Assistant Contract Manager

Role Overview

The Senior Executive / Assistant Manager – Contracts will be a core member of the Contracts Management Team within the Legal function of The Manipal Group (TMG). Reporting to the AGM – Contracts Management, this role is responsible for independently drafting, reviewing, and managing commercial contracts across TMG's business verticals, supporting the full lifecycle of contractual engagements from initial drafting through to execution and compliance monitoring.

This is a hands-on, execution-focused role ideally suited to a mid-level legal professional who possesses strong drafting skills, attention to detail, and a growing understanding of commercial risk.

Key Responsibilities

Contract Drafting & Review

• Draft, review, and redline a range of commercial contracts including vendor agreements, service

agreements, SaaS and technology contracts, procurement contracts, non-disclosure agreements

(NDAs), MoUs, licensing agreements, lease deeds, and employment/consultancy agreements.

• Ensure contracts drafted are legally sound, commercially balanced, and consistent with TMG's standard templates, clause libraries, and approved deviations.

• Proactively identify legal risks and flag non-standard or problematic clauses to the AGM with clear commentary and recommendations.

• Assist in the development and periodic revision of standard contract templates, playbooks, and contract summaries.

Contract Negotiation Support

Participate in contract negotiations with counterparties, vendors, and clients under the guidance of the AGM.

• Prepare negotiation briefs and redline comparison documents for review and approval.

• Maintain accurate records of negotiation rounds, agreed positions, and outstanding issues across active contracts.

Contract Lifecycle Administration

• Manage the contract repository and document management system, ensuring accurate recording of executed contracts, key dates, milestones, renewal deadlines, and obligations.

• Track and follow up on contract renewals, extensions, and expirations in coordination with relevant business units.

• Maintain and update the contract tracker, providing timely inputs for team reports and dashboards prepared for the GC.

• Coordinate with internal stakeholders (procurement, finance, HR, operations) to ensure timely contract execution.

Contracts Compliance & Risk Monitoring

• Monitor contract performance and compliance, flagging potential breaches or deviations to the AGM in a timely manner.

• Support post-execution obligations tracking, including payment milestones, SLAs, deliverables, and notice periods.

• Research applicable laws, regulations, and judicial precedents to support contract drafting and advisory work.

• Assist in ensuring contractual compliance with applicable Indian statutes including the Contract Act 1872, Companies Act 2013, IT Act 2000, FEMA, and sector-specific regulations.

Stakeholder Support & Coordination

• Serve as a point of contact for business units seeking guidance on routine contractual queries and process assistance.

• Liaise with external counsel as directed by the AGM, coordinating documents, instructions, and

responses.

• Assist the AGM in preparing legal memos, briefing notes, contract summaries, and reports for

management.

• Support due diligence exercises for M&A, vendor onboarding, or regulatory filings as required.

Experience

• Minimum 5 years of post-qualification legal experience, with a focus on contracts drafting and review.

• Prior experience in an in-house legal/contracts role in a corporate, conglomerate, or consulting

environment — preferred.

• Demonstrated ability to independently draft and review contracts across commercial and technology domains.

• Experience in working on multi-party agreements, vendor contracts, or regulated sector contracts will be an advantage.

Technical / Legal Skills

• Solid understanding of Indian contract law, corporate law, and commercial transactions.

• Practical working knowledge of drafting NDAs, vendor contracts, services agreements, SaaS contracts, MoUs, and lease deeds.

• Familiarity with risk identification in contracts and ability to flag and explain legal issues clearly in non-legal language.

• Good working knowledge of applicable Indian legislation — Contract Act, IT Act, IP laws, labour laws, and corporate regulations.

• Proficiency with legal research tools (Manupatra, SCC Online, IndiaCode, or equivalent).

• Familiarity with contract management tools, document management systems, or CLM platforms is advantageous.

Soft Skills

• Strong and precise legal drafting skills — ability to produce clear, well-structured, and accurate contract documents.

• Detail-oriented with strong analytical skills and the ability to spot inconsistencies and risks in complex documents.

• Good communication skills — ability to explain legal concepts clearly to non-legal business teams.

• Organised and process-driven; able to manage multiple active contracts and deadlines simultaneously.

• Team player with a collaborative working style, responsive to guidance and feedback.

• Professional integrity and commitment to confidentiality.