Legal Specialist (Operations, Contracts & Procurement)

Your mission 🚀

Your mission is to be the operational engine behind Innovamat’s expansion in the US. You will own the end-to-end readiness for every RFP/RFQ of school districts in the US, acting as the bridge between Sales, Legal, and external partners. When a new opportunity arises, you will take charge of identifying risks, coordinating internal stakeholders, and managing external requirements to ensure our submission is duly submitted on time.

Besides being the ultimate guardian of our ‘ready-to-contract’ status, you will proactively map and execute state-specific requirements, ensuring Innovamat stays ahead of compliance curves instead of reacting to them. You will transform our current reactive model into a structured, scalable compliance roadmap.

Key Responsabilities 🎯

Bid & RFP Lifecycle Management

• RFP/RFQ Support: Provide support to the Sales Team by onducting in-depth analysis of US school district bid documents to extract legal, technical, and administrative requirements.

• Risk Identification and Remediation: Review contract terms (indemnification, IP, insurance, etc.) and identify "red flags" and, when necessary, proporse operational workarounds.

• Submission Ownership: Lead the end-to-end collection and preparation of the "administrative envelope" (DPA, W-9s, Secretary of State certificates, notarized forms, board resolutions, etc).

• Deadline Enforcement: Manage the submission calendar, ensuring all internal and external stakeholders provide the necessary inputs for on-time delivery.

US Compliance & State Readiness

• Compliance Mapping: Research and document the mandatory regulatory landscape for each target state (Teacher certifications, Data Privacy, Sexal Harassment Training, Business Licensing, Tax registrations).

• Gap Analysis: Compare our current status against state-specific requirements and lead the execution of any missing filings, certifications or obligations.

• Process Implementation: Transition our compliance from a reactive "per-RFP" model to a proactive "state-ready" model, ensuring we are pre-qualified to bid before the opportunity even arises.

• Guardian of Eligibility: Own and maintain Innovamat’s "ready-to-contract" status by managing state-specific registrations, business licenses, vendor portals (Bonfire, DemandStar, SAM.gov), and mandatory milestones (tax filings, privacy renewals, and staff trainings)

• Asset & Best Practices Management: Put order and proactively manage key business enablers for RFPs, such as the company’s insurance portfolio (COIs), corporate documentation, and notary requirements, ensuring they meet US standards.

• Liaison Management: Act as the primary point of contact for US-based law firms and consultants to secure local legal opinions or specific state certifications.

• Bidding Library Management: Build and maintain a centralized repository of standardized responses and legal documentation to streamline future bidding processes.

Cross-functional Support

• Sales Enablement: Act as the operational partner for the US Sales team, providing the necessary documentation to clear any administrative hurdles during the sales cycle.

• Internal Coordination: Work closely with Finance, People, IT, Web Engineering and Product teams to ensure all company documentation required for US procurement is accurate and up to date.

Candidate Requirements ✅

Must-have (Basic Requirements):

• US Education Market Expertise: 3+ years of experience in contract management, procurement, or legal operations specifically within the US Education market.
• Bid Management Experience: Proven track record of handling RFPs/RFQs with public entities (ideally school districts or government agencies).
• Operational Ownership: A proactive "doer" mindset. Ability to manage tight deadlines and high-pressure submissions with minimal supervision.
• Legal/Business Background: Degree in Law, Business Administration, or a related field with a strong understanding of contractual, procurement and compliance language.
• Bilingual in English and Spanish: Native or C1/C2 level of English. You must be comfortable reading complex 100-page legal bids, drafting technical responses, and discussing terms with US-based stakeholders. Full professional proficiency in Spanish. You will be working daily with the HQ in Spain and other Spanish-speaking teams; the ability to translate US legal complexities into clear Spanish for internal stakeholders is key.
• Time Zone Alignment: Ability to work in a LATAM time zone (preferable ET/CT) to ensure overlap with the US Sales team.

Nice-to-have (Bonus Points):

• EdTech Industry Experience: Previous experience working for an Education Technology company and familiarity with US student data privacy (FERPA, COPPA, SOPPA, CSPC).
• Scale-up & Startup Experience: Previous experience in fast-paced, high-growth environments. You are comfortable with ambiguity and thrive in "building mode" rather than just "maintenance mode."
• Compliance Knowledge: Familiarity with data protection certifications or specific state-level training requirements (e.g., Sexual Harassment prevention).
• US Notary/Legal Liaison experience: Previous experience coordinating with US law firms or managing Secretary of State filings.
• Portal Proficiency: Hands-on experience with procurement platforms such as Bonfire, DemandStar, or SAM.gov.
• Project Management Tools: Experience using tools like Jira and other tools to track bid progress.

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