Contract Specialist

redcellpartners; McLean (VA); Hybrid; USD 140,000 - 190,000; Full time

Job summary

Red Cell Partners is seeking a seasoned Contracts professional to lead administration across prime and subcontracts, NDAs, and OTAs in a fast-paced government-tech environment. You will manage full lifecycle contracts, negotiate terms, and ensure compliance with FAR/DFARS while protecting IP and data rights.

The role requires 7+ years in government contracting, active Secret clearance with TS/SCI eligibility, and a hybrid Tysons Corner/Washington DC area presence, with at least two days on-site.

Qualifications

• 7+ years in government contracts with portfolio ownership.
• Deep working knowledge of FAR/DFARS and ability to negotiate under time pressure.
• Experience across full lifecycle: pre-award, pricing, negotiation, post-award administration.
• Experience with OTAs, CSOs, SBIR Phase III, and consortium awards.
• Active Secret clearance at minimum, with eligibility for TS/SCI.
• Based in or willing to relocate to the DC metro area with hybrid on-site at Tysons Corner (2 days/wk).

Responsibilities

• Lead Contract Administration & Lifecycle Management for prime/subcontracts, NDAs, and OT follow-ons.
• Oversee pricing and cost strategy, including compliance reviews and negotiations.
• Own Capture & Proposal Support: representations, certifications, past performance, OCI mitigation.
• Ensure Compliance & Government Accounting: FAR/DFARS, cost accounting, and audit readiness.

Skills

Government contracts

FAR/DFARS knowledge

Contract lifecycle mgmt

OTAs & SBIR experience

Negotiation

Security clearance readiness

Job description

About Us

Red Cell Partners is an incubation firm building and investing in rapidly scalable technology-led companies that are bringing revolutionary advancements to market in three distinct practice areas: healthcare, cyber, and national security. United by a shared sense of duty and deep belief in the power of innovation, Red Cell is developing powerful tools and solutions to address our Nation's most pressing problems.

What You’ll Work On

Contract Administration & Lifecycle Management

Serve as the primary point of contact for Contracting Officers, Contracting Officer’s Representatives, and prime contractor counterparts across the portfolio.

Draft, review, and administer the full range of agreements: prime contracts, subcontracts, NDAs, teaming agreements, CRADAs, Other Transaction Agreements and OT follow-on production agreements, consulting agreements, and IP and data rights terms.

Manage contract vehicles and award types end to end - FFP, T&M, CPFF, CPIF, IDIQ and task order, BPA, GSA MAS, NASA SEWP, OTA consortium awards, SBIR/STTR Phase I-III, and Commercial Solutions Openings.

Lead negotiation of terms and conditions, flowdowns, and modifications; identify and mitigate risk in indemnification, limitation of liability, termination, warranty, and intellectual property clauses.

Protect company IP and data rights - assert and defend SBIR data rights, limited rights in technical data, and restricted rights in noncommercial software, and prevent inadvertent grants of unlimited rights.

Maintain the contracts repository, obligation and funding trackers, CDRL schedules, option exercise calendars, and the closeout pipeline so nothing lapses, overruns, or goes unbilled.

Pricing & Cost Strategy

Develop and maintain the company’s provisional and forward pricing rate structure - fringe, overhead, G&A, and where applicable material handling - in partnership with Finance.

Participate price-to-win analysis and competitive pricing strategy; model trade-offs between price, scope, risk posture, and margin, and give leadership a clear recommendation rather than a spreadsheet.

Review certified cost or pricing data submissions and support Truthful Cost or Pricing Data (TINA) compliance, commercial product and commercial service determinations, and price reasonableness justifications.

Capture & Proposal Support

Own all contractual and administrative volumes - representations and certifications, past performance, small business subcontracting plans, OCI mitigation plans, and any exceptions taken to terms.

Support teaming strategy: evaluate prime versus subcontractor positioning, negotiate work share and exclusivity, and paper the relationships early enough to matter.

Participate in bid/no-bid point of view. You should be comfortable advising the team when a pursuit is not worth the capture dollars.

Compliance & Government Accounting

Track FAR, DFARS, and agency supplement compliance across the portfolio, and translate regulatory requirements into workflows that engineers and program managers will actually follow.

Serve as the primary interface for DCAA and DCMA on incurred cost submissions, provisional billing rate proposals, floor checks, and business system reviews.

Advise on Cost Accounting Standards applicability and disclosure statement requirements, and on allowability, allocability, and reasonableness determinations under FAR Part 31.

Track compliance with CMMC and DFARS 252.204-7012 safeguarding requirements, export controls (ITAR and EAR), organizational conflict of interest rules, Procurement Integrity Act obligations, and small business and socioeconomic program requirements.

What You Bring

Required

• 7+ years in government contracts, including at least 3 years at a management level owning a portfolio or a function.
• Deep working command of the FAR and DFARS - not reference-level familiarity, but the ability to negotiate from them under time pressure.
• Demonstrated experience across the full lifecycle: pre-award capture support, pricing and proposal development, negotiation, post-award administration, and closeout.
• Experience with both traditional FAR-based procurement and non-traditional pathways such as OTAs, CSOs, SBIR Phase III, and consortium awards.
• Active Secret clearance at minimum, with eligibility and willingness to upgrade to TS/SCI.
• Based in, or willing to relocate to, the Washington, DC metro area, with hybrid on-site presence expected. We are looking for someone who can work in our Tysons Corneroffice at least 2 days per week.

Strongly Preferred

• Experience at a defense technology company, whether a prime or a startup.
• Experience on an early-stage team, such as a new vertical within a company or at a startup.
• Experience with DoD, Intelligence Community, DHS, or federal law enforcement customers, and familiarity with classified contracting and DD Form 254 requirements.
• Software, AI/ML, autonomy, or hardware-intensive product contracting experience, including commercial pr