This is a remote position.

Contract Manager (Contract Monitor)

Position Summary

The Contract Manager acts as the single point of contact for all matters concerning the Contractor?s performance under the NC Medicaid PDM/CVO Contract. This individual holds delegated authority to make decisions that are binding on the Contract, is accountable for timely completion of the project, and is responsible for meeting all contractual obligations across the DDI, Certification, and O&M phases. The role owns the contract compliance baseline ? the traceable line from every RFP requirement, Service Level Agreement, deliverable, and work product through to accepted performance and paid invoice ? and is the Department?s escalation point for contractual matters. The Contract Manager works in close partnership with the Deputy Account Director, Project Manager, Change Manager, and Business Operations Manager, but is the named individual the State holds accountable for the four corners of the agreement.

Key Responsibilities

? Serve as the single point of contact for all matters concerning the Contractor?s performance under the Contract, with the authority to make decisions that are binding on the Contract.

? Own accountability for timely completion of the project and for meeting all contractual obligations, coordinating with the Deputy Account Director, Implementation Director, and Project Manager to keep performance, schedule, and cost commitments aligned.

? Establish and maintain the contract compliance baseline: a traceable mapping of all MES-REQ / PDM-REQ requirements, MES-SPC / PDM-SPC specifications, Attachment L Service Level Agreements, Attachment M deliverables, and Attachment W work products to the obligations they satisfy ? maintained in coordination with the Change Manager, who owns the Requirements Traceability Matrix.

? Administer the Service Level Agreement regime end to end: monthly SLA Reporting, SLA validation and verification automation with the State, root cause analysis for missed SLAs, and remediation plans. Track and reconcile liquidated damages, which may not exceed 10% of monthly invoices due, and manage the 10% retainage.

? Manage the deliverable lifecycle for contractual and payment purposes: Deliverable Expectation Document (DED) negotiation and approval, submission, State review and comment cycles, resubmission, formal acceptance, and certification of milestone-based payments.

? Own invoicing, payment milestone certification, budget-to-actual reconciliation against the approved Cost Workbook (Attachment E), and resolution of invoice disputes and withholdings.

? Manage contract amendments, change orders, and any Change Request carrying contractual, budget, scope, or schedule impact ? partnering with the Change Manager on the Change Management Plan and CR Approval Process and ensuring changes are executed only under proper contractual authority.

? Administer Key Personnel obligations under Attachment K: proposed substitutions and the supporting name, role, relevant experience, credentials, and requested effective date; ensuring no Key Personnel role is left vacant; notifying the Department of interim personnel; and delivering an updated organizational chart within five (5) business days of the Department?s approval of a substitution.

? Maintain and exercise the detailed staffing contingency plan for sudden and unexpected increases in transaction volume or user counts, coordinated with the Department per Attachment K(d).

? Manage subcontractor and teaming agreements, including flow-down of contractual, security, privacy, and HUB/small business participation obligations, and monitor subcontractor performance against those flow-downs.

? Serve as custodian for contractual records, retention obligations, confidentiality and Business Associate Agreement commitments, and respond to Department, CMS, and State Auditor?s Office (SAO) audit and information requests in coordination with the Business Operations Manager.

? Act as the escalation and dispute-resolution point for contractual notices, cure notices, corrective action plans, performance remediation, and Department requests for removal of Vendor personnel.

? Ensure ongoing compliance with North Carolina procurement statutes and certifications, NC DIT Terms and Conditions, E-Verify, debarment and suspension, conflict of interest, and gift-ban requirements throughout the Contract term.

? Own the contractual dimension of turnover: coordinate the Turnover Plan submitted at least nine (9) months before the end of the final Contract year, including transition of records, licenses, data, and knowledge.

? Prepare and present contract performance reporting to Department leadership, including SLA attainment, deliverable acceptance status, open change requests, risks and issues with contractual exposure, and option-year readiness.

Work Environment

? Remote-first, with availability to work at the State?s primary project location in Raleigh, NC at the Department?s request for contract reviews, risk review meetings, root cause analysis sessions, operational readiness reviews, and implementation events.

? 100% dedicated to this Contract. Any proposal of this resource at less than 100% requires approval by the State Contract Manager.

? Engaged across the full contract lifecycle: an initial term of five (5) years with two (2) optional one-year extensions.

? Standard business hours, Eastern Time, with additional availability during deliverable acceptance windows, SLA disputes, go-live, and contract-year transitions.

? Subject to Department approval of any substitution; the role may not be left vacant at any time.

Requirements

Required Qualifications

? Bachelor?s degree in business administration, public administration, health administration, finance, or a related field; or an equivalent combination of education and directly relevant experience.

? Minimum of five (5) years? contract management experience managing related services with similar budgets, preferably in Medicaid or the healthcare industry, and for a project similar in size and scope to this project.

? Demonstrated delegated authority to make binding contractual decisions on behalf of a contracting organization, evidenced by prior service as a named contract manager or contract administrator on a public-sector contract.

? Hands-on experience administering Service Level Agreements with liquidated damages and retainage provisions on a state or federal health program contract, including SLA reporting, root cause analysis, and remediation.

? Experience managing deliverable-based contracts with formal expectation documents, State review and acceptance cycles, and milestone-linked payment.

? Working knowledge of public-sector procurement and contracting frameworks ? North Carolina General Statutes Chapter 143, NC DIT Terms and Conditions, or a comparable state or federal equivalent.

? Familiarity with HIPAA, HITECH, PHI/PII safeguarding obligations, Business Associate Agreements, and data classification and handling policies applicable to Medicaid contractors.

? Demonstrated ability to manage subcontractors and teaming partners, including flow-down compliance and small business / HUB participation reporting.

? Strong written communication skills; able to produce contract correspondence, remediation plans, executive performance reporting, and audit responses with equal clarity.

Preferred Qualifications

? Certified Professional Contracts Manager (CPCM), Certified Federal Contracts Manager (CFCM), or Certified Commercial Contracts Manager (CCCM) through NCMA; or Project Management Professional (PMP) through PMI.

? Prior contract management experience on a North Carolina Medicaid program (NCTracks, NC MES/MIMS modules) or another state Medicaid Enterprise System modular procurement.

? Familiarity with CMS Streamlined Modular Certification (SMC), the Medicaid Information Technology Architecture (MITA) 3.0 framework, and enhanced federal financial participation (FFP) conditions.

? Experience with contracts supporting provider enrollment, screening, credentialing, or NCQA-accredited Credentialing Verification Organization operations.

? Experience operating within State-provided enterprise ITSM governance in a multi-vendor systems integration environment.

? Master?s degree (MBA, MPA, MHA) or Juris Doctor.

Benefits