The Contract Officer will work as part of a General and Administrative team within Mongolia Business Unit reporting to the Director of Finance and Operations and will be responsible for drafting, negotiating, and managing low to medium risk contracts for services and procurement activities. The Contracts Officer will administer entire contract management cycle ensuring compliance with TNC processes, procedures and requirements, as well applicable local laws and practice: planning, drafting, obtaining necessary approvals and signatures, registering, filing and tracking contracts, grants and other types of services and procurement agreements for the BU. This position will be working closely with project managers and coordinators by providing advice related to agreements (type, payment schedule, deliverables, etc.), supporting in drafting the Terms of Reference, Scope and Specifications in English and Mongolian, and with regional Legal, Operations, and Grants Specialists to ensure that the terms and conditions of the agreement are appropriate and comply with current SOPs.

This position will prepare monthly reports regarding contractual due dates, payments, deliverables, expiration dates, amendments and revisions and review contractors’ deliverables and expense reports. They will provide support and targeted training related to contracts and grants, with following responsibilities and scope:

• Work within scope of program’s strategic goals.
• Advise Project Managers on required forms, approvals, reviews and other procedures.
• Draft contracts and grants with basic input from the project managers, amending and extending the contracts using appropriate templates provided by the TNC Legal Department.
• Assist in drafting the contract terms of reference, scope of services in accordance with requirements.
• Conducting standard due diligence, completing questionnaires and inquiries, checklists and memos prior to the execution of agreement, when applicable.
• Obtain required forms and information from the potential contractors, vendors or grantees, perform screenings.
• Submit final agreements to the appropriate signatory for authorization.
• Maintain a record with relevant deadlines, payment schedules, and informing the managers of upcoming deadlines.
• Maintain proper internal, auditable file for each contract and grants.
• Participate in the assessment of contractor performance, address and report poor performance and/or non-compliance with contractual obligations
• Develop a strong understanding of TNC Standard operating procedures on Agreements, Purchasing, Procurement, Grants and Conflict of Interest.
• Provide informal and formal trainings to staff and long-term contractors and vendors.
• Develops knowledge on TNC available agreement templates and liaises with Legal when agreements are updated or new are needed.
• Reviews long-term contractors’ expense reports monthly and when needed.
• Acts as a delegate for absent finance staff by recording and processing payments.
• Supports the operations staff in developing and drafting the operational plans, manuals and guidelines.
• May assist project monitoring and learning staff in contract close outs, including identifying, documenting and disseminating best practices and lessons learned.
• Demonstrate sensitivity in handling confidential information.
• Ensure compliance with Conservancy policies and procedures, and external (donor/legal/IRS) requirements.