Senior Contracts Specialist

Varda Space•El Segundo, CA

2d•Onsite

About The Position

Varda is hiring a Senior Contracts Specialist to manage first-of-kind agreements for microgravity pharmaceutical manufacturing, hypersonic reentry vehicles, and government space programs. The role works directly with the Contracts Manager on a lean team and owns the full contract lifecycle for government and commercial customers, from pre-award strategy and proposal support through negotiation, compliance, post-award execution, and closeout. The specialist’s judgment and cross-functional communication will help determine how quickly the company can execute its missions and pursue new opportunities. This is a full-time, 100% on-site role in El Segundo, California. The position requires willingness to travel up to 10% as needed and the ability to obtain and maintain a Top Secret clearance. Applicants must be U.S. persons authorized to access export-controlled technology without an export license.

Requirements

BA/BS in law, business, finance, or a related field; equivalent professional experience will be considered.
4–6 years of hands-on contract management experience, emphasizing government contracts.
Experience with Firm Fixed Price (FFP) and Other Transaction Authority (OTA) agreements.
Working knowledge of compliance under the FAR, DFARS, and NASA FAR Supplement (NFS).
Experience negotiating NDAs.
A track record of making persuasive written and verbal arguments in negotiations.
Ability to manage competing priorities and meet aggressive deadlines.
Experience with export-controlled materials under ITAR and EAR.
Willingness to travel up to 10% as needed.
Ability to obtain and maintain a Top Secret clearance.
U.S. person status permitting access to the company’s export-controlled technology without an export license.

Nice To Haves

Active Top Secret/SCI-eligible clearance.
Experience structuring commercial agreements in dual-use or regulated technology environments, including IP licensing, data rights, or export-controlled deliverables.
Hands-on experience in spacecraft integration, satellite manufacturing, or GMP/regulated pharmaceutical production, where process discipline and documentation integrity are essential.

Responsibilities

Represent Varda as the counterpart contracting officer for government and commercial missions.
Lead or support customer negotiations, build strong working relationships, and protect the company’s interests.
Identify contract structures that work for both parties and help clear the path to signature quickly.
Keep mission management, operations, proposals, sales, product, and leadership aligned with signed contracts and regulations.
Own compliance with the FAR, DFARS, and export-control regulations.
Manage contract closeout, including final deliveries, payments, and resolution of open issues.
Maintain accurate contract and business files.
Advise leadership on Varda’s rights and obligations under its agreements.
Draft, review, and negotiate NDAs, customer agreements, partnership agreements, and other contracts.