Contract Administrator

Meritage Hospitality Group is seeking a Contract Administrator to join the team!

What You'll Do:

The Contract Administrator is the primary point of contact for purposes of contracting with and managing relationships with various utilities and service providers for our restaurants. Contract Administrators also work directly with counties and municipalities during the acquisition of existing franchise restaurants and opening of new restaurants to ensure that all necessary licensing requirements have been fully satisfied.

Responsibilities and Essential Duties:

Contract Setup

• Setup services and ensure equipment delivered timely for newly built and acquired stores.
• Assist with vendor selection in connection with new and acquired restaurants.
• Setup vendors in contract management system.
• Collect and track certificates of insurance from new service providers.
• Assist with negotiation of contracts.

Contract Management

• Maintain contract tracking system to be able to track and renew contracts in a timely fashion.
• Manage service contracts and vendor information for various service providers such as landscaping, snowplowing, used cooking oil, pest control, grease extraction, hood cleaning, CO2 and trash collection across multiple markets.
• Manage utility contracts associated with new and acquired restaurants including assisting with the selection of utility providers in deregulated markets.
• Track compliance services to ensure vendors complete the services as scheduled and required by state, county, and local municipalities, and by our insurance providers.
• Ensure contract coverage across all locations for required services to avoid service disruption.

Contract Budgets & Invoicing

• Assist in creating budget each year based on existing contracts and upcoming renewals (including setting company goals for contract increases).
• Maintain vendor performance vs. budget throughout the year, reviewing as new contracts are signed or renewals completed.
• Administration of CMMS System as it relates to vendor quotes, review and invoice approval and management.
• Other duties as assigned

What We Expect From You

The team at Meritage is made up of dedicated, hard-working individuals who exemplify the core values of Meritage. This team has high expectations for themselves and anyone who desires to join them. They also have a lot of fun together and truly enjoy working with one another. It is a team where excellence is expected and accomplishments are celebrated. To join this team, you'll need to demonstrate the same high standards. You'll also need the following qualifications:

Skills & Abilities:

• Strong organizational skills and exceptional attention to detail, with the ability to track numerous contracts, renewal dates, and vendors simultaneously without items slipping through the cracks.
• Clear, professional written and verbal communication for working with vendors, utility providers, and municipal offices.
• Proficiency with Microsoft Office, particularly Excel (sorting, filtering, and basic formulas) and Outlook, with the ability to quickly learn a contract-management or CMMS platform.
• Basic numeracy and comfort reviewing invoices, quotes, and budget figures for accuracy and discrepancies.
• Customer-service and relationship-management orientation when coordinating with service providers.
• Ability to read and interpret straightforward contract terms, certificates of insurance, and service schedules.
• Sound problem-solving and dependable follow-through to resolve service gaps and billing or compliance issues.
• Effective time management and the ability to prioritize competing deadlines in a fast-paced, multimarket environment.
• Discretion and good judgment when handling confidential vendor and company information.
• A collaborative team player who can also work independently with minimal supervision following training.

Education & Experience

• High school diploma or equivalent required; an Associate's or Bachelor's degree in business administration, supply chain, finance, or a related field is preferred.
• 1 to 2 years of administrative, procurement, vendor-coordination, or contract-support experience; relevant internship or coursework will be considered.

What You Can Expect From Us

As a member of Meritage, you will enjoy the following benefits:

• Competitive base salary and bonus plans
• Health insurance, including medical, dental, vision, and HSA options
• Paid Time Off and Holidays
• 401k
• Meal discounts at all Meritage affiliated restaurants
• Plus various additional perks and benefits

Meritage Hospitality Group, headquartered in Grand Rapids, MI, is one of the nation's premier restaurant operators with more than 300 restaurants operating in 15 states. We are one of the largest Wendy's franchisees and just opened our first Bojangles restaurant. In addition to quick service, we have developed West Michigan casual dining concepts The Blue Porch and Morning Belle. Each of our concepts deliver a distinct dining experience for our guests and a work environment rich with opportunity for our approximately 9,000 team members.

At Meritage, we are Inspired by Opportunity and Achieve Success Through Service. We live by our five Core Values - Uncommon Hospitality, Run It Like You Own It, Collective Genius, The Sky is the Limit, and We Love What We Do.

Now is the time to join!

We are an Equal Opportunity Employer. Inclusion is at the heart of our business.