Contracts Manager

Job Details: Job Location: CORPORATE - Houston, TX, Salary Range: Undisclosed, About IRONCLAD Powered by Mersino

IRONCLAD Powered by Mersino is a national provider of liquid storage, dewatering, and environmental rental solutions serving the energy, industrial, petrochemical, and construction markets. Formed through the merger of Ironclad Environmental and Mersino Dewatering, the combined company operates a multi-branch network across Texas, Louisiana, California, the Upper Midwest, and other key industrial regions, delivering rental fleet, engineered water management, and liquid containment solutions to customers who depend on uptime, safety, and technical expertise.

About the Role

The Contracts Manager is responsible for the independent management of commercial, construction, heavy civil, industrial, and environmental contracts throughout the contract lifecycle. This role serves as the primary point of contact for contract drafting, review, negotiation, risk assessment, execution, and administration while partnering with internal and external stakeholders to facilitate successful business outcomes throughout the contract life cycle.

The ideal candidate possesses extensive experience drafting and negotiating complex agreements, including master service agreements, subcontract agreements, equipment rental agreements, purchase orders, confidentiality agreements, professional services agreements, and other commercial contracts. This individual must be capable of independently managing a high volume of contract activity, identifying and resolving contractual risks, and guiding business teams through negotiations while balancing commercial objectives and risk management.

The Contracts Manager will be expected to leverage Contract Lifecycle Management (CLM) systems and digital workflow tools to improve efficiency, visibility, compliance, and reporting across the organization.

What You'll Do

Contract Drafting & Negotiation | 55%

Draft, review, revise, and negotiate a broad range of commercial, construction, heavy civil, industrial, environmental, and equipment rental agreements.
Lead direct negotiations with customers, subcontractors, vendors, and business partners.
Analyze contract terms and conditions and provide practical business-focused recommendations.
Develop and maintain standard contract templates, fallback language, playbooks, and negotiation strategies.
Identify contractual, operational, insurance, and commercial risks and recommend mitigation strategies.
Coordinate legal review when required and incorporate approved positions into negotiations.
Ensure final agreements accurately reflect negotiated terms and commercial intent.

Contract Lifecycle Management | 15%

Manage contracts from intake through execution, implementation, amendment, renewal, and closeout.
Maintain accurate records within the organization's Contract Lifecycle Management (CLM) platform.
Track approvals, signatures, obligations, renewal dates, notices, and compliance requirements.
Support data migration, system optimization, reporting, and workflow automation initiatives.
Drive adoption and continuous improvement of CLM processes and best practices.

Stakeholder Management & Business Partnership | 15%

Collaborate with Sales, Estimating, Operations, Project Management, Risk, Safety, Procurement, Finance, Human Resources, and Executive Leadership.
Serve as a trusted advisor on contractual matters and negotiation strategy.
Facilitate alignment among stakeholders when agreement terms impact project execution, profitability, or risk allocation.
Provide training and guidance regarding contract requirements and obligations.

Risk Management & Problem Solving | 10%

Evaluate contractual exposure related to indemnity, insurance, limitation of liability, payment terms, warranties, performance obligations, and dispute resolution.
Resolve contract-related issues through practical business solutions.
Assist with claims avoidance, change management, and dispute resolution efforts.
Escalate high-risk issues appropriately while developing recommended resolution paths.

Reporting & Process Improvement | 5%

Develop and maintain contract performance metrics and reporting.
Support departmental initiatives focused on cycle time reduction, governance, compliance, and operational excellence.

Qualifications: What You'll Bring

Required Qualifications

Bachelor's degree in business administration, Construction Management, Legal Studies, Contract Management, Finance, Supply Chain Management, or a related field required.
Minimum of eight (8) years of professional experience in contract management, contract administration, procurement, legal operations, construction administration, or commercial risk management.
Demonstrated experience drafting and negotiating contracts within the construction, heavy civil, industrial, environmental services, engineering, specialty contracting, or equipment rental industries.
Proven ability to independently manage complex contract negotiations and stakeholder relationships.

Preferred Qualifications

NCMA certification (CCM, CPCM, or CCCM).
Experience working with CLM platforms such as Ironclad, DocuSign CLM, Icertis, Agiloft, ContractWorks, or similar solutions.
Familiarity with ERP platforms such as NetSuite, Oracle, SAP, Viewpoint, or similar systems.
Experience supporting public infrastructure, industrial construction, environmental remediation, energy, utilities, or specialty contracting operations.

Knowledge, Skills & Abilities

Advanced contract drafting and redlining skills.
Strong commercial negotiation and dispute resolution abilities.
Thorough understanding of construction and commercial contract risk allocation.
Working knowledge of insurance, indemnification, limitation of liability, and commercial compliance requirements.
Exceptional attention to detail and organizational skills.
Strong written and verbal communication abilities.
Ability to prioritize competing demands and manage multiple negotiations simultaneously.
Strong analytical, critical-thinking, and problem-solving capabilities.
Demonstrated ability to exercise sound independent judgment.

Core Competencies

Professional Negotiation
Contract Drafting Excellence
Commercial Acumen
Risk Assessment
Independent Decision-Making
Stakeholder Management
Problem Solving
Accountability
Business Partnership
Strategic Thinking
Communication
Process Improvement
Time Management
Attention to Detail

What Success Looks Like

Overall performance will be measured by:

Contract turnaround and negotiation cycle times.
Successful negotiation of favorable commercial terms.
Quality and accuracy of contract drafting.
Reduction of contractual and commercial risk.
Stakeholder satisfaction and responsiveness.
CLM system adoption and data integrity.
Compliance with company policies and approval requirements.
Continuous process improvement contributions.

Equal Employment Opportunity

IRONCLAD Powered by Mersino is an equal opportunity employer. We are committed to providing a workplace free from discrimination and harassment and to making employment decisions based on qualifications, performance, business needs, and other legitimate factors.