Contract Manager

Vallum Associates; Franklin (MA); On-site; USD 120,000 - 180,000; Full time

Job summary

Vallum Associates is seeking a Contracts Manager to direct the customer-facing administration of prime agreements and key subcontracts. You will guide a small team, own selected matters, and serve as the senior day-to-day contact for contracting officers and customer contracts teams on regulated hardware programs.

Working with program leadership across engineering, manufacturing, quality and supply chain, you will translate contractual commitments into practical execution plans and drive

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in business, finance, legal studies or a closely related discipline.
• Eight years of seller-side experience administering U.S. Government prime agreements and/or significant subcontracts.
• Hands-on ownership of definitizing customer-directed changes and preparing requests for equitable adjustment.
• Working knowledge of DD Form 250, Contract Data Requirements List, funding limitations including FAR 52.232-22, and final closeout.
• Experience supporting hardware production programs where delivery, inspection and acceptance requirements were central.
• Demonstrable success leading, mentoring or developing contracts professionals.
• Strong knowledge of FAR and DFARS; practical experience with firm-fixed-price, time-and-materials and cost-reimbursement structures.
• Credible negotiation, written communication, organization and decision-making skills.
• Confident use of Microsoft Word and Excel.

Responsibilities

• Set priorities for the contracts team, coach individual performance and provide rigorous review of contractual outputs before release.
• Act as the initial management escalation for disputes, customer concerns, delivery exposure and matters requiring timely executive visibility.
• Work alongside program leadership, engineering, manufacturing, quality and supply chain colleagues to translate contractual commitments into practical execution plans.
• Bring a contracts perspective into captures, bids and governance reviews, identifying commercial exposure early and shaping an appropriate negotiation position.
• Direct the review of solicitations and proposal requirements, including representations and certifications, pricing-volume inputs and compliance matrices.
• Lead or supervise negotiations involving complex development, manufacturing and schedule-driven deliverables.
• Confirm that executed awards have been properly analyzed, established in internal systems and clearly briefed to teams accountable for performance.
• Maintain management oversight of funding, milestones, data submissions, amendments, correspondence and customer approvals throughout performance.
• Resolve difficult issues involving scope evolution, delivery dates, inspection, acceptance, configuration control or production change.
• Ensure contract completion and closeout activities are accurate, prompt and fully supported by the record.
• Maintain governance consistent with FAR, DFARS, relevant agency provisions and internal controls; support audits, organizational conflict reviews and regulatory updates.
• Introduce consistency across the portfolio through improved procedures, communication and team training.

Skills

negotiation

written communication

organization

decision-making

leadership

mentoring

Education

Bachelor’s degree in business/finance/legal studies

Tools

Deltek Costpoint

ServiceNow

Microsoft Word

Microsoft Excel

Job description

Our client is appointing a people-focused Contracts Manager to direct the customer-facing administration of prime agreements and strategically important seller-side subcontracts. You will guide a small team, retain ownership of selected matters, and act as the senior day-to-day contact for contracting officers and customer contracts teams. The position suits someone who can combine sound commercial judgement with the discipline required on regulated hardware programs.

We are representing an established U.S. technology and engineering organization that develops and manufactures sophisticated hardware for government and national-security customers. Its program span early engineering, low-rate initial production and scaled manufacturing, creating a commercially complex environment in which the contracts function has real influence over delivery and risk.

What you will be trusted to deliver

Set priorities for the contracts team, coach individual performance and provide rigorous review of contractual outputs before release.

Act as the initial management escalation for disputes, customer concerns, delivery exposure and matters requiring timely executive visibility.

Work alongside program leadership, engineering, manufacturing, quality and supply chain colleagues to translate contractual commitments into practical execution plans.

Bring a contracts perspective into captures, bids and governance reviews, identifying commercial exposure early and shaping an appropriate negotiation position.

Direct the review of solicitations and proposal requirements, including representations and certifications, pricing-volume inputs and compliance matrices.

Lead or supervise negotiations involving complex development, manufacturing and schedule-driven deliverables.

Confirm that executed awards have been properly analyzed, established in internal systems and clearly briefed to the teams accountable for performance.

Maintain management oversight of funding, milestones, data submissions, amendments, correspondence and customer approvals throughout performance.

Resolve difficult issues involving scope evolution, delivery dates, inspection, acceptance, configuration control or production change.

Ensure contract completion and closeout activities are accurate, prompt and fully supported by the record.

Maintain governance consistent with FAR, DFARS, relevant agency provisions and internal controls; support audits, organizational conflict reviews and regulatory updates.

Introduce consistency across the portfolio through improved procedures, communication and team training.

What you will bring

Bachelor’s degree in business, finance, legal studies or a closely related discipline.

At least eight years of seller-side experience administering U.S. Government prime agreements and/or significant subcontracts, including direct negotiation with a contracting officer or prime-customer contracts lead.

Hands-on ownership of definitizing customer-directed changes and preparing requests for equitable adjustment.

Working command of DD Form 250 inspection and acceptance, Contract Data Requirements List obligations, funding limitations including FAR 52.232-22, and final closeout.

Experience supporting a recognized hardware production program where delivery, inspection, acceptance and configuration requirements were central.

Demonstrable success leading, mentoring or developing contracts professionals.

Strong knowledge of FAR and DFARS, together with practical experience of firm-fixed-price, time-and-materials and cost-reimbursement structures.

Credible negotiation, written communication, organization and decision-making skills.

Confident use of Microsoft Word and Excel.

Additional advantages

Postgraduate qualification or an NCMA credential such as CPCM, CFCM or CCCM.

Exposure to programs moving from development into initial or full-rate production.

A track record of strengthening contracts processes or implementing enabling technology.

Familiarity with Deltek Costpoint and/or ServiceNow.