Vendor and Contracts Lead

Baird
Milwaukee
Workplace: HybridFull timeFunction: Legal, Risk & ComplianceExperience: 5-8 yearsEducation: bachelorsSkills: ["Negotiation","Commercial judgment","Relationship building","Influencing stakeholders","Problem-solving","Collaboration","Ownership","Intellectual curiosity"]

Serve as the firm’s key independent negotiator and advisor for vendor and contract strategy. You will engage business and technology stakeholders early, lead complex vendor agreement negotiations, and build enterprise negotiation playbooks and contract governance using ContractSafe. Partner across Legal, Risk, Cybersecurity, and Finance to strengthen commercial outcomes, reduce vendor and contract risk, and improve consistency, pricing, terms, service levels, and flexibility.

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Baird
Baird
4 days ago

Vendor and Contracts Lead

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Last checked: 7 hours agoStatus: Live

Job Summary

Serve as the firm’s key independent negotiator and advisor for vendor and contract strategy. You will engage business and technology stakeholders early, lead complex vendor agreement negotiations, and build enterprise negotiation playbooks and contract governance using ContractSafe. Partner across Legal, Risk, Cybersecurity, and Finance to strengthen commercial outcomes, reduce vendor and contract risk, and improve consistency, pricing, terms, service levels, and flexibility.
Location: Milwaukee
Workplace: Hybrid
Employment Type: Full time
Job Function: Legal, Risk & Compliance

Key Responsibilities

  • •Engage early with business owners to understand objectives, vendor dynamics, commercial priorities, and contract risks before negotiations begin.
  • •Advise and coach business unit leaders on negotiation strategy and best practices to improve consistency across the firm.
  • •Lead negotiations for vendor agreements of varying size and complexity, aligning strategy, terms, and desired outcomes with stakeholders and internal attorneys.
  • •Maintain enterprise visibility into vendor agreements and contract positions through ContractSafe and related reporting tools.
  • •Develop negotiation playbooks and coordinate with Legal, Risk, IT, and Cybersecurity to incorporate approvals and critical contract terms before execution.

Key Requirements

  • •Bachelor’s degree in Business, Supply Chain, Information Technology, or a related field.
  • •5-8 years of experience in vendor management, contract management, strategic sourcing, contract negotiation, procurement, or commercial advisory roles.
  • •Strong negotiation skills and commercial judgment, with an understanding of commercial terms, contract risk, and vendor economics.
  • •Financial analysis skills to evaluate pricing, renewals, spend trends, and savings opportunities.
  • •Proven ability to build trusted relationships and influence stakeholders across an organization.
Experience:5-8 yearsVendor managementContract managementStrategic sourcingProcurementTechnologySaaSCloud
Education:Bachelor's in Business, Supply Chain, Information Technology, or related field
Skills:NegotiationCommercial judgmentRelationship buildingInfluencing stakeholdersProblem-solvingCollaborationOwnershipIntellectual curiosity
Tech Stack:ContractSafeContract lifecycle managementSaaSCloud solutionsAI/LLMData feedsUsage-based pricing

Eligibility

Work Authorization:Authorization required. Sponsorship not provided.

Company Brief

Baird
Robert W. Baird & Co. is an employee-owned financial services firm providing wealth management, investment banking, asset management, and capital markets services to individuals, institutions, and corporations across the U.S. and internationally.
Industry: Wealth Management
Company Size: Enterprise (1,001+ employees)
Revenue: USD 1B+
Growth: Established Company
Headquarters: Milwaukee, United States
Founded: 1919
WebsiteLinkedIn