Job Title: Contract Specialist

Work Place Flexibility: Hybrid 

Legal Entity: Entergy Services, LLC 

This is a Hybrid position based out of New Orleans but Jacksonville, MS and The Woodlands, TX will also be considered. Those outside these areas would be required to relocate. Relocation assistance is not provided for this position.

Job Summary/Purpose

The Contracts Specialist position utilizes and applies advanced supply chain and contracting knowledge and experience to manage progressively more complex and variable scopes of work, contracting strategies, compensation schedules, claims variations and risk identification and mitigation. The role operates autonomously but may require minimal supervision or assistance in areas where the knowledge or experiences of the specialist have not been fully developed. The specialist is responsible for contracting of services to meet the demands of the business and will interact extensively with business stakeholders, suppliers and other Supply Chain (SC) teams. This role assesses each service request to utilize the most appropriate sourcing channel, identify and execute the most appropriate contractual method of delivery, develop and coordinate all contractual requirements, negotiate the best commercial terms, and provide contract administration throughout the life of the contract.  These duties shall be performed in a manner that ensures services are obtained in the most cost effective, efficient, and strategic method with strict adherence to Entergy’s policies, procedures, and core values.

Key interfaces for this position are internal business customers such as a business unit, Tax, Finance, Risk Management, Safety, Human Resources and Legal, and external suppliers. Within SC, common interfaces for this role are Procurement Operations, Category Management, Capital Projects & Decommissioning, Supplier Diversity and Warehousing and Inventory Management.

Job Duties/Responsibilities

• Actively promote strong safety behaviors and ensure the team always puts safety first.
• Utilize key tools, programs, and proactive field visits to assure standards and behaviors.
• Monitor and influence suppliers to proactively identify any safety concerns.

• Perform storm role duties as assigned through the Storm Assignment Management System (SAMS) and/or the nuclear Emergency Response Organization (ERO).
• Deliver and document savings to Entergy through competitive bidding, direct negotiations, cost avoidance, etc.
• Apply the principles and practices of plan, strategize, source and perform to each request.
• Pre-award contract development and post-award contract administration; create and lead the RFx bid process; develop negotiation strategies, optimal pricing methodology, establish KPIs when appropriate, and warranty protection.
• Perform detailed market and financial analyses to determine potential business risk associated with a supplier or contract; coordinate with Credit Risk as required.
• Identify and evaluate new and current sources of supply, including diverse suppliers, to ensure the most competitive and advantageous offering to Entergy is achieved.
• Work with Legal, Tax, and Risk Management to insure any deviations from standard contract language are within Entergy’s Legal and Risk tolerance levels.
• Develop and maintain relationships with stakeholders to ensure SC is addressing contractual needs pro-actively and in the most beneficial way for Entergy. 
• Work with stakeholders to analyze and develop company position on claims and disputes.
• Establish/maintain professional relationships with suppliers/partners, based on the ethical business practices as set forth in the Standards of Conduct and Integrity and Entergy's Supply Chain Polices.
• Ensure all requirements for savings, diversity, document retention, bidding, contractor safety and other areas of compliance are met.
• Maintain open communications between stakeholders and within SC to ensure that prompt, thorough, accurate, pertinent and complete information is provided.

Minimum Requirements

Minimum education required of the position

Bachelor’s degree in Supply Chain, Business, Accounting, Engineering, Legal, or other related discipline.

Minimum experience required of the position

• Level II: 2+ years of combined supplier contracting, vendor management, or other related supply chain experience OR in lieu of a degree, minimum 6+ years of supplier contracting, vendor management, or other related supply chain experience.
• Level III: 5+ years of combined supplier contracting, vendor management, or other related supply chain experience OR in lieu of a degree, minimum 9+ years of supplier contracting, vendor management, or other related supply chain experience.

Preferred:

• Prior contracting experience in support of IT services or software.
• SC Certification from an industry accreditation organization such as CPSM, APICS, etc.

Minimum knowledge, skills, and abilities required of the position

Technical

• Basic understanding of customer business drivers, objectives, budgets, needs and plans, and key interfaces inside and outside SC.
• Basic application of commercial management processes (plan, strategize, source and perform); including supplier diversity, safety metrics and tools.
• Basic understanding to create contract strategies based on customer’s objectives.
• Basic understanding to build and apply supplier negotiation strategies.
• Ability to negotiate minimally to moderately complex contracts (one-offs/routine service requirements).
• Basic application of pre-award and post-award contract management processes, including supplier performance management.
• Basic understanding of the legal basis for Entergy’s contractual requirements; apply basic risk allocation and risk management.
• Basic application of compensation methods to match the scope of work ranging from lump sum, schedule of unit rates/compensation schedule, reimbursable, and time & materials.
• Understands and operates within how Entergy buys and pays (HEBAP), and the Entergy contract management system and sourcing tools.

Professional

• Ability to apply basic project management principles to ensure systematic and thorough completion of each assignment.
• Ability to apply commercial skills and financial acumen to each assignment.
• Basic application of analytical skills to understand the limitations of data, use appropriate techniques to cleanse and enrich the data; use analytical techniques to produce outputs which assist in business decision making.
• Strong communications skills to utilize the appropriate method of communication, with internal and external stakeholders.
• Ability to apply effective stakeholder resolution techniques to resolve conflicts while maintaining positive relationships. 
• Basic understanding to build strong relationships and effective networks with internal and external stakeholders, including suppliers.

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Primary Location: Louisiana-New Orleans Louisiana : New Orleans || Mississippi : Jackson || Texas : The Woodlands 
Job Function: Professional
FLSA Status: Professional 
Relocation Option: No Relocation Offered
Union description/code: NON BARGAINING UNIT 
Number of Openings: 1
Req ID: 116451
Travel Percentage:Up to 25%

An Equal Opportunity Employer, Minority/Female/Disability/Vets. Please click here to view the EEI page, or see statements below.

EEO Statement: The Entergy System of Companies provides equal employment opportunities (EEO) to all employees and applicants for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, gender, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, national origin, age, disability, genetic information, marital status, amnesty, or status as a protected veteran in accordance with applicable federal, state and local laws. The Entergy System of Companies complies with applicable state and local laws governing non-discrimination in employment in every location in which the company has facilities. This policy applies to all terms and conditions of employment including, but not limited to, recruiting, hiring, placement, promotion, termination, layoff, recall, transfer, leaves of absence, compensation, and training. 

The Entergy System of Companies expressly prohibits any form of unlawful employee harassment based on race, color, religion, sex, gender, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, national origin, age, genetic information, disability, or veteran status. Improper interference with the ability of the Entergy System of Company employees to perform their expected job duties is absolutely not tolerated.

Accessibility: Entergy provides reasonable accommodations for online applicants. Requests for a reasonable accommodation may be made orally or in writing by an applicant, employee, or third party on his or her behalf. If you are an individual with a disability and you are in need of an accommodation for the recruiting process please click here and provide your name, contact number, the accommodation requested and the requisition number that you are requesting the accommodation for. Employee Services will contact you regarding your request.

Additional Responsibilities: As a provider of essential services, Entergy expects its employees to be available to work additional hours, to work in alternate locations, and/or to perform additional duties in connection with storms, outages, emergencies, or other situations as deemed necessary by the company. Exempt employees may not be paid overtime associated with such duties.

Entergy Pay Transparency Policy Statement: The Entergy System of Companies (the Company) will not discharge or in any other manner discriminate against employees or applicants because they have inquired about, discussed, or disclosed their own pay or the pay of another employee or applicant. However, employees who have access to the compensation information of other employees or applicants as a part of their essential job functions cannot disclose the pay of other employees or applicants to individuals who do not otherwise have access to compensation information, unless the disclosure is (a) in response to a formal complaint or charge, (b) in furtherance of an investigation, proceeding, hearing, or action, including an investigation conducted by the employer, or (c) consistent with the Company’s legal duty to furnish information.  41 CFR 60-1.35(c). Equal Opportunity and Pay Transparency.

Pay Transparency Notice:

Pay Transparency Nondiscrimination Provision (dol.gov)

The non-confidential portions of the affirmative action program for individuals with disabilities and protected veterans shall be available for inspection upon request by any employee or applicant for employment.  Please contact HRCompliance@entergy.com to schedule a time to review the affirmative action plan during regular office hours.

WORKING CONDITIONS:
As a provider of essential services, Entergy expects its employees to be available to work additional hours, to work in alternate locations, and/or to perform additional duties in connection with storms, outages, emergencies, or other situations as deemed necessary by the company. Exempt employees may not be paid overtime associated with such duties.

Please note: Authorization to work in the United States is a precondition to employment in this position. Entergy will not sponsor candidates for work visas for this position.