Director, Government Contracts Counsel

Coherent • Sherman, TX

4d • Hybrid

About The Position

This role serves as Coherent’s principal internal legal authority for U.S. government and defense contracting. The Director, Government Contracts Counsel will establish and lead the enterprise-wide legal strategy for U.S. government and defense contracting, developing a comprehensive framework for identifying, reviewing, approving, and managing government-contract opportunities and obligations. This includes creating consistent policies, processes, decision criteria, and escalation protocols. The position requires advising executive leadership on significant contractual, regulatory, compliance, and reputational risks associated with government programs, and monitoring relevant developments. The role involves serving as primary legal counsel on FAR, DFARS, agency supplements, CMMC, and other federal and defense contracting requirements, providing strategic guidance throughout the contract lifecycle, and leading legal risk assessments. Additionally, the Director will provide legal leadership for CMMC readiness and cybersecurity compliance, partnering with various departments to interpret obligations and establish ownership. The role also entails serving as a trusted advisor to business-unit and functional leaders, translating complex legal requirements into actionable guidance, and facilitating cross-functional decisions. The Director will build relationships across decentralized business units, drive adoption of enterprise standards, and provide practical, risk-based solutions. Training for various stakeholders will also be a key responsibility.

Requirements

• Juris Doctor degree from an accredited law school required.
• Active membership in good standing with at least one U.S. state bar required.
• Typically 10 or more years of progressively responsible experience in U.S. government or defense contracting, including meaningful in-house legal or counsel experience.
• Significant experience advising on FAR, DFARS, DoD contracting, subcontracting, flow-down requirements, and government-contract compliance.
• Demonstrated experience advising on CMMC or government-contract cybersecurity obligations.
• Advanced knowledge of U.S. federal procurement law, FAR, DFARS, CMMC, and defense-contracting requirements.
• Strong business judgment and ability to distinguish material enterprise risk from lower-level compliance concerns.
• Demonstrated ability to operate independently as a senior legal subject-matter expert.
• Ability to build an enterprise capability in an environment where processes and governance are still developing.
• Executive presence and credibility when advising senior leaders on complex or sensitive matters.
• Ability to translate legal and regulatory requirements into practical, plain-English business guidance.
• Strong influencing and relationship-building skills across a global, matrixed organization.
• Ability to align stakeholders with competing legal, operational, technical, and commercial priorities.
• Excellent negotiation, communication, training, and problem-solving skills.
• Ability to manage multiple high-priority matters in a fast-paced and evolving regulatory environment.
• High degree of integrity, discretion, accountability, and professional judgment.

Nice To Haves

• Experience working within a public company, major defense contractor, or similarly complex and highly regulated organization strongly preferred.
• Experience establishing or scaling a government-contracting or compliance program across multiple business units preferred.
• Experience interacting with federal agencies, prime contractors, subcontractors, and senior executives preferred.

Responsibilities

• Establish and lead Coherent’s enterprise-wide legal strategy for U.S. government and defense contracting.
• Develop a comprehensive framework for identifying, reviewing, approving, and managing government-contract opportunities and obligations across the company.
• Create consistent policies, processes, decision criteria, and escalation protocols for government-contracting activities.
• Build visibility into existing government contracts and emerging opportunities across Coherent’s business units.
• Advise executive leadership on significant contractual, regulatory, compliance, and reputational risks associated with government programs.
• Monitor regulatory and enforcement developments and determine their impact on Coherent’s operations and business strategy.
• Serve as the company’s primary legal counsel on FAR, DFARS, agency supplements, CMMC, and other requirements applicable to federal and defense contracting.
• Provide strategic legal guidance throughout the government-contract lifecycle, including opportunity assessment, proposal development, negotiation, performance, administration, and closeout.
• Lead legal risk assessments for significant government programs and recommend practical mitigation strategies.
• Draft, review, and negotiate prime contracts, subcontracts, teaming agreements, nondisclosure agreements, licensing arrangements, and other government-contract-related agreements.
• Advise on mandatory and risk-based flow-down requirements and establish strategies for subcontractor and supplier compliance.
• Support internal investigations, audits, disclosures, and compliance reviews involving government contracts.
• Engage with the DoD, Department of State, other federal agencies, prime contractors, and external counsel on significant contractual or regulatory matters.
• Provide legal leadership for Coherent’s CMMC readiness and broader government-contract cybersecurity compliance strategy.
• Partner with IT, cybersecurity, engineering, and business leadership to interpret contractual cybersecurity obligations and establish clear ownership for implementation.
• Advise on DFARS cybersecurity clauses, controlled unclassified information requirements, incident-reporting obligations, and related contractual risks.
• Evaluate cybersecurity and CMMC requirements associated with new opportunities, business arrangements, and acquisitions.
• Provide executive-level guidance on gaps, remediation priorities, and business risks related to CMMC readiness.
• Serve as a trusted advisor to business-unit and functional leaders pursuing or performing government-contract work.
• Translate complex legal and regulatory requirements into clear, actionable guidance for nonlegal stakeholders.
• Facilitate cross-functional decisions where legal requirements, customer expectations, operational needs, and commercial priorities may conflict.
• Build relationships across decentralized business units and drive adoption of consistent enterprise standards without relying on direct reporting authority.
• Provide practical, risk-based solutions that protect the company while enabling responsible business growth.
• Develop and deliver targeted training for executives, program teams, engineers, IT and cybersecurity professionals, supply-chain personnel, and other stakeholders.

Benefits

• Hybrid or onsite work arrangement based on business needs.
• Work is primarily performed in a professional office environment using standard office equipment.
• Periodic travel may be required to support business units, leadership meetings, government engagements, audits, or program activities.
• Ensure adherence to company’s values (ICARE) in all aspects of your position at Coherent Corp.: I ntegrity – Create an Environment of Trust C ollaboration – Innovate Through the Sharing of Ideas A ccountability – Own the Process and the Outcome R espect – Recognize the Value in Everyone E nthusiasm – Find a Sense of Purpose in Work

What This Job Offers

• Job Type: Full-time
• Career Level: Director
• Education Level: Ph.D. or professional degree