Manager, Contract Management

About the Role

As the Manager of Contract Management, you’ll lead a team of global Startup Contract Managers responsible for renewal strategy, customer retention, and commercial partnership management across Ashby’s customer base. You’ll act as a coach, operator, and strategic thought partner — helping the team grow their commercial acumen, negotiation capabilities, and customer judgment while also building scalable systems and processes that allow the organization to operate effectively at scale.

In this role, you will:

• Lead and coach a team of 5 Startup Contract Managers (4 in America and 1 in EMEA) responsible for renewals, contract negotiations, and commercial partnership conversations
• Up-level team performance through thoughtful coaching, operational discipline, and skill development across negotiation strategy, forecasting, customer communication, and stakeholder management
• Help build scalable renewal processes, systems, and operational workflows that improve efficiency while preserving a high-touch customer experience
• Partner cross-functionally with Customer Success, Sales, Product, Finance, Legal, Support, and RevOps to align on customer strategy and commercial outcomes
• Drive consistency in renewal execution, forecasting accuracy, CRM hygiene, and pricing governance across the team
• Support the team in navigating complex negotiations involving procurement, legal, executive stakeholders, pricing transitions, and multi-product commercial conversations
• Translate successful negotiation strategies and customer patterns into repeatable frameworks, playbooks, and enablement materials for the broader organization
• Help shape the long-term vision and operational strategy for the Contract Management function as Ashby continues to scale

Role Requirements

Team Leadership & Coaching

You have experience leading and developing high-performing customer-facing teams in a b2b SaaS environment. You know how to foster a culture centered around empathy, accountability, creativity, and transparency, while helping individuals grow through thoughtful coaching and continuous feedback.

Commercial Acumen & Negotiation Strategy

You have deep experience managing or overseeing complex renewals, pricing conversations, and contract negotiations. You understand how to balance customer partnership with commercial integrity, and can coach teams through nuanced negotiation scenarios with confidence and sound judgment.

Renewal Strategy & Forecasting

You understand how to proactively manage renewal risk, expansion opportunities, forecasting accuracy, and long-term account planning. You bring structure and discipline to renewal operations while remaining adaptable in dynamic customer situations.

Operational Mindset

You have experience building or improving scalable systems, workflows, and processes that allow teams to operate effectively at scale. You value operational excellence, data accuracy, and thoughtful process design.

Cross-Functional Collaboration

You are comfortable partnering across Sales, Customer Success, Product, RevOps, Legal, Finance, and Support to align around customer needs, pricing strategy, and long-term business outcomes.

Customer & Executive Communication

You are an excellent communicator who can navigate challenging conversations with empathy, professionalism, and clarity. You know how to build trust with both customers and internal stakeholders while maintaining transparency throughout the renewal process.

Problem-Solving Orientation

You don’t rely solely on “what worked before.” You are thoughtful, adaptable, and solutions-oriented — able to navigate ambiguity and develop creative approaches to complex commercial challenges.

Data-Driven & Strategic

You are comfortable using data, trends, customer insights, and operational metrics to drive decision-making and improve both team performance and customer outcomes.

You’ll Be a Great Fit If You:

• Communicate with clarity and empathy. You ask thoughtful questions, simplify complex concepts, and build trust through transparent communication.
• Enjoy coaching. You see every negotiation, renewal, and customer interaction as an opportunity to help your team learn and grow.
• Are highly operational. You value strong internal systems, accurate forecasting, clean data, and scalable process design.
• Thrive in dynamic environments. You are energized by solving complex problems and adapting processes as the business evolves.
• Balance customer advocacy with business integrity. You can empathize deeply with customer needs while confidently protecting Ashby’s long-term commercial interests.
• Are a strategic problem solver. You know how to navigate ambiguity, identify creative solutions, and align multiple stakeholders toward a shared outcome.
• Enjoy building. You are excited about helping shape the future of the Contract Management organization and scaling its impact across Ashby.

You Might Not Be a Fit If:

• You prefer highly rigid, unchanging processes and environments.
• You are uncomfortable navigating pricing conversations, negotiations, or commercial ambiguity.
• You prefer operating independently rather than through cross-functional collaboration and team development.
• You are more interested in defining high-level strategy than owning execution alongside your team.
• You avoid operational detail, forecasting rigor, or system/process improvement work.
• You are uncomfortable balancing customer empathy with accountability and commercial discipline.
• You prefer transactional customer interactions over long-term strategic partnership building.