Contracts Counsel

At Curriculum Associates, we believe in the potential of every child and are changing the face of education technology with award\-winning learning programs like i\-Ready that serve a third of the nation’s K–8 students. For more than 50 years, our commitment to making classrooms better places, serving educators, and supporting accessible learning experiences for all students has driven the continuous improvement of our innovative programs. Our team of more than 2,500 employees is composed of lifelong learners who stand behind this mission, working tirelessly to serve the educational community with world\-class programs and support every day. **Summary:** The Contracts Counsel will support global commercial operations and internal Contracts Specialists by assisting in the drafting, reviewing, and negotiating a broad range of agreements in the United States, Ireland, Australia and India while managing a small team of Contracts Specialists. This role is based in our Bangalore Global Capability Center and partners closely with U.S. and international business teams. The Contracts Counsel utilizes strong technical contract drafting skills, sound risk judgment, and the ability to provide practical, business\-oriented legal advice to align commercial agreements with Company risk tolerance, regulatory requirements, and internal policies. **Essential duties/responsibilities:** Contract Drafting \& Negotiation * Serve as a subject matter expert to the internal legal team and business teams and partner in the drafting, reviewing, and negotiating of a variety of commercial agreements. * Identify legal and commercial risks and propose practical mitigation strategies. * Research and communicate with internal stakeholders and external counsel on material risk issues. Business Partnership * Serve as a contracts legal partner to sales, procurement, finance and other internal teams. * Provide clear, concise, and commercially pragmatic guidance. * Support revenue\-generating transactions while protecting company interests. * Participate in cross\-functional projects impacting contracting processes. * Operate within a shared\-services/GCC service delivery model, ensuring responsiveness, scalability, and consistency of output. Compliance \& Risk Management * Ensure contracts comply with applicable laws and regulatory requirements. * Maintain contract templates and playbooks aligned with evolving legal standards. * Support internal audits and compliance initiatives. * Track and report on key contractual risk trends. * Support the business and assist with other compliance matters and legal functions on an as needed, reasonable basis. Process Improvement * Contribute to the development and refinement of contracting workflows. * Support CLM system optimization and knowledge management initiatives, in partnership with the internal CLM Administrator. * Assist in training business stakeholders on contracting standards and risk issues. Management Responsibilities * Directly manage and mentor contracts professionals. * Serve as the primary escalation point for complex or high\-risk transactions before elevation to senior legal leadership. * Support talent development. **Required Job Skills and Abilities:** * Comprehensive knowledge of global contracting laws and regulations, including United States federal and state contractor requirements. * Strong drafting and negotiating skills with the ability to assess and articulate risk clearly while demonstrating sound business judgment. * Demonstrated people leadership and team development capability. * Ability to work cross\-functionally with lawyers and non\-lawyers, to establish effective solutions efficiently and in an amenable manner; * Builds trust, emphasized collaboration and communication, and serves as a connector between business and legal; * Translate legal advice into actionable guidance for stakeholders, often in line with prescribed timelines; * Ability to apply risk\-balanced, practical legal guidance to complex contract and commercial questions, creative problem\-solving and solution\-finding skills, and agility and flexibility in an evolving and ever\-changing environment; * Superior analytical and research skills to complete assigned tasks and navigate challenging matters; * Maintains confidentiality to the utmost degree; * Takes independent action and calculated risks while asking for help as needed; * Balances team and individual responsibilities while contributing to a positive working environment. **Required Education and Experience:** * LL.B. (or equivalent law degree) from a recognized institution. * Licensed to practice law in India and/or the United States. * 5\-8 years of relevant experience in commercial contracting at a law firm and/or in\-house legal department. * Prior experience managing legal or contracts professionals. * Prior experience in a Global Capability Center, shared services, or multinational captive environment preferred. * Demonstrated experience negotiating technology and SaaS agreements. * Strong understanding of commercial law principles. * Experience supporting U.S. or multinational operations is highly preferred. **Working Environment:** Office environment. **Classification:** Exempt **People Manager/Individual Contributor:** Individual Contributor **Hours:** 40 **Background Check and Frequency:** Criminal, annually. **Hours and Frequency of Mandated Sexual Harassment Training:** Up to 2 hours annually