Open Date 10/19/2026
Description JOB SUMMARY The Director of Contracts provides strategic leadership and oversight for IPHI's contracting, grants administration, subrecipient, and related compliance functions. Reporting to the Chief Operating Officer, the Director leads the development and management of systems, policies, procedures, and internal controls governing the full lifecycle of contracts, grants, subawards, consulting agreements, vendor agreements, and other contractual relationships.
The Director serves as a strategic advisor to leadership and program teams on contractual requirements, negotiations, compliance and organizational obligations. The Director independently assesses complex contractual issues, leads negotiations within established authority, identifies organizational risk, and coordinates with the COO when matters require legal review or executive decision-making.
The Director also supports IPHI's expanding healthcare contracting portfolio, including contracts involving Medicaid, Medicaid managed care organizations, healthcare payers, providers, and other healthcare-sector partners. Experience with Medicaid payer contracting, managed care contracting, healthcare reimbursement arrangements, or related healthcare contracting is strongly preferred.
The position is full-time exempt; IPHI's standard work week is 37.5 hours.
To apply: Complete applications must include a resume, cover letter, writing sample that highlights the breadth of your writing - ideally one that showcases a storytelling or narrative voice and one that reflects a more academic or technical style, and completion of an online questionnaire. Only complete applications will be reviewed. The cover letter should compare your qualifications, experiences, and interests to the duties, responsibilities, and qualifications listed below for the position. Applications will be considered on a rolling basis until the position is filled.
Click the apply button above.DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIESGrant Agreements and Contracts Management - Lead IPHI's organizational approach to grant and contract administration and compliance, ensuring adherence to federal, state, local, and funder requirements, including requirements governing federal grants, subawards, and subrecipients.
- Serve as the organizational subject-matter leader for contracts and grant agreements, providing strategic guidance to leadership, program teams, Finance, and other staff regarding contractual terms, obligations, compliance requirements, and associated risks.
- Lead the review and administration of awarded grants, contracts, subcontracts, and subawards, ensuring terms and conditions, budgets, deliverables, reporting requirements, timelines, and organizational obligations are clearly understood and appropriately implemented.
- Interpret and operationalize applicable federal and state laws, regulations, funder requirements, and contractual provisions, establishing appropriate processes and controls to support organizational compliance.
- Identify, assess, and escalate contractual, financial, operational, and compliance risks, and work with the COO, Finance, and program leadership, as appropriate, to develop mitigation strategies and resolve complex contractual matters.
- Oversee systems and processes for contract lifecycle management, including contract tracking, approvals, amendments, renewals, deliverables, reporting requirements, closeouts, and coordination with Finance.
- Provide leadership, coaching, and technical guidance to program staff and other stakeholders regarding contract development, administration, compliance, negotiations, and effective management of contractual relationships.
- Build organizational capacity related to grants and contracts by developing guidance, training, and resources.
- Partner across departments and Centers to ensure consistent contracting practices and appropriate coordination among Programs, Finance, Operations, executive leadership, and external partners.
- Lead and/or support the negotiation of complex contracts and agreements, including government, funder, vendor, consultant, subrecipient, healthcare, and Medicaid payer-related agreements; recommend appropriate contractual positions and escalate material legal, financial, compliance, or organizational risks to the COO and/or legal counsel.
- Lead and/or support the development, review, negotiation, implementation, and ongoing management of contracts involving Medicaid agencies, Medicaid managed care organizations, healthcare payers, healthcare providers, and other healthcare-sector partners.
- Maintain awareness of developments in Medicaid contracting and healthcare payment models relevant to IPHI's programs and strategic opportunities.
Grant and Budget Management - Provide strategic oversight of grant and contract financial management, working in partnership with Finance, leadership, and program teams to ensure expenditures, contractual commitments, and financial activities align with approved budgets, funder requirements, and organizational policies.
- Oversee processes and internal controls for contractor, consultant, subrecipient, and subgrantee payments, ensuring appropriate documentation, approvals, accuracy, timeliness, and compliance with contractual and funder requirements.
- Ensure appropriate oversight of subrecipients and subgrantees, including compliance with applicable federal and administrative requirements, reporting obligations, and the terms and conditions of their agreements.
- Establish and oversee systems for subrecipient monitoring and provide strategic guidance and technical assistance related to grant administration, financial management, reporting, documentation, reconciliation, and compliance.
- Oversee the administration and status of subcontracts, subawards, and subrecipient agreements, ensuring required documentation and due diligence are completed and that amendments, performance concerns, compliance issues, and other material changes are appropriately addressed.
- Partner with Finance and program leadership to strengthen grant and contract financial controls, monitoring practices, and reporting processes, identifying opportunities to improve efficiency, accountability, compliance, and organizational risk management.
- Serve as a senior resource and escalation point for complex grant, budget, subrecipient, and contractual matters, providing guidance to staff and leadership and engaging the COO, Finance leadership, and/or legal counsel when appropriate.
- Foster collaborative, responsive, and solutions-oriented relationships with internal and external partners while maintaining appropriate accountability, compliance, and stewardship of organizational and funder resources.
Continuous Improvement and Evaluation - Establish and oversee performance measures, evaluation tools, and reporting mechanisms to assess the effectiveness, compliance, and efficiency of grants and contracts processes and use findings to drive continuous improvement and organizational decision-making.
- Partner with leadership to proactively identify and resolve complex operational and contractual challenges, remove organizational barriers, and strengthen coordination across work streams, while ensuring IPHI's health equity commitments are integrated into contracting practices, systems, and external partnerships.
Relationship Management and Communication - Develop and maintain strategic relationships with internal and external partners including leadership, contractors, consultants, subrecipients, healthcare organizations, Medicaid payers, and other partners to support effective contracting and advance organizational priorities.
- Serve as a senior organizational representative and primary point of consultation for complex contractual matters, facilitating clear communication regarding contractual obligations, expectations, risks, performance, and resolution of issues.
- Lead and facilitate negotiations and problem-solving with internal and external partners, balancing programmatic needs, organizational priorities, compliance requirements, financial considerations, and risk.
- Build strong cross-functional relationships across Programs, Finance, Operations, and executive leadership to ensure timely decision-making, accountability, and consistent implementation of contracting practices across the organization.
- Supervise, coach, and develop assigned grants and contracts staff and provide functional leadership to staff involved in contract administration, establishing clear expectations, strengthening capabilities, monitoring performance, and supporting professional development.
- Provide appropriate oversight and direction to contractors, consultants, vendors, and other external parties, ensuring performance and deliverables align with contractual requirements and organizational expectations.
Strategy, Planning and Program Development - Identify and lead strategic opportunities to strengthen contracting and grant-management practices across IPHI.
- Build organizational and partner capacity related to contracts, grants, compliance, and risk management by providing strategic guidance, technical expertise, tools, training, and solutions that support effective implementation and sustainable partnerships.
- Provide strategic contracting and compliance expertise during grant and business development activities, including reviewing funding opportunities, advising on contractual and regulatory requirements, assessing organizational risk and capacity, and contributing to proposal development and budgets as appropriate.
Other duties as assigned.Position Requirements QUALIFICATIONS AND EXPERIENCE - Master's degree or equivalent of 7 years' work experience in public health, healthcare administration, business administration, law, public administration, finance, or a related field, or an equivalent combination of education and relevant professional experience.
- Minimum of approximately eight years of progressively responsible experience in contracts, grants, healthcare administration, compliance, procurement, legal operations, or a related field, including demonstrated experience managing complex contractual relationships.
- Experience with Medicaid, Medicaid managed care organizations, healthcare payer contracting, provider contracting, value-based payment arrangements, or other healthcare-sector contracting strongly preferred.
- Demonstrated experience negotiating, interpreting, and administering complex contracts and advising organizational leadership regarding contractual obligations and risk.
- Experience with federal grants, subawards/subrecipient requirements, government contracting, and applicable federal and state compliance requirements.
- Demonstrated ability to exercise independent judgment, manage complex and sensitive matters, identify organizational risk, develop systems and processes, and advise senior leadership.
- Experience supervising and developing staff and leading work across organizational functions required.
Compensation: This position offers a salary range of $107,292 - $135,187 per year, depending on experience and qualifications.
Benefits: IPHI offers competitive benefits, including multiple health plan options, dental, vision, employer-paid disability and life insurance, flexible spending accounts, and a 401(k) with employer matching. Employees also receive PTO, paid parental leave, and an Employee Assistance Program, 15 paid holidays, including a week off in December.
Location: This position is located in Chicago. IPHI operates a hybrid office work model where team members work in the office two days per week (Tuesday, Wednesday, or Thursday), and individuals may work in the office or remotely the other three days per week. There is travel for meetings and site visits within Chicago, the suburbs, and Illinois. Occasional overnight travel within Illinois or nationally for conferences and training may be required.
Starting Date: Immediate.
Full-Time/Part-Time Full-Time
Exempt/Non-Exempt Non-Exempt
Location Main Office
Start Date 
