Subcontracts Manager

Chaos Industries; Los Angeles (CA); On-site; USD 120,000 - 170,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Health benefits

401k

Free daily lunch

Unlimited PTO

Job summary

CHAOS Industries, based in Los Angeles with a national footprint, is seeking a Subcontracts Manager to own the full subcontract lifecycle for major programs. You will lead source selection through closeout, negotiate terms, conduct cost/price analysis, and ensure FAR/DFARS compliance across suppliers.

As part of a cross-functional team, you will build scalable subcontract governance, manage supplier onboarding and risk, and coordinate cybersecurity and regulatory reviews to pass CPSR audits.

Qualifications

• Bachelor's or Master's degree with defense contracting experience.
• 8+ years subcontract administration, or 6+ with Master's.
• Knowledge of FAR/DFARS, CPSR and government contracting rules.
• Experience with cost or price analysis and source selection.
• Ability to obtain DoD Secret clearance or higher.

Responsibilities

• Own full subcontract lifecycle from source selection to closeout.
• Draft and negotiate subcontract terms, price, deliverables, and schedule.
• Perform cost and price analysis and document rationale.
• Ensure flowdown of prime contract requirements to subcontractors.
• Maintain CPSR-compliant purchasing system and audit-ready files.
• Manage supplier onboarding, qualification, and risk assessments.
• Coordinate cybersecurity, export-control, and regulatory reviews.
• Develop supplier scorecards and lead audits and remediation.
• Establish scalable subcontracts governance policies and procedures.

Skills

Subcontracts management

FAR/DFARS knowledge

Negotiation

Contract compliance

Supplier onboarding

Risk assessment

Stakeholder management

Education

Bachelor's degree + 8+ years federal contracting

Master's degree + 6+ years federal contracting

12+ years direct relevant experience in lieu of degree

Job description

CHAOS Industries is redefining modern defense with a multi-product portfolio that gives the ultimate advantage—domain dominance. The company's products are powered by Coherent Distributed Networks (CDN™), empowering warfighters, commercial air operators, and border protection teams to act faster, adapt rapidly, and stay ahead of evolving threats.

CHAOS Industries was founded in 2022 and has raised a total of $1 billion in funding from leading investors, including 8VC, Accel, and Valor Equity Partners. The company is headquartered in Los Angeles, with offices in Washington, D.C., San Francisco, San Diego, Seattle, and London. For more information, please visit www.chaosinc.com .

Role Overview:

As CHAOS Industries scales production of advanced defense systems, our supply base becomes mission-critical—and so does the discipline with which we award and manage subcontracts. We are seeking a Subcontracts Manager to own the full subcontract lifecycle, from source selection through closeout, for the major subcontracts and supplier agreements that support our programs.

Working closely with Procurement, Supply Chain, Legal, Quality, and Program Management, you will lead subcontract formation and administration under FAR Part 44 and a CPSR-compliant purchasing system—including cost and price analysis, contractual flowdowns, and the qualification, compliance, and governance of our suppliers. This is a builder’s role: you will establish the policies, files, and processes a purchasing system needs to pass a government review.

Responsibilities:

• Own the full subcontract lifecycle—requirements definition and SOW generation, solicitation (RFP), proposal evaluation, source selection, negotiation, award, administration, and closeout—for major and complex subcontracts.
• Draft and negotiate subcontract terms, price, deliverables, and schedule, and prepare the required FAR/DFARS documentation.
• Perform and document cost and price analysis, source-selection rationale, and consent-to-subcontract / advance-notification packages.
• Ensure prime contract requirements are properly flowed down to subcontractors and suppliers, and that subcontracts comply with FAR, DFARS, and applicable government requirements.
• Maintain a CPSR-compliant purchasing system and complete, audit-ready subcontract files (FAR Part 44).
• Own supplier onboarding, qualification, and risk assessment, and maintain approved supplier lists and supplier records.
• Coordinate supplier cybersecurity, quality, export-control, insurance, and regulatory reviews, and maintain supplier terms and conditions in partnership with Legal.
• Develop supplier scorecards and performance monitoring, and lead supplier audits, corrective actions, and remediation.
• Establish scalable subcontracts and supplier-governance policies and procedures.
• Bachelor's degree and 8+ years of subcontract administration / subcontracts management experience in a federal contracting environment; or a Master's degree and 6+ years; or, in lieu of a degree, 12+ years of directly related experience.
• Hands-on experience across the full subcontract lifecycle, including FAR/DFARS flowdowns and cost or price analysis.
• Familiarity with FAR Part 44, Contractor Purchasing System Reviews (CPSR), and consent-to-subcontract requirements.
• Experience with contractual flowdowns and supplier compliance requirements.
• Strong understanding of supplier risk management and governance principles.
• Excellent communication and stakeholder-management skills.
• U.S. citizenship is required: this role accesses export-controlled information and requires a U.S. Department of Defense (DoD) Secret security clearance—current, or the ability to obtain and maintain one.

Preferred Requirements:

• Experience in aerospace, defense, manufacturing, or national-security environments.
• Experience managing subcontracts across multiple contract types (FFP, T&M, and cost-reimbursement).
• Familiarity with FAR, DFARS, ITAR, EAR, NIST 800-171, and CMMC requirements.
• Experience supporting AS9100 or other regulated quality systems.
• NCMA certification (e.g., CFCM/CPCM), CPSM, or CPSR / purchasing-system experience.
• Active U.S. Department of Defense Secret or Top Secret security clearance.

Why CHAOS?

• Health Benefits: Medical, dental, and vision benefits 100% paid for by the company
• Additional benefits: 401k (+ 50% company match up to 6% of pay), FSA, HSA, life insurance, and more
• Our Perks: Free daily lunch, ‘No meeting Fridays’, unlimited PTO, casual dress code
• Compensation Components: Competitive base salaries, generous pre-IPO stock option grants, relocation assistance, and (coming soon!) annual bonuses
• Team Growth: 350 employees and counting across 5 global offices

Salary Range: $120,000 - $170,000

The stated compensation range reflects only the targeted base compensation range and excludes additional earnings such as bonus, equity, and benefits. If your compensation requirements fall outside of the range, we still encourage you to apply. The salary range for this role is an estimate based on a range of compensation factors, inclusive of base salary only. Actual salary offer may vary based on (but not limited to) work experience, education and/or training, critical skills, and/or business considerations.

Recruiting Agencies: CHAOS Industries does not accept unsolicited resumes or outreach. Unsolicited submissions will not be reviewed or compensated.

#LI-onsite

Please note this position does not necessarily require eligibility to obtain and maintain a U.S. security clearance.

As set forth in CHAOS Industries’s Equal Employment Opportunity policy,we do not discriminate on the basis of any protected group status under any applicable law.

If you believe you belong to any of the categories of protected veterans listed below, please indicate by making the appropriate selection.As a government contractor subject to the Vietnam Era Veterans Readjustment Assistance Act (VEVRAA), we request this information in order to measurethe effectiveness of the outreach and positive recruitment efforts we undertake pursuant to VEVRAA. Classification of protected categoriesis as follows:

A "disabled veteran" is one of the following: a veteran of the U.S. military, ground, naval or air service who is entitled to compensation (or who but for the receipt of military retired pay would be entitled to compensation) under laws administered by the Secretary of Veterans Affairs; or a person who was discharged or released from active duty because of a service-connected disability.

A "recently separated veteran" means any veteran during the three-year period beginning on the date of such veteran's discharge or release from active duty in the U.S. military, ground, naval, or air service.

An "active duty wartime or campaign badge veteran" means a veteran who served on active duty in the U.S. military, ground, naval or air service during a war, or in a campaign or expedition for which a campaign badge has been authorized under the laws administered by the Department of Defense.

An "Armed forces service medal veteran" means a veteran who, while serving on active duty in the U.S. military, ground, naval or air service, participated in a United States military operation for which an Armed Forces service medal was awarded pursuant to Executive Order 12985.