Contracts Paralegal

Duties Description The Office of General Counsel (OGC) provides legal services and support to the Board of Trustees, the Chancellor and senior officers for the State University of New York (SUNY) at SUNY System Administration in Albany, New York, as well as to the presidents and administrators of the campuses within the System. Under the leadership of the Senior Vice Chancellor for Legal Affairs and the General Counsel, the SUNY Office of General Counsel is responsible for providing legal services to the System and the 29 state operated campuses. The OGC consists of more than 70 experienced higher education attorneys, paralegals and support staff located in Albany at the System Administration headquarters and in campus-based offices at the four University Centers, Health Science Centers, and various SUNY colleges.

The legal practice of the OGC involves a substantial array of topics, including public procurement, governance and ethics, legislation, health care, capital construction, public finance, labor grievances and arbitration, litigation oversight (the State's Attorney General defends litigation brought against the University), student affairs, and the use of real property, among others. The OGC represents the State University in interactions with State officials who may regulate the affairs of the State University, including the Attorney General, State Comptroller, the Governor and staff, and members of the State Legislature as well as other state and local agencies and entities.

The OGC at System Administration consists of several practice groups including Contracts, General Affairs, Litigation and Labor, and Student Affairs. The Contracts Paralegal will support the attorneys in the Contracts Practice Group, which spearheads the OGC practice in the areas of procurement, contracts, and business transactions. Particular areas of focus in the practice group include commercial transactions for services, commodities, revenue contracts, energy-related agreements, grants and memoranda of understanding; real property transactions including commercial leases, use permits, easements and abandonments; state government procurement and contracting including Requests for Proposals, Requests for Information, solicitations of Interest, advertising exemptions, debriefings, bid protests, Office of State Comptroller (OSC) audits, policy matters and assistance to campuses and campus counsel on all of the foregoing. The Contracts Paralegal will provide support to attorneys in other practice groups as needed.

The State University of New York System Administration, located in Albany, New York, invites applications for the position of Contracts Paralegal. Duties and responsibilities will include:

Pro-actively coordinate with attorneys in preparing and editing contract documents including without limitation leases, permits, professional services contracts and technology contracts;
Review and revise Requests for Proposals, Requests for Information, and other procurement and procurement-related documents;
Maintain matters in the contracts tracking system including managing contract tracking data, contract revisions, and final contract data reporting;
Assist with running reports/searches/queries using the legal matter management system;
Create and maintain various templates, databases, clause libraries and spreadsheets and other systems to increase efficiencies;
Conduct basic legal research;
Maintain positive and professional relationships with client business units to facilitate cooperation in carrying out responsibilities;
Serve as liaison to procurement office at System Administration;
Other duties as assigned.

Minimum Qualifications Required Qualifications:

Bachelor's Degree and/or paralegal degree or certification.
A minimum of two to three years of experience as a paralegal or legal assistant and/or equivalent experience in a legal department or law firm setting.
Excellent organizational skills, with the ability to prioritize a variety of projects simultaneously while paying attention to details.
Effective oral, written, and non-verbal communication skills.
Strong analytical, judgment, and decision-making skills.
Experience with Microsoft Office applications including Word, SharePoint, Teams, Excel, Power Point and Outlook; demonstrated ability to learn evolving office technology and databases.
Experience handling sensitive and confidential information.
Demonstrated ability to function effectively in a fast-paced environment with multiple and changing priorities and objectives.

Preferred Qualifications:

Experience working on procurements, contracts, and business transactions.
Familiarity with state government procurement and contracting procedures.
Experience with establishing and maintaining complex filing systems, and large volumes of information and documents.
Experience with assisting with the development of policies, templates, and trainings.
Notary public licensure.