approved parameters.

Contract Negotiation Support

• Provide contracting guidance and negotiation support to Strategic Sourcing within approved playbooks and delegated authority.
• Collaborate with sourcing managers and internal stakeholders to resolve contractual issues while supporting business objectives.
• Prepare contract redlines, counter-redlines, and negotiation strategies.
• Participate in vendor negotiations, meetings, and conference calls as requested.
• Explain Duke's approved contractual positions and fallback language to internal stakeholders and external vendors.
• Refer requests for legal advice or changes to Duke's established legal positions to the Office of General Counsel.

Contracting Guidance, Risk Identification, and Escalation

• Serve as an operational contracting resource for procurement-related agreements within established delegated authority.
• Provide practical contracting recommendations based on approved playbooks, standard language, fallback positions, and established institutional guidance.
• Identify contractual, regulatory, financial, compliance, operational, and reputational risks requiring additional review.
• Resolve routine contractual issues within approved playbooks and delegated parameters.
• Escalate legal questions, novel issues, high-risk provisions, requested exceptions, and other playbook-defined matters to the Office of General Counsel.
• Coordinate with the Office of General Counsel on escalated matters and implement the legal guidance provided.
• Refrain from independently providing legal advice, interpreting law, establishing Duke legal positions, or representing that the Associate is acting as Duke's legal counsel.

Cross-Functional Collaboration

• Partner with Strategic Sourcing throughout the contracting process.
• Collaborate with Information Security, Privacy, Compliance, Finance, Risk Management, and business units to resolve contract issues.
• Coordinate review with subject matter experts when specialized input is required.
• Provide timely contracting guidance to internal stakeholders and coordinate Office of General Counsel review when legal advice is required.

Contract Lifecycle Management

• Use the enterprise Contract Lifecycle Management platform to review, manage, document, and monitor contracts throughout the contracting process.
• Maintain accurate contract metadata, workflow status, approvals, and supporting documentation.
• Promote efficient workflow management and contract visibility through effective use of enterprise contracting technology.

Playbook and Standards Development

• Assist in developing and maintaining standard contract templates, clause libraries, fallback language, and contracting playbooks in coordination with the Office of General Counsel and other institutional stakeholders.
• Recommend updates to contracting standards based on guidance from the Office of General Counsel, changes in applicable requirements, negotiation trends, and operational experience.
• Promote consistency across contract reviews through standardized contracting guidance and documented escalation protocols.
• Do not independently establish or modify Duke's legal positions or legal guidance.

Continuous Improvement

• Identify opportunities to improve contracting processes, workflows, service levels, and operational efficiency.
• Support implementation of new technologies, automation, and AI-assisted contracting tools.
• Contribute to metrics, reporting, and best practices that improve contract quality and turnaround times.
• Participate in training and knowledge-sharing initiatives supporting The Contracting Office and Strategic Sourcing.

Estimated Allocation of Essential Duties and Responsibilities

Choose Duke.

Apply now and be part of a team committed to smart solutions, strong partnerships, and continuous improvement!