AVP, Legal Counsel, Enterprise Contracts

Alternate Locations: Radnor, PA (Pennsylvania); Charlotte, NC (North Carolina); Fort Wayne, IN (Indiana); Greensboro, NC (North Carolina); Hartford, CT (Connecticut)     Work Arrangement: Hybrid : Employee will work 3 days a week in a Lincoln office   Relocation assistance:   is not available for this opportunity.   Requisition #:  76631   The Role at a Glance

As the AVP, Legal Counsel, Enterprise Contracts, you will serve as a key strategic legal advisor supporting Lincoln's buy-side contracting and related activities. You will partner with business clients and cross functional stakeholders to structure, negotiate, and execute a broad range of commercial transactions, including software-as-a-service agreements, outsourcing agreements, professional services agreements, licensing agreements, supply agreements, equipment leases, and event agreements.   In this role, you will have a leadership role in negotiating transactions representing tens or hundreds of millions of dollars in annual spend, balancing business objectives with legal, financial, operational, and reputational risk considerations. You will provide practical, business focused legal counsel that enables informed decision making while safeguarding the organization's interests.   Additionally, you will play an important role in shaping Lincoln's contracting strategy and governance framework by driving best practices, enhancing contracting processes, improving operational efficiency, and fostering a culture of effective risk management and strong business partnership across the enterprise. Through your leadership, collaboration, and subject matter expertise, you will help advance strategic initiatives and deliver meaningful business impact. What you'll be doing

Provide subject matter expertise on a broad range of commercial transactions, including software-as-a-service agreements, outsourcing agreements, professional services agreements, licensing agreements, supply agreements, equipment leases, and event agreements. Serve as a trusted legal advisor to business leaders and key stakeholders, delivering practical, risk-based guidance aligned with business objectives. Act as a key contributor in cross functional team environments, partnering with business units to identify, assess, and mitigate legal, financial, operational, and reputational risks. Collaborate with peers and leadership across business units and corporate functions to champion contracting excellence, drive change management initiatives, and implement process improvements. Create, refine, and drive adoption of enterprise contracting standards, playbooks, and best practices to improve consistency, efficiency, and risk management outcomes. Develop and define appropriate objectives and performance standards related to quality, compliance, operational effectiveness, and productivity within assigned areas of responsibility. Provide legal counsel and thought leadership to internal stakeholders on complex and highly visible projects and initiatives. Foster an inclusive and collaborative environment by encouraging dialogue, welcoming diverse perspectives, and supporting sound decision making across teams. Continuously monitor emerging legal and industry developments affecting commercial contracting and vendor management, assessing potential impacts and recommending proactive strategies. What we’re looking for

Must-Haves

10+ years of legal experience with significant focus on commercial contracts directly aligned with the responsibilities of this role. J.D. from an American Bar Association accredited law school and active membership in at least one state Bar in good standing. Advanced knowledge and expertise across all facets of contract law, including contract formation, negotiation, interpretation, enforcement, and dispute mitigation. Solid command of privacy, information security and artificial intelligence considerations as they relate to