Job DescriptionBrief Description:The Contracts Manager leads contract formation, negotiation, and administration for Patterson-UTI's Third Party (Supplier) Contracts. The Contracts Manager owns contracting policy, standards, functional excellence, and the Company's contract management system, and serves as the primary point of escalation for complex, high-value, or high-risk contract negotiations across business units including Patterson-UTI Central Support Services, NexTier Completions, Patterson-UTI Drilling, MS Directional, Ulterra, and Current Power. The successful candidate will have demonstrated experience negotiating and managing complex commercial contracts at scale, leading and developing contracts staff, and partnering with Legal, Risk, and business unit leadership to align contract terms with organizational risk tolerance and business objectives.
This role will report directly to the Director of Supply Chain.
Detailed Description:- Lead end-to-end contract lifecycle management - drafting, review, negotiation, execution, and compliance monitoring - for complex, high-value, and high-risk agreements
- Own administration of the Company's contract management system (Coupa CLM), including configuration, data integrity standards, user training, and continuous improvement of processes
- Develop, implement, and enforce contracting standards, templates, policies, and procedures across business units, partnering with Legal on the development and maintenance of contract templates and standard language
- Serve as the primary escalation point for contract disputes, high-risk terms, and negotiation impasses
- Train category managers across business units to perform more thorough contract reviews prior to submission to Legal, reducing rework and easing Legal's review workload
- Track, analyze, and report contract metrics (cycle time, cost savings, compliance, upcoming expirations) to Supply Chain leadership
- Maintain standards for contracts management (filing, storage, naming conventions, retention, etc.)
- Perform other related duties as assigned
Job Requirements:- Proven track record negotiating complex, high-value commercial contracts
- Demonstrated people-management and leadership experience, including supervising contracts or procurement staff
- Strong working knowledge of commercial contract law fundamentals, risk allocation, indemnification, and insurance provisions
- Experience administering contract lifecycle management (CLM) software (e.g., Coupa or similar platforms)
- Excellent stakeholder-management skills across executive, legal, and operational audiences
- Strong analytical, reporting, and process-improvement skills
- Ability to manage competing priorities across multiple business units under deadline pressure
- Excellent verbal and written communication skills
- Advanced proficiency in Microsoft Office Suite (Word, Excel, PowerPoint, and Outlook)
Minimum Qualifications:- Bachelor's degree in Business, Supply Chain Management, Legal Studies, or a related field, or equivalent professional experience
- 5+ years of professional-level experience in contracts management or procurement
- Experience with electronic contract management, filing, and/or records systems
Preferred Qualifications:- Experience within the Supply Chain - Procurement function in the O&G sector
- Juris Doctor, paralegal certification, or contracts/procurement certification
- 2+ years in a supervisory or team-lead capacity
- Prior experience managing a multi-site or multi-business-unit contracting team
- Coupa experience
Working Conditions:Work is primarily in a climate-controlled / office environment with minimal safety or health hazard potential. The employee is regularly required to sit, stand, or walk, with occasional lifting (overhead, waist level) from the floor, bending, and frequent near-vision use for reading and use of a computer, telephone, and other office equipment.
