Federal Contracts Manager - Space Programs

Airbus Ventures; Washington, Northern (District of Columbia, KY); Hybrid; USD 133,000 - 200,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Health Coverage

Hybrid Work

Commuter Perks

Lunch Perks

Paid Time Off

Retirement

Travel

Stock Options

Learning & Development

Team Culture

Job summary

ispace U.S. seeks a Government Contracts Manager to own the full lifecycle of federal contracts, from proposal support through negotiation, execution, and closeout, ensuring FAR/DFARS compliance.

You will partner with Legal, Finance, IT, and Program Management to reduce risk and translate contractual constraints into plain language. The role requires deep experience with FAR/DFARS, NASA FAR Supplement, and multiple contract types, with strong negotiation skills and the ability to work

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in contract administration or related field. We will consider a combination of experience and education for all roles.
• 8+ years of government contracts experience in aerospace, defense, or a comparable regulated industry
• Working command of the FAR, DFARS, and NASA FAR Supplement, with practical experience across multiple contract types
• Demonstrated negotiation experience with government customers or prime contractors
• Bachelor's degree, or equivalent experience
• Ability to work independently in a fast-moving environment where precedent often doesn't exist yet
• Must live in the Washington D.C. area

Responsibilities

• Own the full lifecycle of federal contracts — proposal support, negotiation, execution, administration, and closeout — ensuring compliance with the FAR, DFARS, and other applicable federal contracting requirements.
• Lead contract negotiations, modifications, and amendments, including negotiation strategy for complex government contracts and teaming or subcontract arrangements.
• Monitor contract performance, resolve issues or discrepancies, and run risk assessments; advise leadership on the contractual, financial, operational, and performance risks tied to federal opportunities and existing awards.
• Assess ispace U.S.'s processes and build the scalable policies, procedures, governance structures, and decision frameworks needed to operate as a sophisticated federal prime contractor, including executive-level review and escalation mechanisms for significant contractual matters.
• Partner with our US and global teams to strengthen federal contracting readiness and compliance across the organization.
• Serve as the primary point of contact for contract-related matters with federal contracting officers and agency representatives, and build the relationships with contracting officers, subcontractors, and teaming partners that keep contract execution compliant and on track.
• Identify the staffing and capability needs of a growing federal portfolio, and develop training for Business Development, Engineering, Program Management, Finance, and other teams that interact with federal contracts, so compliance expertise isn't held by one person.
• Represent ispace-U.S. at government‑industry engagements, acquisition forums, conferences, industry days, and other strategic events.
• Establish performance metrics and executive reporting on contract execution, acquisition readiness, and portfolio health.
• Evaluate prime contractor, subcontractor, teaming, joint venture, and strategic partnership opportunities based on corporate objectives and federal market conditions.
• Assist in developing a long‑term strategy for increasing ispace-U.S.’s ability to compete independently for prime federal contracts.

Skills

Negotiation

Contract management

Regulatory compliance

Stakeholder communication

Independent work

Education

Bachelor's degree in contract administration or related field

Master's degree (preferred)

Tools

FAR/DFARS knowledge

NASA FAR Supplement

Contract types familiarity (FFP, CPFF, CPIF, IDIQ, OTA)

Job description

ispace U.S. seeks a Government Contracts Manager to own the full lifecycle of federal contracts, from proposal support through negotiation, execution, and closeout, ensuring FAR/DFARS compliance.

You will partner with Legal, Finance, IT, and Program Management to reduce risk and translate contractual constraints into plain language. The role requires deep experience with FAR/DFARS, NASA FAR Supplement, and multiple contract types, with strong negotiation skills and the ability to work