Job Title:

Contracts Manager (Federal, FAR/DFARS)

Type of Position:

This position will begin as a 12-month contract, with strong potential for long-term employment. While the contract is initially set for 12 months, there is no fixed end date, and extensions beyond the initial term are possible. Conversion to a direct hire role may occur as early as 3 months, depending on individual performance and business needs. Although direct hire is not guaranteed, it is a common outcome for high-performing team members, and most contractors in this role do transition to permanent positions over time.

Candidate Requirements:

This role is working for a major defense contractor. Candidates must be eligible to obtain a secret security clearance (please note, clearance isn’t required to start). Secret Clearance requires US Citizenship (and thus, that’s a requirement in this role). Permanent Residents (Green Card Holders) are NOT eligible for this role. Candidates on CPT, OPT, H1B or TN visas are also not eligible for this role. This company is NOT open to corp2corp (c2c) or corp2hire (c2h). Offer may be contingent upon passing a background check and a drug screen (drug screen would include Cannabis).

Job Location:

This role will be managed from a facility in Andover, MA. We prefer candidates who are local to work in a hybrid capacity. We will however consider well-qualified candidates to work fully remote. Remote candidates MUST be located on the East Coast and be willing to travel occasionally to our office in Andover, MA.

Compensation:

We are generally targeting $65.00/hr to $75.00/hr in this role. Overtime is paid at 1.5x over 40 hours. There may be occasional overtime (but not frequently).

Benefits:

• Available (health insurance, dental, vision, 401k, etc) – benefit eligibility will begin the 1st of the month after 30 days of employment.
• This role will have 7 paid holidays and 10 days PTO (PTO accrues over time). In going direct hire, there will be significantly more PTO.

Job Description:

HRU Technical Resources has partnered with a company serving the aerospace and defense industry. We are seeking to hire a Contracts Manager. This position plays a critical role in supporting our advanced aerospace and defense programs by managing complex government and commercial contracts throughout their lifecycle. In this role, you will collaborate with cross-functional teams – including legal, program management, engineering, and finance – to ensure contracts are structured, negotiated, and executed in compliance with U.S. Government regulations (FAR/DFARS) and internal policies. You'll be responsible for drafting and negotiating agreements, analyzing contract terms, developing negotiation strategies, and advising leadership on contractual risks and obligations. The ideal candidate is a skilled problem-solver with a solid background in federal contracting and a passion for supporting mission-critical technologies that matter.

Responsibilities:

• Manage program and project contracts supporting the line of business.
• Review solicitations and prepare proposal responses in collaboration with the proposal team; review and approve contractual documents for adherence to customer specifications and requirements, compliance with terms and conditions, applicable FAR/DFARS clauses, special provisions, and company policies and procedures.
• Draft, review, and redline customer agreements; negotiate agreements, including master agreements, to protect the company's interests.
• Develop and recommend negotiation strategies consistent with organizational goals and objectives.
• Advise management and program teams on contractual rights, obligations, intellectual property protections, organizational conflicts of interest, and general risks and mitigation strategies.
• Utilize strong problem-solving abilities.
• Maintain deadlines for internal and external customer requests as well as contractual historical data; enter contract data into databases as required.
• Analyze and track contract compliance in conjunction with other functions.
• Interface externally with government contracting officials, prime contractor procurement representatives, and other customer representatives.
• Interface internally with contracts team members, legal, program management, capture, finance, pricing, proposal, property, quality control, engineering, and other functional staff as required.

Qualifications / Requirements:

• Bachelor’s degree in Business, Management, or other related field.
• Minimum of 5 years of directly related experience in contract administration, business management, or finance, with direct government defense or prime customers.
• Experience with U.S. Government, prime, and commercial contracts.
• Experience with standard defense contract types such as Cost Reimbursable (CR), Cost Plus Fixed Fee (CPFF), Cost Plus Incentive Fee (CPIF), Firm Fixed Price (FFP), Time and Materials (T&M), Indefinite Delivery Indefinite Quantity (IDIQ), and with all phases of contracting from pre-solicitation through completion/termination and closeout.
• Familiarity with U.S. Government regulations (FAR/DFARS), especially acquisitions governed by Part 12 (Acquisition of Commercial Products and Services) and Part 15 (Contracting by Negotiation).
• Strong analytical, financial, and negotiation skills with exceptional attention to detail.
• Proficiency in MS Office Suite (Excel, Word, Outlook), and Adobe Acrobat.
• Ability to obtain and maintain a U.S. Government security clearance (Secret or higher) within one year of employment.

Preferred:

• Ability to work effectively in a highly interactive team environment, under pressure, and within tight deadlines, juggling multiple priorities while producing quality work.
• Demonstrated ability to establish and maintain effective relationships with internal and external customers (management, technical, and functional counterparts) to communicate project status.
• Ability to identify performance risks and recommend mitigation strategies.
• Experience supporting audit activities with primes, the government, or other agencies.
• Trusted to maintain confidentiality and adhere to company policies and government acquisition laws and regulations.
• Excellent written, verbal, and oral communication skills.
• Strong interpersonal and organizational skills.
• Experience with SAM, D&B, Certs & Reps, and Exostar preferred.

Work Environment / Physical Requirements:

• This role will be on a 9/80 schedule (9-hour days, every other Friday off). 8:00am to 6:00pm is our standard schedule.
• This will be a hybrid role for candidates who are local. We will consider fully remote candidates who are located on the East Coast (and willing to travel occasionally to our corporate office in Andover, MA).
• Offer may be contingent upon passing a background check and a drug screen (drug screen would include Cannabis).
• EOE (including Disability/Veterans)