Director, APAC Commercial Contracts and Negotiations
Bain & Company · Kuala Lumpur +5 · 4d ago
COMPANY OVERVIEW
Bain & Company is one of the world's leading global business consulting firms, serving clients across six continents. It was founded in 1973 on the principle that consultants must measure their success in terms of their clients' financial results. Bain's clients have outperformed the stock market 4 to 1. With offices in all major cities, Bain has worked with over 4,400 major multinational and other corporations from every economic sector, in every region of the world.
WHAT MAKES US A GREAT PLACE TO WORK
We are proud to be consistently recognized as one of the world’s best places to work. We are currently the top ranked consulting firm on Glassdoor’s Best Places to Work list and have earned the #1 overall spot a record seven times.
Extraordinary teams are at the heart of our business strategy, but these don’t happen by chance. They require intentional focus on bringing together a broad set of backgrounds, cultures, experiences, perspectives, and skills in a supportive and inclusive work environment. We hire people with exceptional talent and create an environment in which every individual can thrive professionally and personally.
The Director, Contracts & Analysis leads the negotiation of commercial contract terms across a portfolio of client agreements and service lines, including results-based compensation (RBC) and other performance-linked constructs. The role partners with case teams, Legal, Finance and members of Bain's Consulting Leadership Team throughout the negotiation process and is accountable for the assessment and clear communication of issues, analysis and risks arising from proposed commercial terms.
As a subject-matter resource on commercial terms and a business partner to the Leadership Team, the role builds and maintains the repeatable policies, templates and processes that govern contracting execution. It leads RBC governance and retrospective reviews of material programs, and drives updates to internal IP and best practice in step with global COE guidance.
Principal Accountabilities
Contracting and negotiation
- Lead negotiation of commercial contract terms across a portfolio of client agreements, working with Bain's client-facing, Legal and Finance teams to review proposals and draft contracts and provide guidance in support of client discussions
- Support Partners and the RCFO through the path to proposal and contracting stage, including commenting on pricing and proposal terms
- Proactively review existing contracts and amendments to identify open issues and address them with Partners to ensure timely renewals; partner with Office Heads to avoid expiration of rate cards
- Build and maintain the repeatable policies, templates and processes that govern contracting execution
RBC construct support and governance
- Partner with case teams and commercial leadership on RBC construct design and approval strategy, ensuring structures are consistent with internal guidelines, regional norms and all required approval dimensions
- Lead steerco preparation and facilitation for material live programs; maintain a governance cadence appropriate to program size and risk, and surface course-correction options early
- Lead retrospective analysis of completed programs against original business cases; identify portfolio-wide patterns and package findings as structured inputs to IP, construct calibration and approval guidance
IP, process, systems and reporting
- Drive updates to internal RBC IP and best practice, synthesising retrospective analysis, practice team input and global COE guidance into refreshed guides and training
- Develop metrics, dashboards and reports to monitor revenue cycle execution and provide insight for management planning; drive quality standards in execution
- Perform ad hoc analysis and activities as required for Finance and other internal and external stakeholders; consistently act in alignment with Bain's Operating Principles
Qualifications:
- Bachelor’s degree in Business, Accounting, Mathematics, Finance or Economics
- 10-15 years of progressive work experience in Finance roles including responsibility for providing senior management team support
- Manager level experience at a Big 4 public accounting firm combined with industry experience focused on commercial terms, analysis and negotiation
- Experience with performance-linked or RBC commercial structures in APAC markets
- Solid understanding of accounting, controls, financial principles and analysis, combined with experience in applying this knowledge to develop practical recommendations and communicate them effectively to senior stakeholders
- Knowledge of GAAP requirements including revenue recognition
- Demonstrated comprehension of financial and legal concepts that impact contract terms and conditions, including performance-linked and RBC constructs
- Strong process management skills
- Strong analytical, communication, conceptual thinking and problem-solving capabilities, with demonstrated ability to envision the 'big picture' while maintaining close attention to detail
- Experience managing people both directly and indirectly in a project or team environment
- Advanced experience with various software applications (Excel, PowerPoint)
- Proven ability to operate in a dynamic and deadline-driven environment
- Demonstrated ability to lead project/work activities and manage multiple priorities