As an Expert Contract Development Manager, you will lead the drafting and end-to-end management of a wide range of commercial agreements, from standard single-product contracts to highly complex, customized, multi-million-dollar solutions agreements. You will own the development of contract scope and provide strategic leadership throughout the contract drafting and negotiation process. Leveraging your contracting expertise, product knowledge, and commercial acumen, you will guide stakeholders through negotiations while ensuring alignment with business objectives, client requirements, deliverables, and critical timelines.
In this role, you will establish, facilitate, and lead cross-functional collaboration among business, legal, finance, and operational teams to develop and revise contract documentation. You will drive discussions regarding contract iterations, outstanding terms, and key business considerations, helping internal and external stakeholders reach successful outcomes. As a trusted advisor and facilitator, you will provide negotiation guidance, risk assessment, and strategic recommendations throughout the contract lifecycle.
Additionally, you will provide informal leadership across contract development initiatives, including process improvements, special projects, template management, and the implementation or enhancement of tools that support contract lifecycle management and operational excellence.

What You Will Do

• Draft, negotiate, and deliver complex commercial contracts and agreement packages.
• Own and manage the contracting process on behalf of the business from initiation through execution.
• Serve as the primary liaison among business stakeholders, legal, finance, and other cross-functional teams.
• Facilitate negotiations and act as a mediator to resolve contractual issues and support deal progression.
• Lead contract review, approval, and compliance processes, ensuring adherence to company policies and requirements.
• Partner with business stakeholders to develop negotiation strategies and evaluate acceptable contractual positions.
• Identify contractual, operational, financial, and commercial risks, escalating issues as appropriate.
• Build and maintain a comprehensive understanding of business operations, key stakeholders, and decision-making processes.
• Provide guidance on contracting standards, processes, and best practices.
• Educate sales and opportunity teams on contract requirements and the contracting process.
• Develop, implement, and maintain contract development and administration procedures in alignment with company policies.
• Create and maintain contract templates supporting Acxiom's products, services, and solution offerings.
• Collaborate with finance to ensure compliance with revenue recognition, pricing, discounting, risk management, and other financial requirements.
• Monitor client feedback and market trends related to contract terms and conditions and recommend improvements as appropriate.

What You Will Need

• Proven ability to translate complex business products, services, and commercial arrangements into clear contractual language.
• Strong organizational skills with the ability to manage multiple priorities and adapt quickly to changing business needs.
• Demonstrated problem-solving skills and the ability to drive complex issues to resolution.
• Exceptional communication, facilitation, and stakeholder management capabilities.
• Ability to balance competing interests while appropriately identifying and escalating risk.
• Strong executive presence and the ability to remain calm, composed, and effective in high-pressure situations.
• Broad awareness of organizational subject matter experts and resources.
• Solid understanding of financial and commercial concepts.
• 8-10+ years of technology contracting, commercial contracting, or related experience.
• Bachelor's degree in a related field; law degree and/or professional certification preferred.

What Will Set You Apart

• Strong business and commercial acumen.
• Advanced negotiation and influencing skills.
• Ability to translate complex technical or strategic concepts into clear, actionable communications.
• High emotional intelligence and strong interpersonal effectiveness.
• Experience within the marketing technology industry.
• Familiarity with modern data and cloud technologies, including Snowflake, Databricks, Amazon Web Services (AWS), Google Cloud Platform (GCP), and Microsoft Azure.
• Experience with Salesforce CRM.
• Experience with Ironclad Contract Lifecycle Management (CLM) software.

Primary Location City/State:

Homebased - Conway, Arkansas

Additional Locations (if applicable):