Senior Counsel, Government Contracts

Jobtailor

Colorado

On-site

USD 180,000 - 240,000

Full time

14 days+

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Job summary

Jobtailor is seeking a senior government contracts attorney to partner with the Chief Legal Officer and guide government contracting initiatives. You will negotiate OTAs and complex federal contracts, ensuring compliance with FAR/DFARS and export-control rules.

You will counsel business and program teams across the opportunity, award, and performance lifecycle while managing IP, data rights, risk, and flow-down requirements. Leadership in strategy and governance is essential.

Qualifications

JD from an accredited law school with outstanding academic credentials.
8+ years of relevant legal experience with federal government contracting.
Significant experience negotiating and counseling on complex federal government contracts.

Responsibilities

Report directly to the Chief Legal Officer and serve as a critical legal partner for government contracting.
Lead negotiation, interpretation, and management of OTAs, federal contracts, grants, and subcontracts.
Advise on FAR, DFARS and agency supplements throughout opportunity, award, and performance lifecycle.
Identify and help manage risks involving IP, data rights, cost and pricing, audit, cybersecurity, export control, and flow-down requirements.
Lead internal coordination on proposal strategy, risk allocation, and customer communications.
Coordinate with Export Control on ITAR/EAR considerations.
Develop templates, playbooks, and training for teams.
Shape bid strategy with business development and finance, and support program execution.
Support governance, documentation, escalation processes, and cross-functional matters.

Skills

FAR & DFARS

OTAs

Executive communication

Risk management

Intellectual property

Data rights

Contract interpretation

Subcontract management

Cost & pricing analysis

Audit compliance

Export control

Education

Juris Doctor (JD)

Job description

Report directly to the Chief Legal Officer and serve as a critical legal partner for government contracting.
Lead the negotiation, interpretation, and management of OTAs, federal research and development contracts, grants, cooperative agreements, assistance instruments, subcontracts, subawards, teaming agreements, collaboration agreements, proposals, solicitations, modifications, and statements of work.
Advise business and program teams on FAR, DFARS, agency supplements, and applicable federal contracting requirements throughout the opportunity, award, and performance lifecycle.
Identify and help manage risks involving intellectual property and data rights, cost and pricing, audit, cybersecurity, export control, domestic sourcing, labor, payment, and flow-down requirements.
Lead internal coordination on proposal strategy, approval pathways, contract interpretation, performance risks, and customer communications.
Partner with Export Control and technical stakeholders on national-security and export-control considerations, including ITAR/EAR requirements.
Develop practical templates, playbooks, and training for business and program teams.
Partner with business development, program management, engineering, and finance to shape bid and proposal strategy, negotiate risk allocation, and support program execution.
Support government-contracting governance, approval frameworks, documentation, escalation processes, training, and cross-functional regulatory, corporate, and strategic matters.

Requirements

JD from an accredited law school with outstanding academic credentials.
8+ years of relevant legal experience, including substantial responsibility for federal government contracting; top-tier law firm, in-house defense contractor, or government-contracts practice experience strongly preferred.
Significant experience negotiating and counseling on complex federal government contracts and related subcontracts, subawards, and teaming arrangements.
Demonstrated expertise in FAR and DFARS; meaningful experience with OTAs is required.
Experience supporting Department of Defense or other federal research and development programs, ideally as a prime contractor or with a major defense, aerospace, technology, or research organization.
Working knowledge of intellectual property and data-rights issues under government contracts, including technical data and computer software rights, as well as flow-down and compliance requirements.
Strong executive communication skills and the ability to translate complex government-contracting risk into practical, business-focused guidance.
Familiarity with ITAR/EAR and related export-control issues is strongly preferred.
An ownership mindset with bias toward action.
Ability to balance urgency with technical and legal excellence.
Willingness to coach business teams and actively seek coaching and feedback in return.
Comfort giving and receiving direct feedback.Discipline in documentation, process development, and follow-through.
Intellectual curiosity about emerging technologies and regulated markets.
Resilience in a resource-constrained, fast-evolving environment.
Offer may be conditioned on authorization to receive software or technology controlled under U.S. export control laws and regulations without sponsorship for an export license.

Core Competencies

Demonstrates expertise in federal government contracting, including negotiation and management of complex contracts, compliance with FAR and DFARS, and risk management related to intellectual property and data rights. Possesses strong executive communication skills and the ability to provide practical guidance in a fast-evolving regulatory environment.

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