Contingent Workforce Director

Strativ Group; San Francisco (CA); Hybrid; USD 180,000 - 280,000; Full time

Job summary

Strativ Group is partnering with a Defense-Tech business and seeks a veteran leader to design and scale a contingent workforce program. You will define strategy, policy, and supplier models, and stand up the technology and governance to unify contractors, consultants, and SOW partners.

You will build the program from the ground up, lead a small team, and advise executives on staffing speed, cost savings, and compliance with ITAR/EAR and related regulations.

Qualifications

• 10+ years in contingent workforce management and related fields.
• 5+ years leading a contingent workforce program.
• Proven ability to build programs from scratch or redesign existing ones.
• Hands-on VMS implementation experience with MSP collaboration.
• Deep knowledge of U.S. worker classification and contractor compliance.
• Strong commercial skills with supplier negotiations and savings.
• Ability to tell a clear data-driven story to executives and move fast in ambiguity.

Responsibilities

• Set the strategy, vision, operating model, and roadmap for contingent programs.
• Define governance, policy, and co-employment/compliance frameworks.
• Stand up the technology and connect HR, finance, IT, and security systems.
• Shape the supplier market with MSPs and master agreements.
• Turn data into decisions with spend, headcount, and performance reporting.
• Lead and influence engineering, manufacturing, and program leaders as the program scales.

Skills

Contingent WM

Workforce solutions

Talent acquisition

Procurement

Program leadership

VMS experience

Negotiation

Data storytelling

Executive briefing

Tools

SAP Fieldglass

Beeline

Workday VNDLY

Job description

This is a hybrid role and can be based in Seattle, San Mateo, San Diego or Washington DC.

Strativ Group is partnering with a Defense-Tech business that is scaling fast across engineering, manufacturing, test and field operations. A growing share of that capacity comes from contractors, consultants and specialist partners, and we need someone to build the program that brings it all together.

This is a blank-sheet role. There is no legacy program to inherit. You will design the strategy, policy, technology and supplier model for our entire contingent workforce, and you will see your decisions shape how the company grows.

What you'll do

• Set the strategy. Define the vision, operating model and roadmap for contingent workforce programs, and decide how contractors, consultants and SOW partners fit into our total talent plan.
• Build the guardrails. Write the policy and governance model, and partner with Legal and Security to manage worker classification, co-employment, clearance, export-control (ITAR/EAR) and FAR/DFARS compliance.
• Stand up the technology. Select and implement a vendor management system and connect it to HR, finance, IT access and security systems so we have one view of our extended workforce.
• Shape the supplier market. Choose MSP and staffing partners, negotiate rate cards and master agreements, and build a SOW framework for engineering and technical services.
• Turn data into decisions. Build the reporting on spend, headcount, time-to-fill and supplier performance that leadership uses to plan programs.
• Lead and influence. Advise engineering, manufacturing and program leaders on how to staff fast, and build a small, high-performing team as the program scales.

What you'll bring

• 10+ years in contingent workforce management, workforce solutions, talent acquisition or procurement, including 5+ years leading a contingent workforce program.
• Proof that you have built a program from scratch or fundamentally redesigned one.
• Hands-on experience implementing a VMS (such as SAP Fieldglass, Beeline or Workday VNDLY) and working with an MSP.
• Deep knowledge of U.S. worker classification and contractor compliance.
• Strong commercial skills, with a record of negotiating supplier agreements and delivering measurable savings.
• Comfort with data and the ability to tell a clear story to executives.
• The judgment to move fast in ambiguity, ship a workable version and iterate.

Bonus points for experience in defense, aerospace or government contracting; familiarity with CMMC, DCAA timekeeping and cleared-workforce processes; international contractor and EOR experience; or an SIA CCWP credential.

Location and eligibility

• This is a hybrid role based in San Diego, San Mateo, Seattle or Washington, DC, with [X] days per week on site and occasional travel to our other facilities, test sites and suppliers.
• This role requires access to export-controlled information. Applicants must be U.S. persons as defined by 22 CFR 120.62.