Senior Contracts Manager

Planetlabs; Washington (District of Columbia); On-site; USD 120,000 - 180,000; Full time

Job summary

Planet seeks a highly organized Senior Contracts Manager to join the Global Commercial Legal team. You will oversee end-to-end sales contracts and supplier subcontracts, from negotiation through closeout, across domestic and international engagements. The role requires 10+ years in contracts, strong regulatory knowledge, and excellent communication.

Travel 1–2x per year is expected. You will partner with project managers, legal, finance, and external vendors to ensure compliant, efficient

Qualifications

• Ten+ years of experience in proposals, contract, and subcontract management.
• Bachelor's degree in Business Administration, Legal Studies, or a related field.
• Deep knowledge of US and international procurement regulations (FAR, DFAR, NASA/contracts) and standard terms.
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills.
• Proficiency in contract management software and Google/Microsoft Office suites.
• Ability to work independently and in a fast-paced team environment.
• Strong analytical and problem-solving skills with meticulous attention to detail.

Responsibilities

• Lead full lifecycle of sales-side contracts and supplier subcontracts from negotiation to closeout.
• Coordinate with government agencies to obtain documentation for proposals and registrations.
• Identify contractual risks and develop mitigation strategies.
• Ensure requirements flow through to execution teams and external suppliers.
• Maintain contract records and documentation, including clause matrix updates.
• Support audits and contract compliance activities.

Skills

Contract management

Negotiation

Regulatory knowledge (FAR/DFAR/NFS)

Communication skills

Cross-functional collaboration

Analytical thinking

Google Workspace

Microsoft Office

Education

Bachelor's degree in Business Administration, Legal Studies, or related field

Tools

Contract management software

Google Workspace

Microsoft Office

Job description

Welcome to Planet. We believe in using space to help life on Earth.

Planet designs, builds, and operates the largest constellation of imaging satellites in history. This constellation delivers an unprecedented dataset of empirical information via a revolutionary cloud-based platform to authoritative figures in commercial, environmental, and humanitarian sectors. We are both a space company and data company all rolled into one.

Customers and users across the globe use Planet's data to develop new technologies, drive revenue, power research, and solve our world’s toughest obstacles.

As we control every component of hardware design, manufacturing, data processing, and software engineering, our office is a truly inspiring mix of experts from a variety of domains.

We have a people-centric approach toward culture and community and we strive to iterate in a way that puts our team members first and prepares our company for growth. Join Planet and be a part of our mission to change the way people see the world.

Planet is a global company with employees working remotely world wide and joining us from offices in San Francisco, Washington DC, Germany, Austria, Slovenia, and The Netherlands.

About the Role

We are seeking a highly organized and detail-oriented Senior Contracts Manager to join our Global Commercial Legal team. The ideal candidate will be responsible for both managing and supporting the full lifecycle of sales-side contracts and supplier subcontracts, from negotiation and drafting to execution and closeout. This role requires solid analytical skills, excellent communication, and a thorough understanding of contract law and regulations. Domestic and/or International Travel is required 1-2x/year.

Impact You'll Own

• Support front-end assessment of business pursuits, proposal preparation, contract negotiation, contract administration, and customer relationship management within company policies (including adherence to Delegation of Authority and approval requirements), acquisition regulations, and customer requirements/specifications
• Coordinate with various state, local, federal, and international government agencies to obtain documentation required for proposals, vendor registrations, and contract closures.
• Identify potential contractual risks and develop mitigation strategies.
• Ensure customer requirements are fully understood and flowed through to the execution team and to external suppliers in coordination with Supply Chain in accordance with company policies, legal requirements, and customer specifications
• Support the administering of contracts and subcontracts, including tracking deliverables, directing requesters through the request process, managing changes and gathering (and submitting) representation and certifications as required through contract closeout.
• Manage multiple contracts acting as a point of contact for contractual matters, liaising with internal stakeholders (e.g., project managers, legal, finance) and external parties (e.g., clients, subcontractors).
• Maintain accurate and up-to-date contract records and documentation to include maintenance of the contract clause matrix.
• Assist in the resolution of contract disputes and claims.
• Manage end-to-end contract activities including managing proposals, then drafting, reviewing, and negotiating sales-side contracts and supplier subcontracts, ensuring compliance with company policies, legal requirements and client specifications.
• Support audit activities related to contract compliance such as the General Services Administration (GSA) annual small business subcontract reporting requirements.
• Performing contracts management functions from capture through proposal, contract award, and all phases of contract administration.
• Providing business advice and guidance to and coordinating with other functions to effectively manage a breadth of responsibilities.
• Stay informed about industry best practices, legal developments, and regulatory changes affecting contract management.
• Support Proposals team and legal operations functions through the entire contract lifecycle.
• Work with internal SMEs to update and maintain proposal content and contract management repositories.

What You Bring

• 10+ years of experience in proposals, contract, and subcontract management.
• Bachelor's degree in Business Administration, Legal Studies, or a related field.
• Deep knowledge of US and international procurement regulations (including FAR, DFAR and NFS (NASA)), and standard contractual terms and conditions.
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills.
• Proficiency in contract management software and Google and Microsoft Office Suites.
• Ability to work independently and as part of a team in a fast-paced environment.
• Solid analytical and problem-solving skills with meticulous attention to detail.
• Ability to manage multiple priorities and deadlines effectively.
• Ability to research and effectively solve problems, effectively collaborate and lead acquisition teams, develop negotiation positions and ensure proper hand-offs with the execution teams

What Makes You Stand Out

• Certification in Contract Management (e.g.,