Contract Manager

Citra Space Corporation; Colorado Springs (CO); On-site; USD 125,000 - 150,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Paid healthcare for employees and dependents

Employer HSA contributions

Unlimited PTO

Job summary

Citra Space Corporation based in Colorado Springs is looking for a Contract Manager to oversee its end-to-end contracts function. The role involves drafting and negotiating various agreements and requires over 7 years of relevant experience, particularly in aerospace or defense.

Responsibilities include supporting business development, managing compliance obligations, and collaborating with finance and operations to ensure accurate contract representation. This position demands excellent communication skills and a strong understanding of FAR/DFARS contracting concepts.

Compensation includes a salary between $125k and $150k, healthcare benefits, and unlimited PTO.

Qualifications

• 7+ years of contracts, legal operations, procurement, or government contracts experience, especially in aerospace or defense.
• Strong understanding of FAR/DFARS contracting and commercial contracting concepts.
• Excellent communication skills with various stakeholders.

Responsibilities

• Own Citra's end-to-end contracts function including negotiation and compliance.
• Draft and review various types of agreements.
• Support government business development and manage obligations.

Skills

Contracts management

Legal operations

Government contracts

Negotiation skills

Attention to detail

Education

7+ years of relevant experience

Job description

Join Citra Space Corporation and help shape the future of space domain awareness (SDA). At Citra, we specialize in exploiting passive RF, radar, and electro‑optical technologies to track, identify, and characterize space objects, ensuring the safety and sustainability of on‑orbit activities. Our team tackles some of the most complex challenges in SDA, addressing threats posed by unidentified or anomalous space objects that could disrupt communications, damage infrastructure, or compromise national security. As a member of our team, you’ll work in a fast‑paced, collaborative environment where your expertise will directly contribute to solving critical problems that impact the future of global space operations.

Job Description

Contract Manager

Responsibilities

• Own Citra’s end‑to‑end contracts function, including intake, review, negotiation, execution, tracking, compliance support, renewals, and closeout
• Draft, review, and negotiate a broad range of agreements, including commercial contracts, government contracts, subcontracts, teaming agreements, NDAs, vendor agreements, data rights terms, software/SaaS terms, statements of work, and amendments
• Support government business development and proposal activities by reviewing solicitations, identifying contractual risks, preparing compliance inputs, and helping structure bids, teaming arrangements, and subcontract terms
• Serve as Citra’s internal expert on prime/subcontractor relationships, including flow‑down clauses, prime customer requirements, deliverables, invoicing milestones, acceptance criteria, and contract change management
• Partner with leadership to develop practical contracting strategies that balance speed, risk, customer needs, compliance obligations, and long‑term business goals
• Work with finance and operations to ensure contracts are accurately reflected in revenue planning, billing, procurement, reporting, and internal controls
• Help manage obligations related to FAR/DFARS clauses, data rights, IP ownership, export controls, cybersecurity/security requirements, representations and certifications, and government customer requirements
• Build and maintain contract templates, clause playbooks, negotiation guidelines, approval workflows, and a searchable contract repository
• Track key obligations, deadlines, deliverables, renewals, reporting requirements, and contractual risks across active agreements
• Advise internal teams on contract interpretation, customer commitments, subcontractor obligations, and practical paths to resolution when issues arise
• Support subcontractor and vendor negotiations, especially where Citra is performing as a prime or subcontractor on government or aerospace programs

Qualifications

• 7+ years of contracts, legal operations, procurement, government contracts, or commercial contracting experience, ideally in aerospace, defense, national security, space, software, or deep tech
• Strong working knowledge of FAR/DFARS contracting concepts, flow‑down clauses, teaming agreements, subcontracts, government solicitations, and proposal support
• Experience negotiating with prime contractors, government customers, commercial customers, vendors, and strategic partners
• Ability to identify risk, explain tradeoffs clearly, and recommend practical business‑oriented solutions
• Strong drafting skills and attention to detail, with the judgment to know when to push, when to expedite, and when to move quickly
• Comfort operating independently in a fast‑moving environment where processes are still being built
• Excellent cross‑functional communication skills, especially with technical, finance, business development, and executive stakeholders
• High integrity and sound judgment when handling sensitive customer, government, pricing, and technical information

Preferred Skills

• Experience in space, satellite systems, RF, ISR, autonomy, aerospace, defense software, or government SaaS/data products
• Experience supporting SBIR/STTR, OTAs, IDIQs, CRADAs, BAAs, commercial item contracts, or other federal acquisition pathways
• Experience with data rights, technical data, software licensing, IP ownership, and government‑purpose rights
• Familiarity with export controls, ITAR/EAR, CMMC, NIST 800‑171, facility/personnel security processes, or classified/unclassified government program environments
• Experience building a contracts function from the ground up at an early‑stage or growth‑stage company

Compensation and Benefits

• Base salary between $125k and $150k
• Paid healthcare for employees and dependents
• Employer HSA contributions
• Unlimited PTO

This position requires compliance with U.S. export control laws and regulations. Applicants must be U.S. citizens or lawful permanent residents as defined by 8 U.S.C. 1324b(a)(3) to meet the requirements of the International Traffic in Arms Regulations (ITAR) and/or Export Administration Regulations (EAR).