Senior Contracts Principal

SAIC; United States; Remote; USD 140,000 - 210,000; Full time

Job summary

SAIC seeks a Senior Contracts Principal for its Strategic Proposal Team, focused on Federal Civilian agency bids. The role blends contracts management with proposal strategy, drafting and finalizing critical volumes (Cost/Price Narratives, OCI Mitigation Plans, Reps & Certs).

100% remote within the United States, with responsibilities spanning risk assessment, deal structuring, and executive advisory support.

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree required with 10+ years federal contracts management or related experience.
• Master's degree and 8+ years, JD/PhD with 5+ years preferred.
• CPCM/CFCM or similar certifications are a plus.

Responsibilities

• Own end-to-end strategy, authoring, and review of critical contractual proposal volumes including Cost/Price Narratives and Reps & Certs.
• Analyze solicitations to assess obligations and recommend risk allocation and negotiation strategies.
• Support pre-RFP shaping, draft white papers, and negotiate teaming and NDAs; assist pricing and T&C considerations.

Education

Bachelor's degree

Master's degree

JD or PhD

Job description

SAIC is seeking a Senior Contracts Principal to join our Strategic Proposal Team (SPT) supporting Federal Civilian agencies. Operating at the critical intersection of contracts management and proposal strategy, this role focuses on SAIC's most critical, high-visibility bids in a fast-paced, high-stakes, and deadline-driven environment.

Partnering across capture, program, pricing, subcontracts, and executive leadership, this individual serves as a strategic thought partner and trusted advisor to balance risk, compliance, and growth. Crucially, the role demands keen business acumen to evaluate how specific terms, conditions, and contract structures directly affect SAIC's financial risk profile, margins, and cash flow. This is also an active, hands-on authorship role: beyond strategic advisory, the Senior Contracts Principal is directly accountable for drafting, authoring, and finalizing critical contractual and business proposal volumes (including Cost/Price Narratives, OCI Mitigation Plans, Total Compensation Plans, and Reps & Certs).

This role is 100% remote within the United States.

Key Responsibilities

• Contractual "Book Boss": Own the end-to-end strategy, authoring, and review of critical business and contractual proposal volumes, including Cost/Price Narratives, Organizational Conflict of Interest (OCI) Mitigation Plans, Total Compensation Plans, and Representations & Certifications.
• Solicitation Analysis & Risk Allocation: Conduct in-depth reviews of solicitations (RFPs/RFQs) to assess contractual obligations, identify ambiguities or onerous requirements, formulate internal and customer-facing questions, review and help with development of internal and customer facing assumptions, while advising capture/program teams on risk allocation, mitigation, and competitive win strategies.
• Pre-RFP Artifacts: Support pre-RFP shaping, author white papers, and support RFI responses. Negotiate strategic teaming agreements, non-disclosure agreements, and terms and conditions matrices that articulate SAIC's pricing and risk postures.
• Pricing & Estimating Compliance: Work hand-in-hand with pricing analysts to understand internal pricing models and submission files, in compliance with RFP instructions, internal SAIC policy, approved cost estimating system standards, and regulatory requirements by contract-type.
• T&C Financial Impact Assessment: Evaluate proposed contract terms, performance obligations, limitation of liability, intellectual property rights, and payment terms to quantify and communicate their direct impact on the contract's financial risk profile.
• Deal & Vehicle Structuring: Serve as subject matter expert in structuring, interpreting, and optimizing performance under diverse contract vehicles including Firm-Fixed-Price (FFP), Fixed-Price Incentive (FPIF), Cost-Plus (CPFF, CPIF, CPAF), Time & Materials (T&M), and complex hybrid models. A focus on various fixed price contract types is preferred.
• Subcontractor & Partner Alignment: Collaborate closely with Subcontracts and Procurement to assess partner risk, establish strategic flow-downs of prime contract terms, and structure balanced subcontracting and small business participation plans.
• Executive Thought Partnership: Act as a strategic thought partner to executives and senior leaders, offering insights on deal structure, risk posture, and negotiation strategies for high-visibility opportunities.
• Complex Information Synthesis: Synthesize complex legal, financial, and programmatic information into clear, actionable guidance for diverse stakeholders, including senior leadership and external customers.
• Government Customer Negotiations: Lead negotiations with Federal Contracting Officers and acquisition personnel during pre-award discussions, competitive ranges, and contract modifications, safeguarding SAIC's financial and operational interests.
• Best Practice & Process Improvement: Promote and share best practices in contracts management, negotiation, and proposal support to drive continuous improvement in processes, compliance, and overall proposal quality.
• Cross-Functional Orchestration: Align contractual and pricing strategies across Capture, Program, Pricing, Finance, Subcontracts, Legal, and Operations to deliver cohesive, winning business solutions.

Required Qualifications

• Education and Experience: Bachelors and ten (10) years or more of progressive experience in federal contracts management, proposal development and pre-award negotiations; Masters and eight (8) years or more experience ; PhD or JD and five (5) years or more experience. Master's degree or relevant professional certifications such as CPCM or CFCM a plus.
• Portfolio Depth: Demonstrated track record leading contractual strategy on high-dollar, complex federal bids, preferably within Federal Civilian agencies (e.g., VA, State, DHS, HHS).
• FAR/DFARS Mastery : In-depth working knowledge of the Federal Acquisition Regulation (FAR), agency-specific supplements, and federal procurement methodologie