Contracts Manger

Title: Contracts Manager

Reports to: Chief Operating Officer

Status: Full-time, salaried

Location: Remote within the United States (option to work from our office in Berkeley, CA)

We will only review applications submitted through this link: Contracts Manager App Form

Our Organization

The Center for Good Food Purchasing uses the power of procurement and partnerships to create a transparent and equitable food system for people, animals, and the environment. We do this by helping major institutions nationwide adopt and implement the Good Food Purchasing Program.

Over 65 institutions in 26 major US cities have enrolled in the Program. With a collective annual food spend surpassing $1.2 billion, these institutions and cities are committed to directing their purchasing power toward the five Program values: local and community-based economies, environmental sustainability, valued workforce, animal welfare, and community health and nutrition centered around the principles of equity, transparency, and accountability. Using the Program’s metric- and data-driven framework, they measure and improve food purchasing practices over time.

We also work with national partners, local grassroots coalitions, and institutions to shift toward values-based purchasing from farm to fork and build a cohesive network movement to support more resilient and equitable food systems.

The Center for Good Food Purchasing is a fiscally-sponsored project of Community Partners.

Contracts Manager Summary

The Contracts Manager supports essential operational functions that enable our team to fulfill our mission and support delivery of the Good Food Purchasing Program across the nation. This role is responsible for managing the lifecycle of all restricted funding and direct revenue contracts, including coordination across all teams, ensuring contractual monitoring and compliance, and maintaining processes and tools that enable staff to effectively manage and perform contractual commitments.

This is a remote role that requires occasional travel. The Center for Good Food Purchasing is based in the Bay Area of California.

Success in this position looks like:

• The Center’s revenue contractuals process is running smoothly from pipeline to contractual signing to delivery and closeout or renewal. Our team knows their roles and are coordinated across this process.
• Our team is empowered with the process and tools to effectively plan, manage, communicate with Program participants on contractual-related items, and where applicable, spend down project funding. They have access to updated information on contract status and personnel allocations.
• Our existing contracts processes and tools are leveraged or improved to track contract milestones, comply with monitoring and reporting requirements (including for federally funded contracts), and manage dollar and personnel allocations across all restricted funding sources.
• The Contracts Manager has the resources, authority, and collaborative relationships necessary to lead this function successfully.

Essential Functions

Support and monitor the full lifecycle of all restricted funding and direct revenue contracts—from initial scoping and proposal development through execution, reporting, invoicing, amendments, renewals, and close-out.

Pipeline and Proposal Management

• Project manage and maintain our Program pipeline, coordinating with the team members bringing in new opportunities
• Lead and improve our process for prioritization of pursuit strategies, engaging the Program, Engagement, and Core Mission Support teams for alignment with organizational and mission priorities and staff capacity (as determined by managers)
• For direct revenue contracts, collaborate with the Program team as they develop a scope of work to develop budget and Statements of Work (SOWs)
• For restricted funding contracts (including federally funded), prepare budgets and required documentation for proposals in consultation with our Finance team
• Liaise with our fiscal sponsor and clients to finalize, amend, and renew direct revenue and restricted funding contracts
• Ensure contracts meet internal policies and legal standards

Contract Monitoring and Coordination

• Manage processes, dashboards, and other tools for ongoing financial monitoring, contractual status and deliverable tracking, personnel allocations, spend-outs, and compliance (including Uniform Guidance) and train staff on any new procedures
• Proactively coordinate with our teams and fiscal sponsor to ensure synchronization and smooth progress throughout the contractual lifecycle, including:
  • Obtaining regular updates on the status of service delivery and completion for timely and accurate fulfillment of contracted services
  • Providing updated budget vs. actual and personnel (FTE) reports to Program and project leads to assist with successful spend-outs
  • Tracking and communicating restricted grant deliverable deadlines to the leadership and Finance teams
  • Liaising with our fiscal sponsor for alignment with their systems and processes for contract execution, reporting, invoicing, and compliance monitoring
  • Providing updated contract information (e.g., financial performance, status of deliverable and reporting) to leadership to support planning, staffing, and budget adjustments
• Routinely review and update templates for budget proposals, contracts, invoices, and budget reports for alignment with organizational needs
• Support anticipated 501c(3) spin-off (e.g. updating existing contracts to reflect the new legal entity, ensuring continuity of compliance and client service)

Contract Reporting, Invoicing, and Compliance Documentation

• In coordination with our fiscal sponsor and Program and project leads, prepare and submit invoices, funder financial reports, and other required documentation on a regular invoicing schedule
• Lead our contractual compliance function and maintain necessary documentation as required by funders, Uniform Guidance, government clients, or private clients (e.g., accurate fund accounting, signed time and effort reporting, insurance, proof of required trainings)
• Manage monthly dollar and personnel (FTE) allocations across all funding sources, in consultation with Finance
• Liaise with subrecipients, including for federally funded contracts, to monitor progress, invoice on schedule, and ensure compliance with Uniform Guidance or other requirements (e.g., compliance monitoring and risk assessments for adherence to contract terms and regulations, ongoing support and oversight to help subrecipients align with federal, local government, and organizational requirements)
• Monitor collection status and follow up on delays and discrepancies
• Maintain current knowledge of federal and local grant requirements, including reporting and performance standards

Required Qualifications

• Five or more years of experience managing nonprofit grants, contracts and fund allocations for restricted funding sources
• Experience managing and planning dollar and personnel (FTE) allocations across multiple funding sources, ensuring funding amounts are successfully spent down and maximized
• High facility with Excel and proficiency with Microsoft Office suite
• Excellent interpersonal and communication skills and the ability to build trust among diverse stakeholders
• Strong organizational and analytical skills and attention to detail
• A high degree of initiative to improve processes, problem solve, and advance projects and initiatives
• Ability to understand how individual components of work tie into wider department and organizational goals
• Ability to work independently and effectively in a virtual environment
• Comfort managing multiple tasks, prioritizing effectively, seeking guidance when needed, and meeting deadlines
• Ability to work with a remote team, including regular access to phone, internet, and video conferencing
• Willingness to travel domestically (estimated twice per year)

Preferred Qualifications

• Understanding of federal awards monitoring and reporting requirements, including Uniform Guidance (2 CFR 200)
• Experience with NetSuite
• Experience or interest in building sustainable, equitable, fair, and humane food systems

How to Apply

Submit your application by Monday, July 7th, 2025 via this form.The form will ask for your contact information, a brief original cover letter you wrote that describes relevant experience as a PDF, your resume in PDF format, and two to three professional references.

If selected, the interview process will consist of one initial video interview (30 minutes), with the potential for a second video interview (45-60 minutes).

You will receive a response within 2 weeks of submission of your application. We respectfully request no calls or emails.

Goodfoodpurchasing.org

We will only review applications received through this link:https://forms.gle/DggjRyvXTeUgEmreA

Compensation & Benefits

The Contracts Manager is a regular full-time, exempt position with an annual salary of $88,000. The Center for Good Food Purchasing, a fiscally-sponsored project of Community Partners, is a people-first workplace that values flexibility, work-life balance, and restoration. In addition to offering competitive benefits (i.e. medical/dental/vision, disability/life insurance, vacation, and a 403(b) plan with employer match after two years), we also offer generous paid holidays in addition to vacation time (27 holiday days in 2025, which include annual summer and winter breaks), two flexible working Fridays monthly, remote work stipends, an annual professional development budget, and travel opportunities.

Community Partners® is an equal opportunity employer committed to a diverse and inclusive workforce. We strongly encourage and seek applications from people of color, including bilingual and bicultural individuals, as well as women, and members of the lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender communities. In addition, the organization will consider for employment qualified applicants with criminal histories in a manner consistent with the requirements of the Los Angeles Fair Chance Initiative for Hiring.