Senior Contracts Manager Odyssey Space Research

Odyssey Space Research; Houston (TX); On-site; USD 120,000 - 150,000; Full time

Job summary

Odyssey Space Research in Houston, TX, invites a Senior Contracts Manager to own the full lifecycle of aerospace and space program contracts. You will collaborate with Legal, Finance, Program Management, and Engineering to drive compliant, growth-oriented negotiations.

The ideal candidate has 8–10+ years in government contracting with NASA/DoD, FAR 12/15 experience, and the ability to translate complex provisions into practical business decisions.

Qualifications

• 8–10+ years in contracts, aerospace/defense/space or highly regulated tech sectors.
• Experience with NASA/DoD contracting and prime contractor negotiations.
• FAR Part 12 and 15, and related government flowdowns familiarity.
• Experience supporting DCAA audits and incurred cost submissions.
• Ownership of contracts from intake to closeout.
• Strong negotiation skills balancing customer needs and regulatory obligations.
• Ability to explain complex contract terms to technical and executive audiences.
• Proven cross-functional leadership and project management abilities.

Responsibilities

• Own the full contract lifecycle from intake to closeout.
• Lead negotiations with NASA/DoD and prime contractors.
• Assess terms for legal, financial, regulatory, and compliance risks and create mitigations.
• Bridge legal and business requirements to protect the company while enabling growth.
• Interpret FAR/NASA FAR Supplement clauses and flowdowns.
• Coordinate with Finance on cost allowability and audits; support closeout.
• Support a variety of contract types and strategic partnerships.
• Develop and improve contract templates, playbooks, and CLM workflows.
• Train stakeholders on contracting best practices and government requirements.
• Leverage AI-enabled tools for clause analysis and risk triage while maintaining compliance.

Skills

Negotiation

Cross-functional leadership

Contract lifecycle management

Regulatory compliance

Stakeholder management

Education

Bachelor's degree in business/finance/legal/engineering/public administration/supply chain

Tools

CLM software

CLM templates

Job description

About the Opportunity:

Odyssey is seeking a seasoned Senior Contracts Manager to own the end‑to‑end contract lifecycle for our aerospace, defense, and space programs. Based in either of our offices in Houston, Texas (preferred) or Boulder, Colorado, you will serve as a trusted business partner across Legal, Finance, Program Management, Business Development, Engineering, Supply Chain, Security, Quality, and executive leadership.

The ideal candidate brings 8 to 10+ years of progressive contracts experience with NASA, DoD, prime contractors, and commercial or civil space customers, combining deep government contracting knowledge with business judgment, negotiation skill, and the ability to translate complex legal, regulatory, financial, and operational requirements into practical, growth‑enabling decisions.

For more than 20 years Odyssey has tackled complex problems by providing innovative engineering and software solutions to advance space exploration. We foster a collaborative culture with a relaxed work environment where happy employees produce exceptional outcomes. Being a part of Odyssey Space Research means being part of a team of highly skilled professionals in fields such as aerospace engineering, software, mathematics, and physics, who create innovative products and solutions to advance space exploration. Our goal is to provide you with challenging work in a fun environment. Visit us at https://www.odysseysr.com/.

What you’ll do:

• Own the full contract lifecycle, including opportunity intake, RFP/RFQ review, proposal support, contract strategy, negotiation, execution, administration, modifications, flowdowns, claims/dispute support, renewals, and closeout
• Lead contract negotiations with NASA, DoD, prime contractors, commercial space companies, civil space customers, and other strategic counterparties
• Assess contract terms and conditions; identify legal, financial, regulatory, operational, delivery, IP/data rights, cybersecurity/CUI, export‑control, and compliance risks, and develop practical mitigation strategies
• Bridge legal and business requirements to protect the company while supporting revenue growth, customer relationships, speed, and execution discipline
• Interpret and advise on FAR Parts 12 and 15 and related FAR/DFARS/NASA FAR Supplement clauses, including flowdowns, data rights, deliverables, changes, termination, payment, inspection/acceptance, and subcontractor obligations
• Partner with Finance and Accounting on DCAA audit support, Incurred Cost Proposals/Submissions, provisional billing rates, indirect cost support, cost allowability, contract billing terms, audit responses, and contract closeout
• Support a range of agreement types, including prime contracts, subcontracts, NDAs, teaming agreements, master service agreements, purchase agreements, cost‑type/fixed‑price/T&M contracts, IDIQ/task order vehicles, and commercial/civil space agreements
• Lead cross‑functional contract reviews and approvals, providing crisp executive summaries of key risks, tradeoffs, and recommended positions
• Develop and improve contract templates, clause playbooks, negotiation guidelines, approval matrices, contract repositories, obligations tracking, and CLM workflows
• Train business stakeholders on contracting best practices, government contracting requirements, risk identification, and negotiation discipline
• Use approved technology, including AI‑enabled tools where appropriate, to improve clause analysis, redline review, obligations extraction, and risk triage while maintaining confidentiality and compliance standards

Required:

Candidates must have hands‑on experience (not just familiarity) with:

• 8 to 10+ years of progressive contracts experience, preferably with a primary background in aerospace, defense, space systems, government contracting, or other highly regulated technical industries
• NASA and DoD contracting, including customer‑facing or prime‑contractor negotiations and the ability to work effectively with contracting officers, program teams, and executive stakeholders
• FAR Part 12 and FAR Part 15, plus practical familiarity with FAR/DFARS/NASA FAR Supplement requirements and government contract flowdowns
• Supporting DCAA audits and Incurred Cost Proposals/Submissions, including coordination with Finance/Accounting on cost allowability, indirect rates, audit requests, billing, and closeout
• Owning contracts from intake through execution, administration, modification, compliance monitoring, and closeout
• Strong negotiation skills and the ability to develop positions that balance customer requirements, business goals, regulatory obligations, and enterprise risk tolerance
• Reading, interpreting, and explaining complex contract provisions in plain English for technical, commercial, financial, and executive audiences
• Excellent cross‑functional leadership, communication, prioritization, project management, and stakeholder management skills.
• Contract lifecycle management systems or contract repositories, with a process‑improvement mindset
• Bachelor’s degree in business, finance, legal studies, engineering, public administration, supply chain, or a related field, or equivalent practical experience

Other Useful Skills (not required for every position):

• Experience with civil space, commercial space, launch, spacecraft, satellite, mission systems, propulsion, avionics, robotics, ground systems, or other aerospace and defense technical programs
• Advanced degree, JD, MBA, or an NCMA certification (CPCM, CFCM, or CCCM), or comparable professional credential
• Experience with DFARS, NASA FAR Supplement, CAS awareness, Truthful Cost or Pricing Data, government property, CDRLs/DD Form 1423, data rights, IP licensing, technical data, software rights, cybersecurity/CUI, and export‑control coordination
• Working knowledge of AI‑assisted contract review, clause comparison, redline summarization, obligations extraction, playbook automation, or risk‑scoring tools, used within company‑approved confidentiality and governance requirements
• Experience building scalable contract policies, approval workflows, contract templates, risk matrices, and reporting dashboards for a growing organization

Additional Information:

This position is intended to be based in Houston, TX, with Boulder, CO also acceptable depending on candidate fit and business needs. The role may require periodic travel for customer negotiations, program reviews, supplier meetings, internal leadership reviews, audits, or industry events. Because this role may involve U.S. government, export‑controlled, CUI, proprietary, or classified‑adjacent program information, candidates must be able to satisfy applicable work authorization, export‑control, and information security requirements.

Being part of Odyssey means joining a team that genuinely enjoys its work. We offer challenging problems, a supportive culture, and the chance to contribute to humanity’s future in space. If you’re ready to bring your contracts expertise to one of the most exciting fields in engineering, we’d love to hear from you.

Salary Range:

$120k – $150k