Strategic Defense Contracts Lead — Equity Included

Stealth Mode; Gardena (CA); On-site; USD 125,000 - 185,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Equity

Healthcare

Vision

Dental

401k

Lunch

Job summary

Stealth Mode, an Aerospace & Defense startup in Gardena, CA, seeks a Contracts Manager to own contract formation, negotiation support, risk management, and post-award administration across domestic and international defense opportunities.

The role ensures contractual commitments, flowdowns, IP positions, payment structures, and compliance obligations are understood before commitments are made, while not owning proposals or pricing models.

Qualifications

• 7–12 years in defense contracts, government contracting, or related work.
• Strong working knowledge of FAR/DFARS, OTAs, CSOs, data rights, and flowdowns.
• Experience negotiating and administering hardware, manufacturing, R&D, or defense technology contracts.

Responsibilities

• Review, negotiate, administer, and maintain customer contracts, subcontracts, NDAs, teaming agreements, purchase terms, and related instruments.
• Lead review of contract type, terms, representations, warranties, indemnities, liability limits, termination, delivery, acceptance, and payment terms.
• Evaluate FAR/DFARS clauses, customer flowdowns, data rights, IP provisions, export controls, and subcontract requirements.
• Support BD and Proposal teams during solicitations by identifying contractual requirements, exceptions, risks, and required representations.
• Coordinate with Pricing and Finance on contract structures affecting margin, billing triggers, milestones, funded value, cash timing, and exposure.
• Coordinate with Security and Compliance on CUI, CMMC, DD254s, export controls, facility clearance, and customer obligations.
• Maintain executed agreements, modifications, deliverables, notice requirements, option dates, and performance periods.
• Support contract modifications, change orders, claims, equitable adjustments, closeout, and post-award actions.
• Establish scalable contract-review, approval, delegation-of-authority, and records-management processes.
• Escalate material risks before commitments.

Skills

Defense contracts

FAR/DFARS knowledge

Cross-functional collaboration

Commercial judgment

Education

JD or law degree

Job description

Stealth Mode, an Aerospace & Defense startup in Gardena, CA, seeks a Contracts Manager to own contract formation, negotiation support, risk management, and post-award administration across domestic and international defense opportunities.

The role ensures contractual commitments, flowdowns, IP positions, payment structures, and compliance obligations are understood before commitments are made, while not owning proposals or pricing models.