Director of Contracting

Texas A&M Engineering; College Station (TX); On-site; USD 150,000 - 210,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Medical insurance benefits

Tuition assistance

Paid time off

Job summary

INSPIRE Alliance is seeking a Director of Contracting to lead the contracting infrastructure for applied national security research and technology transition. You will manage the full lifecycle of federal contracts, grants, subcontracts, and teaming agreements, ensuring timely execution and sound risk management.

Reporting to the CFO, you will collaborate with executives, program managers, and legal teams to translate opportunities into executable agreements, overseeing compliance from proposal

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in business administration, public administration, law, finance, or a related field, or an equivalent combination of education and relevant experience consistent with applicable employment requirements.
• Ten years of progressively responsible contracting experience, including substantial experience negotiating and administering federal contracts and complex agreements.

Responsibilities

• Lead drafting, negotiation, administration, and closeout of prime contracts, subcontracts, grants, cooperative agreements, and teaming arrangements; coordinate execution by appropriately authorized officials.
• Serve as the principal contracting interface with government contracting personnel, industry partners, and institutional counterparts, consistent with assigned authority.
• Evaluate terms and conditions, funding limitations, deliverables, milestones, reporting requirements, payment provisions, intellectual property and data rights, publication provisions, and termination exposure.
• Manage contract actions, including modifications, options, task orders, funding changes, extensions, and closeout; maintain complete records of approvals and commitments.
• Provide clear guidance on contractual obligations and promptly elevate material performance, funding, compliance, or business risks to executive leadership.
• Assess the applicability of federal acquisition requirements, including FAR, DFARS, Cost Accounting Standards, and other sponsor requirements; coordinate specialized interpretation with legal and compliance personnel.

Job description

Job Title

Director of Contracting Agency Texas A&M Engineering Department Vice Chancellor Engineering Proposed Minimum Salary Commensurate Job Location College Station, Texas Job Type Staff

Job Description

The Director of Contracting serves as INSPIRE Alliance’s senior contracting professional and leads the development and administration of the contracting infrastructure needed to support applied national security research, engineering, and technology transition. Under the general direction of the Chief Financial Officer, the Director manages the full lifecycle of federal contracts, grants, cooperative agreements, subcontracts, and industry teaming arrangements. The Director establishes contracting practices that support timely execution, sound risk management, and compliance with applicable award terms and acquisition requirements. Working with executive leadership, finance, business development, program managers, principal investigators, and institutional partners, the Director translates opportunities into executable agreements, clarifies contractual obligations, and supports accountable performance from proposal through closeout.

Responsibilities

Contract Strategy and Lifecycle Management

• Lead the review, drafting, negotiation, administration, modification, and closeout of prime contracts, subcontracts, grants, cooperative agreements, and teaming arrangements; coordinate execution by appropriately authorized officials.
• Serve as the principal contracting interface with government contracting personnel, industry partners, and institutional counterparts, consistent with assigned authority.
• Evaluate terms and conditions, funding limitations, deliverables, milestones, reporting requirements, payment provisions, intellectual property and data rights, publication provisions, and termination exposure.
• Manage contract actions, including modifications, options, task orders, funding changes, extensions, and closeout; maintain complete records of approvals and commitments.
• Provide clear guidance on contractual obligations and promptly elevate material performance, funding, compliance, or business risks to executive leadership.

Federal Acquisition and Compliance

• Assess the applicability of federal acquisition requirements, including FAR, DFARS, Cost Accounting Standards, and other sponsor requirements; coordinate specialized interpretation with legal and compliance personnel.
• Develop solicitation and award compliance reviews, clause matrices, representations and certifications, and subcontract flow-down requirements appropriate to each agreement.
• Coordinate with research security, export control, information technology, legal, and compliance personnel to address contractual security, controlled information, cybersecurity, export, and foreign involvement requirements before commitments are made.
• Support contract reviews, audits, sponsor inquiries, and corrective actions with organized documentation and timely responses.

Proposal and Business Development Support

• Partner with business development and technical teams to evaluate opportunity eligibility, acquisition pathways, contractual requirements, teaming structures, and execution readiness.
• Review solicitation instructions and contractual submission requirements; coordinate required approvals, exceptions, and clarifications before proposal submission.
• Work with the Chief Financial Officer and Controller on pricing assumptions, contract type, billing terms, funding exposure, indirect cost treatment, and financial feasibility.
• Negotiate confidentiality agreements, teaming agreements, and related pre-award instruments in coordination with legal counsel and authorized signatories.

Subcontracts and Partner Agreements

• Establish subcontract and partner agreement processes that document scope, deliverables, funding, applicable clauses, reporting, and performance expectations.
• Coordinate partner due diligence, required reviews, negotiation, modifications, monitoring, and closeout with technical, finance, procurement, and compliance personnel.

Contracting Infrastructure and Organizational Transition

• Develop contracting policies, procedures, templates, approval workflows, records standards, and a central agreement repository to support a growing award portfolio.
• Coordinate with designated Texas A&M University System and TEES personnel to define responsibilities, routing, approvals, and handoffs under applicable service arrangements.
• Build scalable contracting capabilities and support the potential transition of contracting functions and personnel to direct INSPIRE Alliance operations, subject to approved plans and delegations.
• Implement practical tracking for pending actions, deadlines, deliverables, funding, and contractual risks; train staff and supervise contracting personnel as positions are established.
• Perform other related contracting duties assigned by the Chief Financial Officer.

What We Need

Bachelor’s degree in business administration, public administration, law, finance, or a related field, or an equivalent combination of education and relevant experience consistent with applicable employment requirements. Ten years of progressively responsible contracting experience, including substantial experience negotiating and administering federal contracts and complex agreements.

What Is Helpful

Demonstrated experience interpreting solicitations and award terms, assessing contractual risk, and coordinating with technical, finance, legal, and compliance teams. Experience supporting defense, national security, sponsored research, or nonprofit contracting environments strongly preferred. Experience developing contracting procedures, leading teams, or establishing contracting systems preferred. An advanced degree or relevant professional contracting certification is preferred.

Knowledge Skills and Abilities

Strong knowledge of federal contracting practices, applicable acquisition requirements, contract types, subcontract administration, and proposal compliance. Ability to negotiate complex agreements, explain obligations clearly, exercise sound judgment, and escalate issues requiring executive or legal decisions. Ability to establish efficient workflows, maintain accurate records, manage competing deadlines, and collaborate across government, academia, and industry. Professional discretion and commitment to ethical contracting, confidentiality, and appropriate separation of approval responsibilities.

Other Requirements

• Security Clearance: Eligibility required for assignments requiring access; active clearance strongly preferred.
• Ability to work on-site in College Station, Texas, and travel as required by organizational needs.
• Ability to satisfy security and access requirements applicable to assigned work and maintain confidentiality of sensitive information.
• Willingness to support the development of INSPIRE Alliance’s independent contracting capabilities and the potential transition to direct corporate employment.

Work Location

College Station, TX.

About INSPIRE Alliance

INSPIRE Alliance is a Texas nonprofit corporation established by TEES with support from The Texas A&M University System Board of Regents. The Alliance advances applied national security research and mission-ready engineering through government, academic, and industry partnerships in areas including autonomous systems, artificial intelligence, space, data science, and advanced materials.

Benefits

Texas A&M Engineering provides an outstanding benefits package including but not limited to:

• Competitive medical insurance benefits through Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Texas and Prescription coverage by Express Scripts.
• Options for Vision, Dental, Life, and Long-Term Disability insurance.
• A defined benefit retirement plan with the Teacher Retirement System of Texas (TRS) with 8.25% employer contribution.
• Additional Voluntary Retirement Programs: Tax Deferred Account 403(b) and a Deferred Compensation Program 457(b).
• Flexible spending account options for medical and childcare expenses.
• Generous paid time off with holidays, vacation and sick leave.
• Robust free training access through LinkedIn Learning plus professional development opportunities.
• Tuition assistance and Educational release time to further your academic pursuits.
• Access to Engineer Your Wellness programs that provide opportunities for employees to engage in health and fitness.
• Wellness release time offered to employees to promote work/life balance.

Compensation Philosophy

Recruit and retain a high-performing workforce through competitive compensation and career development including career pathing, coaching and skills development. Recognize and reward exceptional performance based on individual and team contributions to the growth and success of Texas A&M Engineering. Offer total rewards through flexible benefits, professional development, and work-life balance. Maintain an equitable and transparent process for compensation decisions. Support, reinforce, and align compensation decisions with budgetary and financial strategies to ensure growth and sustainability.

Employment Eligibility Verification

If hired, you will be required to complete the federal Employment Eligibility Verification I-9 form. You will be required to present acceptable and original documents to prove your identity and authorization to work in the United States. Documents need to be presented no later than the third day of employment. Failure to do so will result in delay of start date. All positions are security-sensitive. Applicants are subject to a criminal history investigation, and employment is contingent upon the institution’s verification of credentials and/or other information required by the institution’s procedures, including the completion of the criminal history check.

Equal Opportunity/Veterans/Disability Employer

At Texas A&M Engineering, our employees are meeting new challenges every day. Through partnerships with industries, communities and academic institutions, the Texas A&M College of Engineering and the Texas A&M Engineering Experiment Station (TEES) work to enrich the lives of residents of the State of Texas, the United States and the World. Texas A&M Engineering staff and faculty members strive to uphold the university's core values of Respect, Excellence, Leadership, Loyalty, Integrity and Selfless Service while working to fulfill the program’s efforts to transform engineering education.