Legal Contract Manager, Public Sector

OpenAI; Washington (District of Columbia); On-site; USD 140,000 - 190,000; Full time

Job summary

OpenAI's Legal team is seeking a Legal Contracts Manager to support OpenAI for Government's growing public sector business in Washington, DC. You will manage a broad range of government contracts, NDAs, services agreements, teaming agreements, and subcontracts throughout the contract lifecycle.

Negotiate terms with federal, state, and local agencies, establish compliance mechanisms, and collaborate with Legal, Finance, Security, Capture/Proposals, and Product teams to align terms with OpenAI's

Qualifications

• 7+ years in government contracting or technology transactions with FAR/DFARS exposure.
• JD or law degree or NCMA CPCM/CCCM preferred but not required.
• Active U.S. Government TS/SCI clearance.
• Experience negotiating with U.S. government agencies or prime contractors.
• Familiarity with FedRAMP, NIST 800-171, CMMC, ITAR/EAR.
• Autonomy and sound judgment in fast-moving environments.
• Experience using AI tools to automate legal/workflow tasks.

Responsibilities

• Manage the full contract lifecycle for government agreements, NDAs, services, teaming and subcontracts.
• Negotiate contracts with federal, state, and local agencies and partners.
• Ensure ongoing compliance with contract requirements and certifications.
• Support contract pursuits and proposals, including RFP/RFQ reviews.
• Coordinate with Legal, Finance, Security, Capture/Proposals, and Product teams.
• Maintain contract records and data on key terms, renewals, and deliverables.
• Develop scalable contracting processes and playbooks for government sales.
• Monitor regulatory developments and advise on implications.

Skills

Government contracting

FAR/DFARS knowledge

Contract negotiation

Regulatory compliance

AI tools for legal workflows

TS/SCI clearance

Communication skills

Education

J.D. or equivalent

Tools

Contract management software

Job description

About the team

OpenAI's Legal team plays a crucial role in advancing our mission by tackling innovative and fundamental legal issues in AI. The team includes professionals from diverse legal fields-technology, AI, government contracting, privacy, IP, corporate, employment, tax, regulatory, and litigation-who collaborate closely with colleagues across the company.

If you are passionate about helping bring cutting-edge AI technology to the public sector while navigating complex legal and regulatory landscapes, you'll thrive here.

About the role

We're seeking a Legal Contracts Manager to support OpenAI for Government's growing public sector business. This role will manage a wide range of contracting activities with U.S. federal, state, and local government customers and partners.

This role will partner closely with our legal, go-to-market, capture/proposals, and other teams to negotiate agreements, administer existing contracts, establish compliance mechanisms, and generally support the full lifecycle of contract performance. This role requires deep familiarity with government contracting, exceptional attention to detail, and the ability to operate with speed and sound judgment in a fast-moving environment.

This position reports to our Associate General Counsel, Head of Public Sector Legal and is based in Washington D.C.

Responsibilities

• Manage the full contract lifecycle for government agreements, including NDAs, services agreements, teaming agreements, subcontracts, and order forms.

• Negotiate contracts with federal, state, and local agencies and government integrators, balancing risk management with business objectives.

• Ensure ongoing compliance with contract requirements, including flow-down clauses, reporting obligations, and government-specific certifications (e.g., FAR/DFARS, FedRAMP, CMMC, NIST 800-171).

• Support contract pursuits and proposals, including review of RFP/RFQ terms, development of compliance matrices, and coordination of required representations and certifications.

• Coordinate with internal stakeholders-Legal, Finance, Security, Capture/Proposals, and Product-to ensure contract terms align with OpenAI's technical capabilities, pricing structures, and security/compliance frameworks.

• Maintain contract records and manage data related to key terms, renewals, and deliverables.

• Develop scalable contracting processes and playbooks to streamline government sales while managing legal and regulatory risk.

• Monitor regulatory developments and advise on implications for government contracts and compliance programs.

Requirements

We're seeking someone with experience including:

• 7+ years of experience in government contracting, contract management, or technology transactions, with significant exposure to U.S. federal acquisition regulations (FAR/DFARS).

• JD, law degree, or relevant contract management certification (e.g., NCMA CPCM/CCCM) preferred but not required.

• Active U.S. Government TS/SCI clearance.

• Strong background negotiating and managing agreements with U.S. government agencies or prime contractors.

• Familiarity with public sector compliance frameworks (e.g., FedRAMP, NIST 800-171, CMMC, ITAR/EAR, government data rights).

• Demonstrated ability to operate with autonomy and sound judgment in highly technical, fast-moving environments.

• Demonstrated experience using artificial intelligence tools to automate legal and compliance workflows.

• Exceptional organizational skills and attention to detail, with experience managing complex contract portfolios.

• Excellent written and verbal communication skills, with an ability to distill complex regulatory requirements into actionable guidance for business teams.

• Experience working in a high-growth technology company or government integrator is a strong plus.

About OpenAI

OpenAI is an AI research and deployment company dedicated to ensuring that general-purpose artificial intelligence benefits all of humanity. We push the boundaries of the capabilities of AI systems and seek to safely deploy them to the world through our products. AI is an extremely powerful tool that must be created with safety and human needs at its core, and to achieve our mission, we must encompass and value the many different perspectives, voices, and experiences that form the full spectrum of humanity.

We are an equal opportunity employer, and we do not discriminate on the basis of race, religion, color, national origin, sex, sexual orientation, age, veteran status, disability, genetic information, or other applicable legally protected characteristic.

For additional information, please see OpenAI's Affir...

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