The opportunity:

The Contract Specialist translates the business needs of internal stakeholders via corporate and local Category Managers, for the acquisition/purchase of products and services, into the appropriate contracting body and contract vehicle and enabling their desired business objective(s) while protecting WestRock’s intellectual property and mitigating legal risk. Depending upon the needs of the stakeholder and the category strategy, this may result in consultation with the Category Managers and/or internal stakeholder(s), plus seeking advice from members of WestRock Legal and escalating issues and concerns to members of Legal management. Draft, review, and support negotiations of Procurement agreements that among other things preserve confidential information, retain rights to innovation and mitigate legal risk. The most common agreement types supported by this role are associated with, but not limited to, the purchase of products and services for Indirect, Direct and Capital category groups.

How you will impact WestRock:

• Directly support risk/reward-based contract negotiations, in accordance with laws and regulations applicable to contractual arrangements, as well as WestRock’s contracting playbook.

• Identify and inform category managers and business stakeholders of potential risk to the enterprise (issue-spotting) associated with proposed contracting and/or processes in support thereof.

• Communicate, maintain, and recommend improvements to standard Terms and Conditions and offer suggestions. Suggest improvements gleaned from experience working from contracting playbooks and feedback from external partners.

• Maintain legal templates in Icertis contract management and continuously suggest enhancements to WestRock’s contract clause library for replication in similar contracts and for term pre-population into templates when appropriate

• Search for and retain copies of Executed Agreements, complying with WestRock record retention policies within the Contract Lifecycle Management tool

What you need to succeed:

• Bachelor’s degree or higher

• 3 years of relevant Paralegal experience in contract creation and development

• Background in legal or legal contract creation and development

• Paralegal certification and experience

• Experience in process improvement projects: Lean Six Sigma or Yellow/Green/Belt certification

• Experience with Icertis contract lifecycle management or similar tool

• Experience working with Legal, Finance, or other inter-related departments

• Experience working in a matrix environment with multiple stakeholders and customers

• Experience working in the procurement or contracts department of a large manufacturing, industrial, or construction organization

• Strong critical thinking and analytical skills

• Ability to solve problems through innovative thinking

• Strong written and verbal communication skills

• Ability to prioritize and organize effectively

• Excellent organizational skills with great attention to detail

• Solid Experience with MS-Office suite of products

WestRock (NYSE:WRK) partners with our customers to provide differentiated paper and packaging solutions that help them win in the marketplace. WestRock's team members support customers around the world from locations spanning North America, South America, Europe, Asia and Australia. Learn more at www.westrock.com.

WestRock is an Equal Opportunity Employer. We strive to create and maintain a diverse workforce where everyone feels valued, respected, and included. WestRock does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, religion, national origin, sex, age, disability, veteran status, sexual orientation, gender identity, or any other basis protected by federal, state or local law.