Vendor and Contracts Lead

Baird is seeking a Vendor & Contracts Lead to serve as the firm's key independent negotiator and advisor for vendor and contract strategy. This role partners closely with business units, Information Technology, Legal, Risk, Cybersecurity, Finance FP&A and other stakeholders to strengthen vendor negotiations, improve commercial outcomes, reduce contract and vendor risk, and drive greater consistency across the firm.

The Vendor & Contracts Lead maintains enterprise visibility into vendor agreements through ContractSafe while developing institutional knowledge, negotiation standards and market insights that strengthen Baird's long-term negotiating position. Candidates are invited to learn more about our culture and team here.

Baird currently requires a hybrid work environment. Baird is not currently hiring individuals for this position who now or in the future require sponsorship for employment visa status.

The Impact You’ll Make:

Advisory & Leadership

• Engage early with business owners to understand business objectives, vendor dynamics, commercial priorities and contract risks before negotiations begin.
• Advise and coach business unit leaders on negotiation strategy, commercial trade-offs and best practices to build stronger, more consistent vendor negotiation capabilities across the firm.
• Build trusted relationships across business units, Information Technology, Legal, Risk, Cybersecurity and Finance, establishing yourself as a valued partner on significant vendor decisions.
• Develop institutional knowledge of Baird's contract positions, fallback terms, negotiation history and vendor-specific precedents to improve consistency, strengthen future negotiations and reduce reliance on individual business-owner knowledge.

Contract Negotiation

• Lead negotiations for vendor agreements of varying size and complexity, partnering with contract owners, internal staff attorneys and key stakeholders to align negotiation strategy, terms and desired outcomes.
• Serve as an independent commercial advocate for the firm by leading upfront planning, renewal strategy, fallback positions, escalation points and stakeholder alignment before contract terms are finalized.
• Act as a strategic sounding board for contract owners and negotiators, helping evaluate vendor positions, assess alternatives and align negotiation strategies with business objectives.
• Apply commercial judgment, creativity and relationship management skills to improve pricing, contract terms, service levels and long-term flexibility while maintaining productive vendor relationships.

Technology, Vendor & Market Intelligence

• Build and maintain awareness of peer practices, vendor pricing trends, market standards, emerging commercial models and negotiation benchmarks across the vendor landscape.
• Develop expertise in technology, software, data and professional services vendor models, including licensing structures, SaaS renewals, data feeds, implementation services, cloud solutions and usage-based AI/LLM pricing.
• Leverage market and vendor intelligence to pressure-test vendor proposals, support renewal planning and improve pricing, contract terms, service levels and flexibility.

Enterprise Contract Governance

• Develop and maintain firm-wide negotiation playbooks, contract standards, checklists and guidance that support consistent preparation, escalation and negotiation practices.
• Maintain enterprise visibility into contracts, contract owners, renewal dates, usage, data dependencies, vendor overlap and key commercial terms through ContractSafe and related reporting tools.
• Partner with business owners on vendor roadmaps and renewal pipelines, prioritizing activities based on spend, risk, timing, business criticality and consolidation opportunities.
• Identify and advance opportunities for cost savings, cost avoidance, risk reduction and vendor consolidation across renewals, new agreements and existing vendor relationships.
• Coordinate with Legal, Risk, Information Technology and Cybersecurity teams to ensure vendor risk considerations, required approvals and critical contract terms are incorporated into negotiation priorities before execution.

What You’ll Bring to Baird:

• Bachelor's degree in Business, Supply Chain, Information Technology or a related field.
• Minimum of 5-8 years of experience in vendor management, contract management, strategic sourcing, contract negotiation, procurement or related commercial advisory roles.
• Excellent negotiation skills and strong commercial judgment.
• Strong understanding of commercial terms, contract risk and vendor economics.
• Financial analysis skills with the ability to evaluate pricing, renewals, spend trends and savings opportunities.
• Demonstrated ability to build trusted relationships and influence stakeholders across all levels of an organization.
• Enterprise mindset with a focus on consistency, leverage and long-term value creation.
• Proactive self-starter with strong intellectual curiosity and a high level of ownership.
• Ability to operate independently and effectively in ambiguous or evolving environments.
• Strong collaboration and problem-solving skills, with the ability to engage the right stakeholders and drive practical outcomes.

Preferred Qualifications

• Experience working with technology, data and professional services vendors.
• Familiarity with technology, software and data licensing models, SaaS agreements, cloud services and AI/LLM pricing structures.
• Experience utilizing contract lifecycle management tools, such as ContractSafe.
• Knowledge of market pricing intelligence and benchmarking methodologies across multiple vendor categories.

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Baird is committed to diversity and provides employment opportunities to all employees and applicants for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, pregnancy, citizenship, national origin, age, disability, military service, veteran status, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, genetic information, or any other status protected by law.