Contract Manager

We are searching for a Contract Manager to join our Legal team.

Position Description

The Contract Manager will serve as a primary day-to-day reviewer and negotiator for procurement agreements, supporting Oklo's growing contracting needs as the Company scales and builds its first wave of projects. This role will review and negotiate agreements for the procurement of goods and services, manage assigned matters from intake through execution, and provide practical contracting guidance to Procurement, product, engineering, finance, and other business teams. This role reports to our current Contract Manager and works closely with other members of the Legal and Procurement teams.

Specific responsibilities may include:

• Review a variety of agreements, with a primary focus on procurement agreements for goods and services, while also supporting SaaS agreements, event agreements, consulting agreements, and related statement of works
• Partner with Procurement to support the acquisition of goods and services for complex or large-scale development projects
• Identify legal and commercial issues, recommend practical solutions, and escalate deviations that fall outside approved playbooks or risk parameters
• Independently triage and prioritize assigned matters and communicate status, open issues, and next steps to stakeholders
• Use Ironclad to manage assigned matters, approvals, execution, and contract data throughout the contract lifecycle
• Coordinate contract execution and maintain complete and accurate records in Oklo's contract repository
• Apply approved templates and playbooks, identify recurring negotiation issues, and recommend practical updates
• Provide training and self-service resources, including guidance on meaningful milestones and requirements in statements of work and task orderss

Minimum Qualifications:

• 5+ years of contract management or commercial contracting experience, including reviewing and negotiating procurement agreements for goods and services
• No J.D. required, although relevant experience as a lawyer or non-lawyer is helpful
• Demonstrated experience reviewing and negotiating agreements for the procurement of goods and services, including support for complex or large-scale development projects
• Strong analytical and prioritization skills, with the ability to assess legal risk and business impact
• Knowledge of commercial contracting principles across Master Services Agreements, Purchase Orders, Statements of Work, Task Orders, and related procurement agreements
• Project management experience and the ability to coordinate cross-functional matters and communicate effectively with different stakeholders

Bonus Qualifications:

• Advanced Ironclad experience and knowledge of contract lifecycle management best practices
• Knowledge of legal technology, including appropriate uses of legal AI to support contract review and negotiation
• Legal technology implementation or integration experience, including DocuSign or NetSuite
• Experience with the procurement of goods and services supporting complex construction or hard tech projects

Competencies

We are looking for a Contract Manager who:

• Exercises sound contracting judgment and balances legal risk with business objectives within established guidelines
• Drafts, redlines, and negotiates procurement agreements for goods and services
• Works independently within defined authority and recognizes when an issue requires escalation
• Is comfortable bringing order to ambiguity and resolving open-ended contracting issues without unnecessary process
• Is exceptional at independently triaging and prioritizing work
• Communicates legal and commercial issues clearly and gives stakeholders practical options and next steps
• Is detail-oriented while working efficiently in a fast-moving environment
• Is collaborative with Legal, Procurement, Product, Engineering, Finance, and other business teams
• Is willing and able to learn Oklo's business, contracting positions, and technical context quickly
• Is passionate about clean energy and comfortable in a fast-paced, highly iterative startup environment

Who you are:

A startup person: You aren't driven by titles or hierarchy, and prefer efficiency to excess process. You don't need or expect to have a lot of guidance but you enjoy working in a fast-paced team. If you prefer the culture and feel of a large organization, that is great, but you likely won't enjoy working with us! There is plenty of important work and plenty of good opportunities with organizations like that.

Motivated: You are self-motivated. You bring an enthusiasm to the team, and imbue a sense of passion that goes beyond clocking in and clocking out. This isn't about a fake or arbitrary "pieces of flair" mentality or lack of work-life balance! It is about being a part of the vision and feeling a part of reaching team goals.

A team-player: Oklo genuinely is a team. We aren't about taking credit for ourselves, and we aren't about pushing blame to others. We do incredible things because we work as a team.

An excellent communicator: We need a person who is not only technically competent but also a clear and upbeat communicator.

Creative: Being creative means that when things fall outside clear scopes or processes or problems arise without clear solutions, you are able to identify it as well as invent ways to solve a problem or fill a need without micromanagement. The successful person in this job will not only be creative, but also enjoy being creative and solving open-ended problems which may change day-by-day.

Detail-oriented: This focus is a big part of excellence, consistency, and quality. Excellent grammar and spelling matter for both good communication as well as the image of the company that we put forward.

About Oklo travel requirements:

Oklo requires remote employees to travel to headquarters (Santa Clara, CA) twice a quarter annually, based on business or team needs, including attendance at team meetings, off-sites, and other company events or gatherings. For the first two weeks of onboarding, employees are required to be in person at headquarters in Santa Clara, CA.

About Oklo compensation:

Salary: $110,000-$150,000

Oklo offers flexible time off, equity, bonuses, competitive pay, 401(k), health insurance (with employer contribution), HSA, FSA, flexible work hours, wellness credits, and other benefits.

This position may involve access to information subject to U.S. export control laws. Only applicants who meet the definition of a U.S. person under applicable laws may be eligible.