Senior Contracts Manager - Strategic Equipment

Blue Energy • Chevy Chase, MD

1d

About The Position

Blue Energy is transforming how nuclear power gets built by manufacturing plants in a factory on an assembly line, then transporting and assembling them at the site. This approach cuts costs by over 60% and brings plants online in just three years. They also pair natural gas with nuclear at their sites, allowing customers to receive power from gas turbines immediately while nuclear power is being built. The mission is to make nuclear energy abundant, affordable, and repeatable at global scale, using proven reactor designs and working with existing sites for faster regulatory approval. This manufacturing method aims to put nuclear power on the same cost-reduction curve as wind, solar, and batteries.

The Senior Contracts Manager – Strategic Equipment is Blue Energy’s commercial lead for its highest-value OEM supply relationships, accountable across the full lifecycle. The role covers major equipment supply agreements, including service agreements, with direct responsibility for OFE delivery alignment and supervision of a Contracts Administrator.

Requirements

• Bachelors Degree in engineering, law, quantity surveying, or commerce - engineering background is a strong differentiator given the technical content of performance guarantee structures and FAT acceptance criteria.
• 8+ years in contracts management on major capital projects in oil & gas, LNG, power generation, or heavy industrial, with demonstrated experience negotiating major OEM equipment supply agreements.
• Direct experience with LDs, performance guarantees, FAT commercial conditions, and OFE delivery obligations is required.
• Proven track record negotiating directly against tier-1 OEM commercial teams on risk allocation, LD exposure, and performance guarantee language.
• Strong foundational understanding of contract law as it applies to performance guarantees, LD provisions, force majeure, warranty obligations, and limitation of liability; able to work effectively with legal counsel on complex contract positions.
• Understanding of the interface between engineering services and equipment supply contracts, including the commercial implications of specification changes post-award.
• Strong post-award contract management capability - fabrication milestone tracking, payment certification, change order assessment and negotiation, LD administration, FAT commercial management, and warranty claim administration across multi-contract portfolios.
• Sufficient technical literacy to assess OEM performance guarantee claims, challenge milestone valuations, and engage credibly with engineering and project management counterparts.

Nice To Haves

• Direct experience negotiating gas turbine or steam turbine supply agreements.
• Background in major power generation, CCGT, LNG, or oil & gas projects, with an understanding of how rotating equipment contracts sit within a broader project commercial framework.
• Familiarity with nuclear OEM qualification requirements - NQA-1 procurement documentation, approved nuclear vendor list qualification, source inspection, and the documentation and traceability obligations applicable to nuclear-qualified equipment supply contracts.
• Prior experience on an EPC contractor commercial team, providing valuable context for managing GMP structures and anticipating how delivery schedule risk is priced and escalated.
• Experience in a pre-IPO or high-growth energy company, building governance infrastructure while executing major supply agreements under time pressure.

Responsibilities

• Lead commercial negotiations for all major OEM equipment supply contracts.
• Own pricing and escalation frameworks, performance guarantee structures, payment milestone schedules, LD provisions, warranty terms, and spare parts obligations.
• Develop and execute a negotiation strategy for each major OEM engagement, and competitive tension management.
• Manage long-term commercial relationships with key OEM strategic partners, maintaining executive-level engagement and protecting Blue Energy’s interests across the full life of each supplier relationship.
• Assess, respond to, and negotiate OEM claims for cost or schedule relief, distinguishing legitimate entitlement from opportunistic claims and maintaining commercial exposure with discipline.
• Track OFE delivery dates across all major equipment packages in coordination with the Lead EPC Contract Manager. Flag delivery risks.
• Maintain market intelligence on rotating equipment supply markets, including OEM capacity, lead times, pricing trends, and vendor qualification status, to sharpen negotiating strategy and inform procurement planning.
• Negotiate service agreements for OEM on-site support.
• Supervise and develop the Contracts Administrator, delegating administration tasks across the portfolio and building commercial capability. Own all contract administration responsibilities directly until the position is filled.
• Manage warranty claims and serial defect notifications.
• Maintain commercial reporting for the OEM portfolio, covering fabrication progress, milestone payment status, delivery schedule confidence, and open commercial matters.

Benefits

• We look forward to your application and helping foster an era of safe, clean, affordable, and abundant energy.
• Blue Energy is dedicated to building a diverse and inclusive workplace. If you’re excited about this role but your experience doesn’t perfectly align with every requirement, we encourage you to apply anyway. You might be the right candidate for this or other roles at Blue Energy now or in the future.

What This Job Offers

• Job Type: Full-time
• Career Level: Senior