Senior Contracts Manager

Datadog

New York, NY

On-site

Who this role is best for

Aimed at experienced contracts professionals with a technology focus who can manage cross-functional collaboration and process improvements.

Best fit for

Candidates with 8+ years of experience in commercial agreements and a track record in tech and SaaS vendor negotiations
— “At least 8 years of experience negotiating and advising on a broad range of commercial agreements”
Candidates who can balance legal, compliance, and operational needs while influencing senior stakeholders
— “Advise stakeholders on gaps between proposed contract terms and the business’s technical and compliance requirements”
Candidates with a background in contract lifecycle management and process automation
— “Manage contract templates and negotiation playbooks, along with the policies and procedures behind them”

Things to consider

The role demands independent management of moderately complex agreements and collaboration with global teams
— “collaborating with global Procurement, Legal, and business teams on cross-regional matters”
The position requires strong negotiation skills with senior stakeholders and a deep understanding of data privacy and security
— “Demonstrated experience negotiating SaaS, cloud, AI, privacy, security, and professional-services agreements”

How to stand out

Highlight experience with SaaS, cloud, and AI vendor agreements in your resume and interviews
— “Review and negotiate vendor agreements, with an emphasis on SaaS and technology-related vendor transactions”
Showcase process improvement and automation initiatives you've led or supported in prior roles
— “Build self-service resources and workflow improvements that scale”
Emphasize your ability to interpret complex contracts and advise on risk exposure and obligations
— “Interpret existing agreements and advise stakeholders on rights, obligations, renewals, amendments, termination, and risk exposure”
Demonstrate your capacity to mentor and train others in contract processes and compliance
— “Mentor other contracts professionals and support their negotiations on non-standard terms”
Show your ability to manage multiple matters and reprioritize quickly based on business needs
— “Organized and process-driven, with strong attention to detail and the ability to manage multiple matters at once and reprioritize quickly”

Pace · SteadyCollaboration · HighAutonomy · MediumDecision Impact · Team

Derived from job-description analysis by Serendipath's career intelligence engine.

What success looks like

managed high volume of contracts
supported sales cycles
collaborated with cross-functional teams

Typical background

8+ years contract management experiencedegree in law or related field

Skills & requirements

Required

Contract NegotiationCommercial AgreementsRisk AssessmentContract Lifecycle Management

Preferred

Saas AgreementsCloud ServicesAI ToolsPrivacySecurity

Stack & domain

Contract NegotiationVendor AgreementsSaasCloud ServicesAI ToolsPrivacySecurityProfessional ServicesConsultingMarketingAdvertisingEquipment PurchaseOffice OperationsFacilitiesBenefitsReal Estate ContractingVendor Dispute ResolutionContract SystemsAi-assisted Contract Review ToolsLeadershipCommunicationProblem-solvingNegotiationInfluencingTeamworkCollaborationMentorshipTrainingLegalProcurementBusiness OperationsComplianceContract Management

About the role

Original posting from Datadog

Your Role:
Datadog is seeking a Senior Contracts Manager based in our New York City office to review and negotiate vendor agreements, including those with non-standard terms and moderate complexity. This role will primarily support vendor transactions across the Americas while collaborating with global Procurement, Legal, and business teams on cross-regional matters. You will advise Procurement and internal stakeholders on contractual, commercial, operational, and compliance risks. You will also help improve contracting processes and support other members of the contracts team.
What You’ll Do:
Serve as a primary point of contact for Procurement and business leaders on supplier and service provider engagements across the Americas. Manage matters across the contract lifecycle, from intake through renewal or termination, and support global or cross-regional transactions as needed.
Review and negotiate vendor agreements, with an emphasis on SaaS and technology-related vendor transactions. Handle moderately complex agreements independently and take on high-complexity agreements and novel issues with attorney or management support. Typical intake includes agreements for software, cloud services, AI tools, privacy, professional services and consulting, marketing and advertising, equipment purchase and rental (including maintenance), office operations and facilities, and benefits.
Partner with Product, Privacy, Security, and Procurement to assess risk and recommend practical positions. Advise stakeholders on gaps between proposed contract terms and the business’s technical and compliance requirements, balancing legal protection with operational and commercial goals. Use negotiation and influencing skills with senior stakeholders to resolve complex contract issues.
Interpret existing agreements and advise stakeholders on rights, obligations, renewals, amendments, termination, and risk exposure. Support resolution of vendor disputes by developing recommended positions and coordinating with Legal and business stakeholders.
Manage contract templates and negotiation playbooks, along with the policies and procedures behind them. Build self-service resources and workflow improvements that scale. Track and report key metrics for contracting process improvements and risk mitigation, and act on what they show.
Partner with the Legal Operations team to improve contracting technology, reporting, intake, and automation, including contract systems and AI-assisted contract review tools.
Mentor other contracts professionals and support their negotiations on non-standard terms. Train business stakeholders on contracting processes and policy compliance.
Who You Are:
At least 8 years of experience negotiating and advising on a broad range of commercial agreements, or 6 years with a master's degree in a relevant field.
Demonstrated experience negotiating SaaS, cloud, AI, privacy, security, and professional-services agreements, with working knowledge of data privacy and security issues in technology, benefits, marketing, and other vendor agreements. Experience with real estate contracting and vendor dispute resolution is a plus.
Demonstrated ability to manage moderately complex commercial matters independently, support high-complexity matters alongside attorneys or management, exercise sound judgment within established risk frameworks (including when to involve an attorney or manager), and develop practical solutions to non-standard issues.
A problem solver who identifies efficiency and scalability opportunities and leads their implementation.
Organized and process-driven, with strong attention to detail and the ability to manage multiple matters at once and reprioritize quickly when business needs change.
Curious and adaptable, with an aptitude for technology and legal operations tools.
A strong written and verbal communicator who collaborates effectively across functions.
A collaborative teammate who shares knowledge openly and pitches in when colleagues are stretched. Comfortable moving between big-picture strategy and hands-on drafting.
#LI-Hybrid
Datadog offers a competitive salary and equity package, and may include variable compensation. Actual compensation is based on factors such as the candidate's skills, qualifications, and experience. In addition, Datadog offers a wide range of best in class, comprehensive and inclusive employee benefits for this role including healthcare, dental, parental planning, and mental health benefits, a 401(k) plan and match, paid time off, fitness reimbursements, and a discounted employee stock purchase plan.
The reasonably estimated yearly salary for this role at Datadog is:$116,000—$154,000 USD
About Datadog:
Datadog is the leading observability and security platform for the AI era, providing businesses with unified visibility across the technology stack to manage complexity at scale. It brings applications, infrastructure, data, models, and security into one place, using AI to detect and resolve issues before they impact customers. Trusted globally by Fortune 500 companies and high-growth AI leaders, Datadog enables businesses to move faster with clarity and confidence. Learn more about #DatadogLife on Instagram, LinkedIn, and Datadog Learning Center.
Equal Opportunity at Datadog:
Datadog is proud to offer equal employment opportunity to everyone regardless of race, color, ancestry, religion, sex, national origin, sexual orientation, age, citizenship, marital status, disability, gender identity, veteran status, and other characteristics protected by law. We also consider qualified applicants regardless of criminal histories, consistent with legal requirements. Here are our Candidate Legal Notices for your reference.
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Any information you submit to Datadog as part of your application will be processed in accordance with Datadog’s Applicant and Candidate Privacy Notice. For information on our AI policy, please visit Interviewing at Datadog AI Guidelines.

Source: Datadog careers