Senior Contracts Manager

Planet Labs PBC; Washington (District of Columbia); Hybrid; USD 127,000 - 158,700; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Comprehensive Medical, Dental, and Vision plans

Generous Paid Time Off

Tuition Reimbursement

Equity

Job summary

Planet Labs PBC is seeking a highly organized Senior Contracts Manager to join the Global Commercial Legal team. You will manage sales-side contracts and supplier subcontracts from negotiation through closeout, ensuring compliance with contract law and regulations.

The role requires strong analytical skills and entails domestic and international travel. This is a full-time hybrid position, requiring 3 days a week in the Washington D.C. office.

Qualifications

• 10+ years of experience in proposals, contract, and subcontract management.
• Deep knowledge of US and international procurement regulations.
• Ability to manage multiple priorities and deadlines.

Responsibilities

• Support contract lifecycle management from negotiation to execution.
• Identify potential contractual risks and develop mitigation strategies.
• Ensure compliance with legal requirements and client specifications.

Skills

Contract negotiation

Analytical skills

Communication

Contract law knowledge

Problem-solving

Education

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

Tools

Contract management software

Google Suite

Microsoft Office Suite

Job description

Overview

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.

This is a full-time, hybrid role which will require you to work from our Washington D.C. or San Francisco office 3 days per week.

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., CPCM, CFCM) or Proposal Management.
• Experience in Space based business models, specifically familiarity with and/or experience supporting geospatial, commercial space, and/or satellite remote sensing customers and products.
• Experience with government contracting.
• Experience managing complex government, academic, and/or enterprise level proposals and use cases.

Application Deadline

September 24, 2026 by 11:59p / 23:59 CET (Central European Time)

EAR/ITAR Requirements

This position requires access to export-controlled information, and as such, employment (or hiring of a contractor) is contingent upon the candidate\'s ability to access all applicable export-controlled information without additional export licensing being required by the Bureau of Industry and Security and/or the Directorate of Defense Trade Controls.

Benefits

• Comprehensive Medical, Dental, and Vision plans
• Health Savings Account (HSA) with a company contribution
• Generous Paid Time Off in addition to holidays and company-wide days off
• 16 Weeks of Paid Parental Leave
• Wellness Program and Employee Assistance Program (EAP)
• Home Office Reimbursement
• Monthly Phone and Internet Reimbursement
• Tuition Reimbursement and access to LinkedIn Learning
• Equity
• Commuter Benefits (if local to an office)
• Volunteering Paid Time Off

Compensation

The US base salary range for this full-time position at the commencement of employment is listed below. Additionally, this role might be eligible for discretionary short-term and long-term incentives (bonus and equity). The final salary range is determined by job related experience, skills and location. The range displays our typical hiring range for new hire salaries in US locations only. Your recruiter can share more about the specific salary range for your preferred location during the hiring process.

San Francisco Salary Range: $144,500 — $180,600 USD

US National Salary Range: $127,000 — $158,700 USD

EEO and Accommodations

Planet is committed to building a community where everyone belongs and we invite people from all backgrounds to apply. Planet is an equal opportunity employer, and committed to providing employment opportunities regardless of race, religious creed, color, national origin, ancestry, physical disability, mental disability, medical condition, genetic information, marital status, sex, gender, gender identity, gender expression, pregnancy, childbirth and breastfeeding, age, sexual orientation, military or veteran status, or any other protected classification, in accordance with applicable federal, state, and local laws.

Accommodations: If you have a disability or special need that requires accommodation during the hiring process, please reach out to [e-mail] or contact your recruiter with your request. Your message will be confidential and we will be happy to assist you.

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AI in Our Interviewing Process: Planet may record select interviews with candidate consent for transcription and summarization purposes. If AI tools are used, candidates will be notified and may opt out without affecting candidacy.

Candidate AI Policy: AI tools may be used by candidates to prepare, but during live interviews or assessments, their use is restricted unless prompted by an interviewer or assessment instructions. If you need accommodations involving AI tools, contact [e-mail].