Commercial Operations Manager

Ovative Group•Minneapolis, MN

2d•$90,000 - $132,000

About The Position

Ovative Group is an independent, full-funnel media, measurement, and creative firm. Leveraging our deep industry expertise, we help brands like Best Buy, Domino's, American Eagle, The Home Depot, Post, Disney, Tumi, Michael Kors, Boost Mobile, and UnitedHealth Group transform their media and measurement programs. The result? Profitable growth that speaks for itself. About the Role: Ovative’s Commercial Operations Manager serve s as the operational backbone for how commitments — both inbound and outbound — get formalized, tracked, and managed across the organization. This role owns the full contract lifecycle for client and vendor agreements , driving procurement operations, compliance workflows, and deal operations processes with efficiency . The ideal candidate is fluent in legalese but business-minded: comfortable navigating contract language and commercial risk while building scalable systems that support the broader team. In this role, you’ll work cross-functionally with business development , account management, finance, leadership and outside counsel to ensure Ovative’s contractual and vendor relationships are well-managed, compliant, and optimized .

Requirements

3–7 years of experience in contracts management, legal operations, procurement, or commercial operations.
Strong working knowledge of standard commercial contract terms (indemnification, limitation of liability, IP ownership, termination, confidentiality, etc.).
Demonstrated ability to independently draft, review, and negotiate contracts with minimal legal oversight.
Excellent organizational skills with a track record of building repeatable processes and templates from scratch.
Strong business judgment — ability to assess risk, know when to escalate, and balance speed with diligence.
Exceptional written and verbal communication skills; comfortable interfacing with executives, clients, and vendors.
Proficiency with contract management tools (e.g., Ironclad, DocuSign CLM, Agiloft , or similar) and general business systems.

Nice To Haves

Experience at a mid-stage or growth-stage company where you built or formalized contracting and procurement processes.
Background in professional services, consulting, technology, or another B2B environment with complex client and vendor relationships.
Paralegal certification or legal operations training.
Experience with ERP, procurement, or AP systems (e.g., Ironclad, Workday, Docusign ).
Familiarity with data privacy frameworks (SOC 2, GDPR, HIPAA) as they relate to vendor and client agreements.

Responsibilities

Contract Management Own the full contract lifecycle for client and vendor agreements: drafting, redlining, negotiation support, execution, and archiving.
Manage and maintain the library of contract templates ( C SAs, SOWs, NDAs, order forms, vendor agreements) and keep them current in our contract management platform .
Track contract obligations, renewal dates, termination windows, and auto-renewal clauses; proactively flag upcoming deadlines to stakeholders.
Serve as the primary point of contact for routine contract questions across the organization and triage complex issues to outside counsel.
Develop and enforce contract approval workflows, including a signing authority matrix.
Vendor & Procurement Operations Own the end- to -end vendor cont rac t li fecy cle (n eg otiations, contracting , re newal , e tc. )
Own most and s upport on all n egotiat ions on vendor pricing and terms to optimize costs while maintaining quality and service levels.
Maintain a centralized vendor registry with up-to-date contact information, contract terms, and performance data.
Conduct periodic vendor reviews and make recommendations on consolidation, renegotiation, or replacement.
Compliance & Risk Operations Manage insurance certificates (COIs), ensuring adequate coverage and timely renewals for both the company and vendors.
Oversee data privacy agreements (DPAs, BAAs) and ensure compliance with applicable regulatory requirements.
Support internal and external audits related to vendor and contract management.
Deal & Client Operations Partner with business development and client services to manage the operational side of closing deals — SOWs, C SAs, order forms, and billing setup .
Streamline client onboarding workflows from signed contract through project kickoff.
Ensure accurate handoff of contract terms to delivery, finance, and project management teams.
Process & Systems Evaluate, implement, and administer contract lifecycle management (CLM) and procurement tools.
Build and maintain operational documentation: playbooks, policies, process maps, and training guides.
Identify and implement process improvements that reduce cycle time and friction across contracting and procurement workflows.

Benefits

We provide strong, competitive, holistic benefits that understand the importance of your life inside and out of work.
Culture matters and we’ve been recognized as a Top Workplace for ten years running because of it.
We demand trust and transparency from each other.
We believe in doing the hard and complicated work others put off.
We’re open in communication and floor plan.
We’re flat – our interns sit next to VPs, our analysts work closely with senior leaders, and our CEO interacts with every single person daily.
Put together, these elements help foster an environment where smart people can support each other in performing to their highest potential.
Ovative is committed to fostering an inclusive environment where everyone can participate and thrive. We do not tolerate discrimination of any kind, including on the basis of race, sexual orientation, gender identity, or gender expression. Our policies reflect this commitment—for example, our medical leave benefits are inclusive of same-sex partners, ensuring equitable care and support for all families.
We strive to hire and retain the best talent. Paying fair, competitive compensation, with a large bonus incentive, and phenomenal health insurance is an important part of this mix.
We’re rewarded fairly and when the company performs well, we all benefit.
Tangible amenities we enjoy:
Access to all office spaces in MSP, NYC, and CHI
Frequent, paid travel to our Minneapolis headquarters for company events, team events, and in-person collaboration with teams
Generous paid vacation policy
401k match program
Top-notch health insurance options, inclusive of same sex partners
Family formation benefits including reimbursement options for fertility, pregnancy, and parenting needs
Monthly stipend for your mobile phone and data plan
Sabbatical program
Charitable giving via our time and a financial match program
Shenanigan’s Day