Government Contracts Counsel

Kearney & Company; Alexandria (VA); On-site; USD 175,000 - 250,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Medical, Dental, Vision

401(k) and Financial Planning

Flexible Spending & Health Savings

Life Insurance and Disability

Employee Assistance Program

Paid holidays, vacation, sick time

Job summary

Kearney & Company seeks a Government Contracts Counsel to provide expert legal guidance on federal procurement, FAR compliance, and complex contracting risk. You will partner with the General Counsel and leadership to ensure compliant business decisions and effective contract risk mitigation.

The role requires8+ years of experience in government contracts, strong analytical and drafting skills, and the ability to translate complex regulations into practical business advice.

Qualifications

• J.D. from an accredited law school is required.
• Active membership in at least one U.S. state bar in good standing is required.
• Minimum eight (8) years of legal experience in federal government procurement and contracts law.
• Strong knowledge of FAR and federal procurement regulations.
• Experience advising on government contracting matters including solicitations, terms, and compliance.
• Ability to identify and communicate complex legal and regulatory risks and business implications.
• Ability to translate complex requirements into practical, business-oriented advice.
• Strong research, analytical, drafting, negotiation, and written/oral communication skills.

Responsibilities

• Provide guidance on federal government procurement laws and regulations (FAR, agency supplements, procurement statutes).
• Review complex solicitations and contracts to identify risks and communicate implications to business teams.
• Advise on representations, certifications, and acquisition structures; mitigate or accept risks as needed.
• Address organizational conflicts of interest and procurement integrity issues; coordinate with relevant leaders.
• Advise on high-risk contractual provisions including IP, data rights, cybersecurity, confidentiality, pricing, and termination.
• Monitor developments in federal procurement law and translate into practical guidance.
• Support state/local government contracting matters and related laws.
• Advise on government contract vehicles and acquisition structures (IDIQs, GWACs, BPAs, etc.).
• Develop guidance, templates, and training for recurring government-contract issues.

Skills

Legal research

Analytical thinking

Negotiation

Drafting

Communication (oral)

Communication (written)

Risk analysis

Cross-functional collaboration

Education

Juris Doctor (J.D.)

Tools

GSA Schedule familiarity

GWACs

OASIS+

IDIQ contracts

BPAs

Job description

Kearney & Company is currently seeking a Government Contracts Counsel to join our team. The Government Contracts Counsel will be responsible for the following:

The Government Contracts Counsel is a legal advisor and subject-matter expert on government procurement law and contracting risk. Reporting to the General Counsel, this individual-contributor role advises on complex, non-standard, and elevated-risk matters, principally in federal procurement, with targeted support for the Company’s state and local government work.

The Government Contracts Counsel partners closely with the General Counsel, Director of Contracts, Growth/Business Development, Finance, Pricing, Technology, and operational leadership to identify and mitigate legal and regulatory risk while supporting the Company’s strategic business objectives.

This position requires strong knowledge of federal procurement law, sound legal judgment, and the ability to translate complex legal and regulatory requirements into practical, business-oriented advice.

Essential Duties and Responsibilities

• Provide legal advice and counsel regarding federal government procurement laws and regulations, including the FAR, agency supplements, procurement statutes, regulations, and relevant case law and administrative decisions.
• Review and analyze complex solicitations, requests for proposals, contractual requirements, and acquisition structures to identify material legal, regulatory, and contractual risks and clearly communicate related business implications.
• Advise proposal and business teams on the legal and regulatory aspects of procurement requirements, representations and certifications, solicitation terms, and acquisition structures; identify proposal-related legal risk requiring mitigation or business acceptance.
• Provide legal analysis and advice regarding organizational conflicts of interest (OCI), procurement integrity, unequal access to information, biased ground rules, impaired objectivity, and related legal or ethics issues; recommend appropriate legal or contractual mitigations and coordinate with Quality Management and responsible business leaders, who retain responsibility for professional independence determinations.
• Advise the General Counsel, Director of Contracts, and business leadership regarding non-standard or high-risk contractual provisions, including indemnification, limitations of liability, intellectual property and data rights, cybersecurity, confidentiality, audit rights, pricing obligations, termination provisions, and regulatory flow-down requirements.
• Monitor and analyze material developments in federal procurement law, regulation, executive action, and agency guidance that are relevant to the Company; translate them into practical guidance and recommendations, coordinating with the responsible process owners on implementation.
• Support selected state and local government contracting matters by researching and advising on material jurisdiction-specific procurement requirements, contract terms, certifications, public-records requirements, indemnification, pricing provisions, cooperative purchasing arrangements, and related legal risks.
• Advise on government contract vehicles and acquisition structures, including IDIQ contracts, GSA Multiple Award Schedule contracts, GWACs, BPAs, and other federal and state/local procurement vehicles.
• Develop or support targeted legal guidance, contract positions, templates, playbooks, and training as needed for recurring or elevated government-contracts issues, in coordination with the responsible process owners.
• Conduct legal research and prepare concise written analyses and recommendations regarding complex or emerging procurement and regulatory issues.
• Collaborate effectively with Contracts and other functions while maintaining clear responsibilities: Contracts owns contract operations, administration, and routine transactional execution; the responsible business functions own proposal management, pricing, professional-independence determinations, and day-to-day compliance execution; Counsel provides legal interpretation, legal risk analysis, and advice on matters requiring legal judgment.
• Escalate material enterprise legal risks, precedent-setting matters, and significant legal or regulatory issues to the General Counsel.
• Perform other legal duties as assigned by the General Counsel.

Core Competencies

• Legal Judgment: Evaluates material legal risk, explains business implications, and recommends practical risk-mitigation options or appropriate business acceptance.
• Business Partnership: Understands business objectives and provides legal advice that enables informed decision-making rather than unnecessarily impeding business operations.
• Intellectual Curiosity: Independently researches unfamiliar or emerging issues and develops well-reasoned recommendations.
• Communication: Explains complex legal concepts clearly, concisely, and appropriately for executives and non-lawyers.
• Ownership: Manages assigned legal matters from issue identification through analysis, recommendation, and appropriate handoff or resolution.
• Collaboration: Works effectively across Legal, Contracts, Business Development, Finance, Pricing, Technology, and operational teams without creating unnecessary process or duplicating functional responsibilities.
• Professional Judgment and Integrity: Exercises discretion, independence, sound judgment, and the highest ethical standards.

Qualifications

• Juris Doctor (J.D.) from an accredited law school.
• Active membership in good standing in at least one U.S. state bar.
• Minimum of eight (8) years of relevant legal experience, including substantive experience with federal government procurement and government contracts law.
• Demonstrated knowledge of the Federal Acquisition Regulation (FAR) and federal procurement laws and regulations, with the ability to independently research, interpret, and apply complex legal and regulatory requirements.
• Experience advising on government contracting matters involving solicitations and proposals, contract terms and compliance requirements, procurement risk, and regulatory issues.
• Demonstrated ability to identify, analyze, prioritize, and clearly communicate complex legal and regulatory risks and their business implications.
• Demonstrated ability to translate complex legal and regulatory requirements into practical, business-oriented advice that appropriately balances legal risk, compliance obligations, and business objectives.
• Strong legal research, analytical, drafting, negotiation, and written and oral communication skills.
• Ability to independently manage assigned complex legal matters, exercise sound judgment, prioritize competing demands, provide clear recommendations, and elevate material issues appropriately.
• Ability to collaborate effectively with executive leadership, attorneys, contracts professionals, and cross-functional business teams.

Preferred Qualifications

• Experience with organizational conflicts of interest (OCI), procurement integrity, ethics, and government contractor compliance.
• Experience reviewing complex solicitations and advising on the legal aspects of proposal risk, bid protests, claims, or procurement disputes.
• Familiarity with GSA Multiple Award Schedule contracts, OASIS+, GWACs, IDIQs, BPAs, and other government-wide acquisition vehicles.
• Experience with government contractor pricing requirements, commercial products and services, cost or pricing data, representations and certifications, and subcontracting requirements.
• Experience advising on state and local government procurement or demonstrated ability and interest in developing expertise in state and local procurement laws and contracting requirements.
• Familiarity with government contractor requirements involving cybersecurity, data rights, artificial intelligence, supply-chain risk, and other emerging regulatory areas.
• Prior experience as in-house counsel for a government contractor, in a law firm government contracts practice, or in a relevant federal government legal or procurement position.

Overview

Exclusively focused on the Government, Kearney & Company provides financial services, including auditing, consulting, and technology services. Our commitment to our employees and clients as well as to dedication and trust, critical values to our Firm, have led to Kearney’s recognition as one of the leading accounting firms in the country. Based on our employees’ feedback, we are also consistently rated a Best Place to Work. Employment at Kearney means a flexible, collaborative, and open-minded work environment. We hope it is your “first easy decision.” Learn more at www.kearneyco.com/careers.

The expected salary range for this position is between $175,000 and $250,000. This range is representative of base pay only and does not include straight time pay for hours worked over 40 per week, company contributions towards paid benefits, and/or bonuses. Actual compensation (meeting or exceeding the range) will be determined based on specific experience, education, work location, clearance level, and other factors permitted by law. This position is eligible for bonuses (when applicable).

We also offer a competitive benefits package that includes:

• Medical, Dental, Vision, Life, AD&D, and Disability Insurance
• 401(k) Retirement Plan and 529 Education Savings Plan
• Flexible Spending & Health Savings Account
• Accident, Critical Illness, Hospital Indemnity Insurances
• Legal Insurance and Pet Insurance
• Employee Assistance Program, fitness and wellness benefits, and other firm benefits.
• Paid holidays, vacation, and sick time

EEO Notice

Work location is subject to change based on client requirements.

EEO Notice and Applicant Accommodation Requests

Kearney & Company is an Equal Opportunity Employer and will consider all qualified applicants without regard to race, color, national origin, ethnicity, ancestry, genetic information, religion, sex, gender, gender identity, sexual orientation, marital status, pregnancy, childbirth, any medical condition related to pregnancy or childbirth, age, disability, protected veteran status, relationship or association to a protected veteran, or any other characteristic protected by local, state or federal laws, rules or regulation. Click here to understand your rights on employment discrimination. Click here for more information on Kearney’s EEO Policy.

If you would like to request a reasonable accommodation, regarding accessibility of our website, a modification or adjustment of the job application or interview process due to a disability, please call 703-236-2391 or email [e-mail]. Please be advised that this contact information is for accommodation requests only and cannot be used to inquire about the status of an application.

Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA)

FMLA is designed to help employees balance their work and family responsibilities by allowing them to take reasonable unpaid leave for certain family and medical reasons. Kearney & Company provides eligible employees with up to 12 weeks of unpaid, job-protected leave per year. Military family leave is available for up to 26 weeks under FMLA. Click here to learn more about FMLA rights.

Employee Polygraph Protection Act (EPPA)

The EPPA prohibits most private employers from using lie detector tests either for pre-employment screening or during the course of employment. Kearney & Company adheres all provisions of the EPPA. Click here to learn more about the EPPA.