Contracts & Business Affairs Specialist

Contracts & Business Affairs Specialist

Location: Columbia, MD

Salary: $82,000 - $85,000 per year

Position Summary:

Shimadzu Scientific Instruments is seeking a Contracts & Legal Affairs Specialist to join our team! In this role, you will support the administration of commercial and government contracts, corporate legal documentation, compliance initiatives, and day-to-day business legal affairs. You will help ensure contracts and related processes are managed accurately, efficiently, and in accordance with company policies and applicable regulations.

You will work closely with Legal Counsel, Sales, Finance, Operations, Marketing, and other Shimadzu teams to review and coordinate agreements, support contract negotiations, maintain legal records, and address contractual and compliance-related matters. This role combines contract administration, legal operations, research, process improvement, and cross-functional collaboration to support business objectives while minimizing legal and contractual risk.

JOB FUNCTIONS INCLUDE, BUT ARE NOT LIMITED TO:

• Support the administration, review, drafting, negotiation, and management of commercial, government, customer, supplier, and other corporate agreements.
• Coordinate contract terms, approvals, renewals, amendments, and compliance requirements with internal stakeholders and legal counsel.
• Maintain accurate contract records, legal documentation, document retention systems, and contract lifecycle tracking.
• Support corporate legal affairs, including legal correspondence, regulatory research, litigation support, and compliance-related activities.
• Partner with Sales, Finance, Operations, Marketing, and other departments to address contractual matters, proposal reviews, bid submissions, and customer requirements.
• Review and coordinate customer questionnaires, Requests for Information (RFI), compliance surveys, vendor documentation, and Certificates of Insurance (COI).
• Monitor contractual obligations, regulatory requirements, and potential risks while recommending practical solutions to support business objectives.
• Assist in developing and improving contract administration processes, legal workflows, policies, and internal controls.
• Serve as a liaison between internal teams, customers, suppliers, government agencies, and legal counsel on contractual and business legal matters.
• Support employee training, cross-functional initiatives, and other legal or compliance-related projects as needed.

EDUCATION AND QUALIFICATIONS:

• Bachelor's degree in Business Administration or a related field.
• Minimum of two years of progressive experience in contract administration, paralegal services, legal operations, compliance, or a related business legal environment.
• Working knowledge of contract administration, legal documentation, contract review, and business-related legal processes.
• Strong analytical and problem solving skills, with the ability to identify contractual concerns, research requirements, and recommend practical solutions.
• Proficiency in Microsoft Office applications, contract management systems, and document management systems.
• Excellent organizational skills, attention to detail, and ability to manage multiple priorities and deadlines.
• Strong written and verbal communication skills, including the ability to work effectively with internal stakeholders, customers, and legal counsel.

Compensation & Benefits:

This full-time, exempt position comes with a comprehensive benefits package. In your first year, you will receive 10 paid vacation days, 8 paid personal days, 8 paid scheduled holidays and 3 paid floating holidays (Residents of California and Puerto Rico will receive state-mandated sick leave instead of personal days). After one year of employment, you will also be eligible for a generous short-term disability program with the company covering 100% of monthly premiums.

The starting salary range for this role is $82,000 to $85,000 annually, paid semi-monthly. Additional variable compensation may include a discretionary year-end bonus based on overall company performance.

For more details on benefits, please visit www.ssi.shimadzu.com/jobs.

Important Notices:

Recruitment Fraud Awareness:

Please note that Shimadzu Scientific Instruments does not recruit, interview, or extend job offers through WhatsApp. Any communication claiming to represent Shimadzu for recruitment purposes via WhatsApp should be treated as fraudulent. Our recruiters use official Shimadzu email addresses and have workplace verified LinkedIn profiles using their company email addresses. We encourage candidates to confirm recruiter identities and verify job opportunities through our official careers website before sharing personal information.

Third-Party Recruiting Agencies:

Shimadzu is not accepting unsolicited assistance from search firms for this employment opportunity. Please, no phone calls or emails. All resumes submitted by search firms to any employee at Shimadzu via email, the Internet or in any form and/or method without a valid written search agreement in place for this position (and agency was requested to work the requisition) will be deemed the sole property of Shimadzu. No fee will be paid to a search firm in the event the candidate is hired by Shimadzu as a result of the unsolicited referral or through other means.