SOLV Energy is a leading provider of infrastructure services to the power industry, designing, building and maintaining utility scale solar, battery storage and high voltage substation projects nationwide.
Job Description Summary:
The Senior Contracts Manager is responsible for leading the commercial contract strategy, negotiation, administration, and risk management activities for SOLV Energy's Services and Solutions businesses. This role serves as a senior leader and trusted advisor to executive leadership, business development, operations, finance, compliance and legal teams.
The Senior Manager oversees complex customer, subcontractor, supplier, and strategic partnership agreements, ensuring commercial terms align with SOLV Energy's risk tolerance, profitability objectives, and long-term business strategy. The position drives contract management excellence, supports revenue growth initiatives, develops commercial standards and best practices, and provides leadership to contract management personnel.
This role can be fully remote or hybrid with regular in-office presence. Specific location details and expectations will be discussed during the interview process.
Job Description:
*This job description reflects management's assignment of essential functions; it does not prescribe or restrict the tasks that may be assigned
Position Responsibilities and Duties
Strategic Contract Leadership
- Lead the commercial strategy, negotiation, and administration of complex customer, supplier, subcontractor, and strategic partner agreements.
- Serve as the primary commercial lead for high-value, high-risk, and strategically significant contracts.
- Develop and implement commercial contracting strategies that support organizational growth, profitability, and risk management objectives.
- Provide strategic guidance and recommendations to senior leadership regarding contractual risks, obligations, and business opportunities.
- Partner with Legal to develop, negotiate, and finalize commercial agreements that appropriately balance business objectives with risk mitigation.
Contract Negotiation & Risk Management
- Lead negotiations involving complex contractual provisions, commercial structures, pricing mechanisms, performance guarantees, indemnities, limitations of liability, warranties, and dispute resolution provisions.
- Identify, assess, and mitigate commercial, operational, financial, compliance and regulatory risks throughout the contract lifecycle.
- Establish risk assessment methodologies and contract review frameworks to drive consistent commercial decision-making.
- Review and approve contract exhibits, amendments, change orders, and commercial modifications.
- Escalate significant business risks and recommend mitigation strategies to executive stakeholders.
- Familiarity with union and non-union contract requirements. Familiarity with union contracts.
- Familiarity with federal and state specific regulatory regulations (e.g. FEOC, IRA, RETA, IPA, NYSERTA).
Cross-Functional Business Partnership
- Collaborate closely with Business Development, Operations, Finance, Procurement, Compliance, Legal, and Executive Leadership to ensure contract terms support company objectives.
- Support proposal development and strategic pursuits by identifying commercial opportunities and contractual risks during the bid process.
- Serve as a trusted advisor to stakeholders regarding contract interpretation, dispute resolution, and commercial decision-making.
- Facilitate alignment between commercial obligations and operational execution.
Financial and Commercial Analysis
- Evaluate contract terms, liquidated damages and pricing structures to optimize profitability and long-term business value.
- Analyze contractual obligations and financial impacts to support informed business decisions.
- Monitor contract performance to identify trends, risks, and opportunities for improved contract terms and financial outcomes.
Contract Governance & Compliance
- Establish and maintain contract governance processes, standards, and controls to ensure compliance with contractual obligations and corporate policies.
- Oversee contract repositories, document retention processes, milestone tracking, and contract lifecycle management systems.
- Ensure timely identification and management of key contractual obligations, deliverables, notices, renewals, and claim rights.
- Lead contract audits and support compliance reviews as required.
Process Improvement & Organizational Development
- Drive continuous improvement initiatives across contract management processes, systems, templates, and tools.
- Develop and implement best practices, standard operating procedures, and commercial playbooks.
- Champion digital solutions and contract management technologies that improve efficiency, visibility, and reporting capabilities.
- Establish KPIs and reporting metrics to measure contract performance, compliance, and business outcomes.
Leadership & Team Development
- Lead, mentor, and develop contract management personnel while fostering a culture of accountability, collaboration, and continuous improvement.
- Provide coaching and guidance on contract strategy, negotiations, risk management, and stakeholder engagement.
- Support workforce planning, succession planning, and professional development initiatives within the Contracts Management function.
- Promote effective communication and collaboration across departments and business units.
Industry Expertise
- Maintain expertise regarding industry practices, regulatory developments, market conditions, and commercial trends affecting the renewable energy and operations and maintenance sectors.
- Advise leadership on emerging contractual risks, opportunities, and market developments that may impact the organization.
- Stay abreast of industry changes, codes and regulations, tariffs, and best practices to ensure SOLV stays at the forefront of the market. Participate in industry workgroups (e.g. SEIA and ACP).
Minimum Skills or Experience Requirements
- Bachelor's degree in Business Administration, Finance, Engineering, Construction Management, Law, or related discipline, or similar experience required.
- Professional certifications such as CPCM, CCM, PMP, or equivalent are preferred.
- Minimum of 10+ years of progressively responsible contract management, commercial management, or related experience.
- Minimum of 10+ years leading complex commercial negotiations and managing contract management professionals.
- Significant experience within utility-scale renewable energy, solar, battery energy storage systems (BESS), High Voltage, power generation, EPC, or industrial services industries preferred.
- Proven experience negotiating high-value customer service agreements, subcontract agreements, master service agreements, and strategic commercial contracts.
Applicants must be legally authorized to work in the U.S. without requiring employer sponsorship now or in the future.
SOLV Energy Is an Equal Opportunity Employer
At SOLV Energy we celebrate the power of our differences. We are committed to building diverse, equitable, and inclusive workplaces that improve our communities. SOLV Energy prohibits discrimination and harassment of any kind against an employee or applicant based on race, color, age, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, marital status, national origin, or ethnicity, mental or physical disability, veteran status, parental status, or any other characteristic protected by law.
Benefits:
Employees (and their families) are eligible for medical, dental, vision, basic life and disability insurance. Employees can enroll in our company’s 401(k) plan and are provided vacation, sick and holiday pay.
Compensation Range:
$125,392 - $166,772
Pay Rate Type:
Salary
SOLV Energy does not accept unsolicited candidate introductions, referrals or resumes from third-party recruiters or staffing agencies. We require all third-party recruiters to communicate exclusively with our internal talent acquisition team. SOLV Energy will not pay a placement fee to any third-party recruiter or agency that has not coordinated their recruiting activity with the appropriate member of our internal talent acquisition team.
In addition, candidate introductions or resumes can only be submitted to our internal talent acquisition recruiting team if a signed vendor agreement is already on file and the third-party recruiter or agency has received formal instructions from our internal talent acquisition team to submit candidates for a particular job posting.
Any unsolicited candidate introductions, referrals or resumes sent by third-party recruiters to SOLV Energy or directly to any of our employees, or received through our website or career portal, will be considered property of SOLV Energy and will not be eligible for a placement fee. In the event a third-party recruiter submits a resume or refers a candidate without a previously signed vendor agreement, SOLV Energy explicitly reserves the right to pursue and hire the candidate(s) without financial liability to such third-party recruiter.
#LI-Remote
Job Number: J14021
If you’re interested in a meaningful career with a brighter future, join the SOLV Energy Team.