What does a senior contract specialist do?
A senior contract specialist is responsible for reviewing business contracts and proposals, evaluating terms and conditions, and ensuring that the agreement adheres to business requirements and legislation procedures. Senior contract specialists may modify business documents to improve specifications and obligations, as well as determining the accuracy of financial provisions and feasibility. They must have an excellent understanding of the services that the company offers to identify the correct processes and formulate necessary adjustments for the contract before the final submission.
Senior contract specialist responsibilities
Here are examples of responsibilities from real senior contract specialist resumes:
- Manage interdepartmental teams in software procurement RFP processes.
- Manage inventory and distribution activities of the third-party logistics provider.
- Contract vehicles for government and commercial cover FFP, CPIF, and CPFF for administration.
- Recommend vendor products for GSA procurement schedules.
- Negotiate FFP and CP contracts and modifications.
- Create a SQL code to allocate addl fix dollar rebates.
- Perform account management and log all activity in the company CRM system.
- Submit accurate and timely payroll commissions, allowance, incentives, and deduction files.
- Negotiate contracts and agreements, including Medicaid / Medicare contracts, ensuring profitable growth.
- Develop and implement ITAR compliant data bases for tracking end users and deny parties checking.
- Issue payroll discrepancy letters to general contractors who do not comply with specific aspects of the contract.
- Utilize SharePoint to update, edit and create new files for planning, providing updates, tracking processes and deliverables.
- Maintain contract files/records in accordance with DOD requirements
- Prepare PowerPoint presentations for training and briefings.
- Conduct frequent research into Medicare rules and regulations.
Senior contract specialist skills and personality traits
We calculated that 11% of Senior Contract Specialists are proficient in Contract Management, Contract Terms, and Federal Government.
We break down the percentage of Senior Contract Specialists that have these skills listed on their resume here:
- Contract Management, 11%
Designed and implemented a proprietary Enterprise Contract Management software solution centralizing hospital contract records, increasing cross-departmental efficiency.
- Contract Terms, 8%
Posted solicitations, negotiated contract terms and conditions and awarded various contractual vehicles including Indefinite Delivery/Indefinite Quantity contracts.
- Federal Government, 5%
Correct interpretation and implementation of the federal government FAR regulations and clauses into contract administration.
- Market Research, 5%
Conducted market research and analysis to identify market opportunities and contractors, targeting those most likely to provide quality products.
- Price Analysis, 4%
Performed cost/price analysis on complex proposals, developed Government negotiation positions, and led negotiations of major weapon systems contracts.
- Management System, 3%
Manage workloads utilizing a variety of information acquisition management systems, including automated procurement data systems on all acquisition related activities.
Common skills that a senior contract specialist uses to do their job include "contract management," "contract terms," and "federal government." You can find details on the most important senior contract specialist responsibilities below.
The three companies that hire the most senior contract specialists are:
- Pwc67 senior contract specialists jobs
- SMX Convention Center51 senior contract specialists jobs
- Humana45 senior contract specialists jobs
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Senior contract specialist vs. Operations coordinator
An operations coordinator's role is to oversee the progress of various departments in a company or organization, ensuring that all operations meet the set goals and adhere to the company's policies and regulations. An operations coordinator may also be responsible for supervising the procurement of supplies, contract negotiations, sales monitoring, and even maintenance operations within the company. Furthermore, they can also perform administrative duties such as communicating with clients through telephone and email, arranging schedules and appointments, producing reports and evaluations, training new employees, and serving as the bridge of information between different departments.
While similarities exist, there are also some differences between senior contract specialists and operations coordinator. For instance, senior contract specialist responsibilities require skills such as "contract management," "contract terms," "federal government," and "market research." Whereas a operations coordinator is skilled in "customer service," "logistics," "excellent organizational," and "powerpoint." This is part of what separates the two careers.
Operations coordinators earn the highest salaries when working in the government industry, with an average yearly salary of $43,723. On the other hand, senior contract specialists are paid more in the government industry with an average salary of $81,775.operations coordinators tend to reach lower levels of education than senior contract specialists. In fact, operations coordinators are 9.1% less likely to graduate with a Master's Degree and 6.6% less likely to have a Doctoral Degree.Senior contract specialist vs. Contracting officer
In government agencies, a Contracting Officer plays a vital role in securing contracts for different projects. They are responsible for liaising with internal and external parties, conducting research and analyses, developing plans to attain project requirements, negotiating contracts, and procuring materials according to standards. They are also responsible for supervising the administrative processes related to the deals, from planning to execution, ensuring that everything runs smoothly and efficiently. Moreover, it is essential to function as a contracting officer while adhering to government policies and regulations.
In addition to the difference in salary, there are some other key differences worth noting. For example, senior contract specialist responsibilities are more likely to require skills like "management system," "contractual issues," "contract performance," and "lifecycle management." Meanwhile, a contracting officer has duties that require skills in areas such as "contract administration," "technical assistance," "contractor performance," and "logistics." These differences highlight just how different the day-to-day in each role looks.
Contracting officers may earn a lower salary than senior contract specialists, but contracting officers earn the most pay in the government industry with an average salary of $82,685. On the other hand, senior contract specialists receive higher pay in the government industry, where they earn an average salary of $81,775.In general, contracting officers achieve similar levels of education than senior contract specialists. They're 2.2% more likely to obtain a Master's Degree while being 6.6% less likely to earn a Doctoral Degree.Senior contract specialist vs. Subcontract administrator
As a subcontract administrator, you will be responsible for identifying the needs of a company and implement measures and initiatives to fulfill those needs. This role will require you to perform a few tasks, including responding to purchase requisitions, soliciting bids and proposals from new and existing sources, and evaluating terms and awarding the subcontract. You are then expected to monitor the subcontract terms, including plans, progress, and payments. You will also be responsible for negotiating additions, modifications, and deletions of subcontracts.
There are many key differences between these two careers, including some of the skills required to perform responsibilities within each role. For example, a senior contract specialist is likely to be skilled in "contract management," "federal government," "management system," and "contractor proposals," while a typical subcontract administrator is skilled in "program management," "bid packages," "project management," and "procurement policies."
Subcontract administrators earn the highest salary when working in the technology industry, where they receive an average salary of $84,146. Comparatively, senior contract specialists have the highest earning potential in the government industry, with an average salary of $81,775.subcontract administrators typically earn similar educational levels compared to senior contract specialists. Specifically, they're 3.8% less likely to graduate with a Master's Degree, and 5.9% less likely to earn a Doctoral Degree.Senior contract specialist vs. Senior contract administrator/contract administrator
Even though a few skill sets overlap between senior contract specialists and senior contract administrators/contract administrators, there are some differences that are important to note. For one, a senior contract specialist might have more use for skills like "market research," "management system," "contractor proposals," and "contractual issues." Meanwhile, some responsibilities of senior contract administrators/contract administrators require skills like "contract administration," "proposal preparation," "government regulations," and "excellent interpersonal. "
Senior contract administrators/contract administrators enjoy the best pay in the finance industry, with an average salary of $97,980. For comparison, senior contract specialists earn the highest salary in the government industry.senior contract administrators/contract administrators reach similar levels of education compared to senior contract specialists, in general. The difference is that they're 0.5% more likely to earn a Master's Degree, and 3.0% less likely to graduate with a Doctoral Degree.Types of senior contract specialist
Updated January 8, 2025











