Sr. Manager, Government Contracts & Compliance Counsel

Synopsys, Inc.; Exton (PA); On-site; USD 180,000 - 240,000; Full time

Job summary

The Ansys Government Initiatives, LLC (AGI) seeks a Sr. Manager, Government Contracts & Compliance Counsel to lead government contracting matters, compliance, and risk across aerospace, defense, and international programs.

You will advise executive leadership and collaborate with Business Development, Program Management, Supply Chain, and Security. You will independently own a broad portfolio of contracts, supplier matters, regulatory issues, and investigations, guiding proposals, negotiations,

Qualifications

• U.S. citizenship and eligibility to obtain/maintain a security clearance.
• JD from an accredited U.S. law school.
• Active membership in good standing with at least one U.S. state bar.
• 7+ years of total experience in government contracting; in-house, law firm, or government legal practice.
• Expertise with FAR/DFARS, government procurement principles, and federal contracting compliance.
• Experience reviewing, drafting, and negotiating complex prime contracts and subcontracts.
• Ability to independently own matters, exercise strong business judgment, and manage competing priorities.
• Ability to collaborate effectively across technical, operational, and leadership teams.
• Willingness to travel as needed.

Responsibilities

• Advise on government contracts and negotiation as the AGI legal advisor for assigned matters.
• Draft, review, and negotiate U.S. government contracts, DFARS-based agreements, DFAR Supplement agreements, software licensing agreements, and related contracts.
• Review, draft, and negotiate subcontracts, teaming agreements, SLAs, NDAs, and other agreements as needed.
• Provide guidance on clause applicability, flow-down requirements, data-rights regimes, IP allocation, warranty, risk, and remedies.
• Support Business Development, Program Management, Supply Chain, and Finance during pursuits, proposals, negotiations, and execution stages.
• Advise on FAR, DFARS, procurement integrity, cost accounting, audits, cybersecurity, and compliance topics.
• Counsel stakeholders on contract administration, flow-down management, OCI issues, IP/data rights, and regulatory compliance obligations.
• Partner with AGI Security and Export Compliance on matters involving classified information, CUI, export controls, cybersecurity, and cross-border program activities.
• Develop scalable compliance processes, templates, policies, and training for growing government-contracting operations.
• Manage outside counsel and consultants for specialized government-contracting work.

Skills

Government contracts

Contract negotiation

Regulatory compliance

Cross-functional collaboration

Strategic advisement

Education

Juris Doctor (JD)

Job description

We Are

Synopsys is the leader in engineering solutions from silicon to systems, enabling customers to rapidly innovate AI-powered products. We deliver industry-leading silicon design, IP, simulation and analysis solutions, and design services. We partner closely with our customers across a wide range of industries to maximize their R&D capability and productivity, powering innovation today that ignites the ingenuity of tomorrow.

The Ansys Government Initiatives, LLC (AGI) Sr. Manager, Government Contracts & Compliance Counsel will report to the AGI General Counsel with dotted line reporting to the AGI Sr. Director, Contracts, and serve as a subject‑matter expert across U.S. government contracting, compliance, and complex aerospace and defense programs. This high‑impact role provides strategic, practical legal guidance across the full program lifecycle—from capture and proposal development through contract formation, execution, disputes, and closeout.

You will independently own and manage a broad portfolio of customer contracts, supplier matters, regulatory compliance issues, and government‑contracting advisory work, supporting government, national security, commercial, and international programs. The role requires strong business judgment, the ability to operate autonomously, and comfort advising executive leadership in a fast‑paced, highly regulated environment.

What You'll Be Doing

Serve as the legal advisor for assigned matters by the AGI General Counsel for the following:

Government Contracts & Negotiation

• Advise on contract interpretation, performance obligations, schedule and cost issues, changes, claims, and dispute‑avoidance strategies.
• Draft, review, and negotiate U.S. government contracts, FAR/DFARS‑based agreements, DFAR Supplement agreements, software licensing agreements, commercial contracts, and international customer agreements.
• Review, draft, and negotiate subcontracts, teaming agreements, SLAs, NDAs, and other agreements as needed by the Contracts department.
• Provide guidance on clause applicability, flow‑down requirements, data‑rights regimes, intellectual property allocation, warranty, risk, and remedies.
• Support Business Development, Program Management, Supply Chain, and Finance during pursuits, proposals, negotiations, and execution stages.

Compliance, Regulatory, and Risk Management

• Advise on FAR, DFARS, DFAR Supplement, procurement integrity, cost accounting, audits, cybersecurity (including government and CUI requirements), and other compliance topics.
• Counsel stakeholders on contract administration, flow‑down management, OCI issues, IP/data rights, and regulatory compliance obligations.
• Partner with AGI Security and Export Compliance on matters involving classified information, CUI, export controls (ITAR/EAR), cybersecurity, and cross‑border program activities.
• Support government inquiries, audits, business‑system reviews, internal investigations, mandatory‑disclosure analyses, and disputes.
• Develop scalable compliance processes, templates, policies, and training to support growing government‑contracting operations.
• Collaborate with Legal Operations, Compliance, Program Management, Contracts, and Supply Chain to ensure integrated, compliant systems and workflows.
• Manage outside counsel and consultants for specialized government‑contracting, investigations, or disputes work.
• Assist as directed on HR related employment matters.

Minimum Qualifications

• U.S. citizenship and eligibility to obtain/maintain a security clearance.
• JD from an accredited U.S. law school.
• Active membership in good standing with at least one U.S. state bar.
• 7+ years of total experience in government contracting; in‑house, law firm, or government legal practice; or a mixed setting.
• Demonstrated expertise with FAR/DFARS, government procurement principles, and federal contracting compliance.
• Experience reviewing, drafting, and negotiating complex prime contracts and subcontracts.
• Ability to independently own matters, exercise strong business judgment, and manage competing priorities.
• Ability to collaborate effectively across technical, operational, and leadership teams.
• Willingness to travel as needed.

Preferred Qualifications

• Experience supporting aerospace, defense, or advanced‑technology programs in both contracts and legal counsel roles.
• Experience supporting aerospace and defense, or advanced‑technology programs in a Proxy environment with DCSA.
• Experience with commercial and government prime contracts, subcontracts, and program execution.
• Knowledge of government IP and data rights, including software and technical‑data licenses.
• Experience with export controls, cybersecurity requirements, CUI, or international transactions.
• Experience with internal investigations, government audits, ethics and compliance, or contract disputes.
• Familiarity with classified or export‑controlled programs.
• A builder mindset for designing and improving legal, contracts, and compliance infrastructure in a growth environment.
• Active TS security clearance.

The Team You’ll Be Part Of

You will report to the AGI General Counsel with a dotted line to the AGI Sr. Director, Contracts. You will work closely with Business Development, Program Management, Supply Chain, Finance, AGI Security, Export Compliance, and Legal Operations across government, national security, commercial, and international programs. This is a high-impact role in a growing organization where the systems and processes you build will shape how AGI operates in the government contracting space.

Rewards and Benefits

We offer a comprehensive range of health, wellness, and financial benefits to cater to your needs. Our total rewards include both monetary and non‑monetary offerings. Your recruiter will provide more details about the salary range and benefits during the hiring process.