Subcontracts Manager, Public Sector

Scale AI; Washington; On-site; USD 166,000 - 249,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Equity compensation

Health, dental and vision coverage

Retirement benefits

Learning stipend

Generous PTO

Commuter stipend

Job summary

Scale AI is seeking a subcontracts manager to oversee day-to-day relationships with subcontractors supporting Public Sector programs and ensure alignment with the overall technical solution. You will translate prime milestones into subcontractor deliverables, manage dependencies, and embed activities into the IMS while coordinating security and onboarding.

The role requires strong program management, cross-functional influence, and the ability to drive accountability with external partners in a

Qualifications

• Active Top Secret clearance.
• 5+ years in program management or subcontractor management.
• Experience with schedules, milestones, and deliverables.
• Ability to interpret technical dependencies without engineering oversight.
• Strong cross-functional collaboration and communication.

Responsibilities

• Own day-to-day relationships with subcontractors on Public Sector programs.
• Translate milestones into subcontractor deliverables and timelines.
• Integrate subcontractor work into the Integrated Master Schedule.
• Hold subcontractors accountable for scope and timelines.
• Coordinate security requirements and onboarding of subcontractors.
• Provide management with clear performance visibility and risk flags.
• Lead onboarding and ensure access, documentation, and processes.
• Travel onsite to Washington DC area as needed.

Skills

Program management

Stakeholder management

Communication

Risk management

Influence across teams

Tools

IMS (Integrated Master Schedule)

SOW management

Security flow-downs

Job description

Scale AI is at the forefront of the AI revolution, helping the U.S. government unlock the potential of AI across national security missions. We’re building and deploying agentic AI solutions on large, complex government programs that increasingly require Scale technology to integrate with capabilities delivered by traditional defense primes and other subcontractors.

We’re hiring a subcontracts manager to own the day-to-day relationships, execution, and integration of subcontractors supporting our Public Sector programs. You will work alongside Scale’s Delivery team and technical leads to ensure our subcontractors understand where their work fits into the broader technical solution, deliver against committed timelines and requirements, and remain fully integrated into our overall program execution.

This role requires unusual range: you should be equally comfortable reviewing an integrated master schedule and discussing technical dependencies as you are resolving an invoice, onboarding a new subcontractor, or flowing down security requirements. You will need technical fluency to understand what Scale is building and how subcontractor capabilities fit into the solution, while using strong program management and influence to hold external partners accountable for results.

You will:

• Own day-to-day relationships with subcontractors supporting large Public Sector programs, including major defense primes and specialized technical partners
• Understand Scale’s overall technical solution and ensure each subcontractor clearly understands how its scope, interfaces, and deliverables fit into that solution
• Translate prime contract milestones and program requirements into clear subcontractor deliverables, timelines, dependencies, and acceptance criteria
• Integrate subcontractor activities into the broader Integrated Master Schedule (IMS) and proactively identify dependencies, risks, and potential schedule impacts
• Hold subcontractors accountable for committed scope, timelines, deliverables, status reporting, and corrective actions when execution falls behind
• Partner closely with Scale technical leads and program managers who will review and approve the technical quality of subcontractor work, while you own execution, coordination, and follow-through
• Establish clear operating cadences with subcontractors, including status reviews, action tracking, risk management, decision logs, and escalation mechanisms
• Drive resolution of technical and programmatic blockers across Scale teams, subcontractors, customers, and other external stakeholders
• Lead onboarding of new subcontractors and ensure they have the program context, systems access, security requirements, documentation, and operating processes necessary to execute
• Coordinate the flow-down and tracking of applicable security, access, compliance, and program requirements
• Manage subcontractor administrative workflows, including invoices, billing questions, documentation requests, staffing changes, access issues, and other day-to-day operational needs
• Provide Scale program managers with a clear view of subcontractor performance and proactively elevate issues before they impact government deliverables
• Build productive, high-trust relationships with subcontractor teams while maintaining a high bar for accountability and execution

Must haves:

• Active Top Secret clearance
• 5+ years of experience in program management, technical program management, subcontractor management, defense acquisition, systems integration, or a related role
• Experience managing external organizations against defined scope, schedules, milestones, and deliverables
• Experience working with Integrated Master Schedules, Work Breakdown Structures, Statements of Work, deliverable tracking, and formal program reviews
• Strong technical acumen and the ability to understand software, systems integration, interfaces, dependencies, and technical program plans without needing to be the engineer approving the work
• Demonstrated ability to operate across both technical and administrative domains, from engineering dependencies and program schedules to invoicing, onboarding, and documentation
• Experience building and managing integrated program plans with multiple teams, workstreams, and external dependencies
• Strong ability to influence organizations and individuals outside of your direct reporting chain
• Comfort holding sophisticated external partners accountable, including escalating performance issues when necessary
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills, with the ability to communicate clearly with engineers, program managers, executives, subcontractors, and government stakeholders
• Strong organizational skills and attention to detail, particularly around commitments, documentation, financial workflows, and schedule management
• High ownership and a track record of proactively identifying risks and driving them through resolution
• Willingness to work onsite in the Washington, DC area as required to support customers, programs, and classified work
• Willingness to travel to subcontractor facilities as required

Nice to haves:

• Experience working with or for a major defense prime contractor or managing relationships with traditional defense primes
• Experience supporting large Department of Defense or Intelligence Community contracts
• Familiarity with government contracting structures, subcontract administration, FAR/DFARS requirements, and flow-down obligations
• Experience managing subcontractors delivering software, AI/ML, data, systems integration, or other technically complex capabilities
• Familiarity with AI/ML systems, generative AI, agentic workflows, APIs, data pipelines, or modern software architectures
• Experience supporting classified programs and coordinating security requirements, personnel access, and work across secure environments
• Familiarity with subcontractor invoicing, cost tracking, forecasting, and financial reconciliation
• Domain knowledge on technical topics related to homeland layered defense

Compensation packages at Scale for eligible roles include base salary, equity, and benefits. The range displayed on each job posting reflects the minimum and maximum target for new hire salaries for the position and may be inclusive of several career levels at Scale; it will be determined during the interview process based on work location and additional factors, including job-related skills, experience, qualifications, interview performance, and relevant education or training. Scale employees in eligible roles are also granted equity based compensation, subject to Board of Director approval. Your recruiter can share more about the specific salary range for your preferred location during the hiring process, and confirm whether the hired role will be eligible for equity grant.

You’ll also receive benefits including, but not limited to: comprehensive health, dental and vision coverage, retirement benefits, a learning and development stipend, and generous PTO. Additionally, this role may be eligible for additional benefits such as a commuter stipend.

• equity based compensation
• comprehensive health, dental and vision coverage
• retirement benefits
• a learning and development stipend
• generous PTO
• a commuter stipend

The base salary range for this full-time position in the location of Washington DC is:

$166,400—$249,000 USD

PLEASE NOTE: Our policy requires a 90-day waiting period before reconsidering candidates for the same role. This allows us to ensure a fair and thorough evaluation of all applicants.

About Us:

At Scale, our mission is to develop reliable AI systems for the world’s most important decisions. Our products provide the high-quality data and full-stack technologies that power the world’s leading models, and help enterprises and governments build, deploy, and oversee AI applications that deliver real impact. We work closely with industry leaders like Meta, Ernst & Young, Mayo Clinic, Time Inc., the Government of Qatar, and U.S. government agencies including the Army and Air Force. We are expanding our team to accelerate the development of AI applications.

We believe that everyone should be able to bring their whole selves to work, which is why we are proud to be an inclusive and equal opportunity workplace. We are committed to equal employment opportunity regardless of race, color, ancestry, religion, sex, national origin, sexual orientation, age, citizenship, marital status, disability status, gender identity or Veteran status.

We are committed to working with and providing reasonable accommodations to applicants with physical and mental disabilities. If you need assistance and/or a reasonable accommodation in the application or recruiting process due to a disability, please contact us at [e-mail]. Please see the United States Department of Labor’s Know Your Rights poster for additional information.

We comply with the United States Department of Labor’s Pay Transparency provision