Sr. Manager - Contracts (Legal)

About Lowe's

Lowe's Companies, Inc. (NYSE: LOW) is a FORTUNE 50 home improvement company serving approximately 16 million customer transactions a week in the United States. With total fiscal year 2023 sales of more than $86 billion, Lowe's operates over 1,700 home improvement stores and employs approximately 300,000 associates. Based in Bengaluru, Lowe's India develops innovative technology products and solutions and delivers business capabilities to provide the best omnichannel experience for Lowe's customers. Lowe's India employs over 4,200 associates across technology, analytics, merchandising, supply chain, marketing, finance and accounting, product management and shared services. Lowe's India actively supports the communities it serves through programs focused on skill-building, sustainability and safe homes. For more information, visit, www.lowes.co.in.

About the Team

Doing business legally and with integrity is at the heart of how we serve our customers, communities, and fellow associates. The Legal team works diligently to protect Lowe's reputation and brand.

Job Summary:

The Senior Manager - Contracts is responsible for leading the end-to-end management of all categories of contracts across the organization - including customer, vendor, procurement, commercial, operational, and services relating to marketing, merchandising, technology, human resources, facilities, aviation and supply chain teams. The role should ensure that contract terms protect the company's interests, mitigate risks, support business objectives, and comply with legal and regulatory requirements. This position includes significant exposure to global contracting, especially US contracts, and requires strong negotiation capabilities. The role also involves managing a team of contract lawyers and driving excellence in contract governance and processes.

Roles & Responsibilities:

Core Responsibilities:

1. Contract Drafting, Review and Negotiation

• Draft, review, revise, and negotiate a wide variety of contracts, including Technology Agreements, Customer Agreements, Vendor/Supplier Agreements, Procurement Agreements, Master Service Agreements (MSA), Statements of Work (SOW), Service contracts (AMC, facilities, operations, logistics, HR services, etc.), Leasing Agreements, Real Estate Contracts, Licensing/IP agreements, Consultancy and Professional Services Agreements, NDAs, LOIs, MOUs.
• Ensure contracts reflect business needs, minimize risk, and comply with legal requirements.

2. Global and US Contracting Exposure

• Lead negotiations for contracts across India and US regions.
• In depth knowledge and understanding for handling negotiations on Indemnities and liability caps; Warranties, representations, and disclaimers; Insurance, compliance, and audit rights; IP ownership and confidentiality obligations; Data privacy terms (US laws like CCPA, state-specific requirements)
• Ensure compliance with global laws, regulations, export controls, and corporate policies.

3. Compliance and Risk Management

• Establish best practices for contract lifecycle management across all departments.
• Identify legal, operational, financial, and compliance risks in contracts and advise mitigation strategies.
• Ensure adherence to applicable regulatory and statutory requirements.
• Maintain version control, recordkeeping, and centralized contract repositories.
• Facilitate contract audits and internal reviews.

4. Stakeholder Collaboration and Trainings

• Work closely with Enterprise Strategic Sourcing (ESS), Finance, Compliance, Audit, Insurance, Technology teams and Senior Leadership across teams in India and US.
• Support negotiations and discussions with external vendors, clients, partners, consultants, and service providers.
• Provide contract training and guidance to internal teams.

5. Team Leadership and Development

• Lead and mentor a team of about 5 members.
• Oversee workload distribution, capacity planning, quality checks, and performance evaluation.
• Build team capability through coaching, training, and process improvement initiatives.
• Drive efficiency, accuracy, and compliance across the team.
• Preparing dashboard, reports, workflow of the work delivered by the team for leadership review.

6. Process Optimization and CLM Tool

• Develop standard templates, clause libraries, and negotiation playbooks for all contract types.
• Improve contract turnaround time by optimizing workflows.
• Support implementation of CLM tool.

Years of Experience:

• 12 plus years of progressive experience in contract management
• Significant experience in negotiating US and global contracts
• Experience leading a team of contract professionals
• Exposure to collaborating with cross-functional teams such as procurement, audit, finance, operations and insurance

Education Qualification & Certifications (optional)

Required Minimum Qualifications:

• LLB or LLM

Skill Set Required

Primary Skills (must have)

• Excellent negotiation, drafting, and analytical skills across diverse contract types
• Strong understanding of commercial, legal, financial, and regulatory frameworks
• Ability to manage complex, high-value contracts with global stakeholders
• Leadership, people management, and cross-functional collaboration skills
• High attention to detail and strong organizational discipline
• Ability to work under pressure, manage tight deadlines, and support multiple geographies

Secondary Skills (desired)

Prior experience of supporting the global legal teams (US team) is an added advantage.

Lowe's is an equal opportunity employer and administers all personnel practices without regard to race, color, religious creed, sex, gender, age, national origin, mental or physical disability or medical condition, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, marital status, military or veteran status, genetic information, or any other category protected under state or local law. Lowe's wishes to maintain appropriate standards and integrity in meeting the requirements of the Information Technology Act's privacy provisions.