Contracts Manager, Government Programs

Quartermaster•Arlington, VA

3d•$140,000 - $160,000•Hybrid

About The Position

Quartermaster is seeking a Contracts Manager, Government Programs to manage the end-to-end government contract lifecycle. This role is crucial for connecting growth, proposal, and finance teams by overseeing federal procurement rules, contract negotiation, and post-award actions. The Contracts Manager will be the primary point of contact for U.S. Government contracting officers and prime contractors, playing a key role in winning and executing work as contracts become more complex and transition towards programs of record. This is the first dedicated contracts hire, offering the opportunity to build and establish the contracts function within the company.

Requirements

6+ years of experience in federal government contracting or acquisition, as a U.S. Government Warranted Contracting Officer or contract specialist, or as a senior contracts manager in the defense or intelligence industry.
Direct, hands-on track record negotiating and executing contract actions, including awards, modifications, CLIN structures, option exercises, funding actions, and closeout.
Extensive knowledge of federal acquisition regulations (FAR/DFARS), contract types (FFP, CPFF, T&M, OTAs), and government procurement workflows.
Working knowledge of the systems being contracted for, sufficient to critically review technical volumes and translate engineering scope into CLINs and deliverables.
Ability to distinguish terms that present material risk from those that are an acceptable cost of doing business, and to explain these distinctions to leadership.
Ability to independently produce negotiation positions, contract correspondence, and modification requests.
Proven ability to collaborate effectively across growth, proposal, finance, and program teams while maintaining disciplined contract documentation and traceability.
Proactive, fast-paced, independent work style with a focus on building simple, repeatable contract processes.

Nice To Haves

Active Secret or TS/SCI clearance, or eligibility to obtain one.
Former Warranted Contracting Officer experience (e.g., DoD, IC, DHS), including administrative or unlimited warrant authority.
Subcontract administration experience under large prime contractors and experience supporting the transition of prototypes into programs of record.
DAWIA certification, DAU coursework, or NCMA credentials (CFCM, CPCM, CCCM).
Familiarity with Salesforce or a comparable CRM for maintaining contract and pipeline data.

Responsibilities

Serve as Quartermaster’s primary interface with U.S. Government Contracting Officers (KOs/COs) and prime contractor counterparts, leading negotiations on terms, conditions, and pricing structures across various contract types (fixed-price, cost-type, T&M/LOE, IDIQ, and Other Transaction Agreement (OTA) vehicles).
Review RFPs, RFQs, BAAs, CSOs, SBIR topics, and OTA calls for compliance obligations, contract-type risk, and unacceptable terms. Partner with the proposal team on compliance matrices and Section L/M traceability to ensure bids are responsive.
Own pre- and post-award contract actions, including CLIN restructures, scope expansions, option exercises, incremental funding, no-cost extensions, and closeouts, ensuring additional scope is converted into funded work promptly.
Negotiate NDAs, teaming agreements, and subcontracts, and ensure prime contractors adhere to flowed-down terms.
Maintain SAM.gov registration, annual representations and certifications, size and socioeconomic status representations, and recurring filings necessary for eligibility.
Support cost volumes, rate structures, and certified cost or pricing data where required. Ensure deliverable schedules (CDRLs), billing milestones, and contract reporting align with invoicing and program delivery.
Manage the company's position on technical data and intellectual property rights to protect ownership of core technology.
Ensure adherence to the Federal Acquisition Regulation (FAR), DFARS, and agency supplements, advising relevant teams on how acquisition rules impact offerings and timelines.