Sr. Manager, Contracts

L3Harris•Plano, TX

7h•Onsite

About The Position

The Sr. Manager, Contracts leads a team of contract professionals supporting domestic and international defense programs, including Department of War (DoW) contracts, Foreign Military Sales (FMS), and Direct Commercial Sales (DCS). The role develops and executes contractual strategies for domestic, Italian, and Australian customers, taking into account differing procurement structures, contractual requirements, and regulatory obligations. It evaluates contractual decisions from an enterprise perspective, considering customer relationships, program delivery, profitability, cash flow, compliance, and long-term growth. The position directs the full contract lifecycle, from solicitation and RFP review through proposal development, negotiation, execution, amendments, change control, claims resolution, and closeout. It leads complex DCS negotiations and partners across functions to structure commercially sound agreements. The manager advises leadership on contractual rights, obligations, exposures, and emerging issues; supports customer and external-organization negotiations; and drives process improvements and performance measures that strengthen execution, efficiency, accountability, and compliance. The role is based in Plano, Rockwall, or Greenville, Texas, and follows a 9/80 schedule, with every other Friday off. The employee must be able to obtain and maintain a DoW Secret Clearance.

Requirements

Bachelor’s degree and 12 years of experience in DoW, FMS, and DCS contracting, including negotiation and administration of complex, high-value agreements; or a graduate degree and 10 years of such experience; or, in lieu of a degree, at least 16 years of such experience.
Ability to obtain and maintain a DoW Secret Clearance.

Nice To Haves

Extensive hands-on experience leading DCS terms and conditions, negotiating with international customers, and resolving significant commercial and legal issues in partnership with Legal.
Ability to connect contractual decisions to broader business strategy, customer objectives, program requirements, and financial outcomes.
Strong working knowledge of the FAR, DFARS, UCC, and international commercial contracting principles, including determining their applicability to specific transactions.
Strategic judgment and creative problem-solving skills, with a record of developing practical solutions that meet commercial objectives and compliance requirements.
Experience applying export control requirements, including ITAR and EAR, and coordinating regulatory due diligence with Legal and Trade Compliance.
Prior experience supporting defense, aerospace, or high-tech industries.
General knowledge of product definition and manufacturing processes.
Knowledge of accounting, financial reporting, and ERP functionality.
Proficiency working with MS Office.
Strong written and oral communication skills, including translating complex contractual issues into clear executive recommendations.
Proven ability to lead and develop teams and build productive relationships across functions, customer organizations, and international business environments.

Responsibilities

Lead, develop, and manage a team of contract professionals, setting priorities, staffing plans, performance expectations, and development opportunities aligned with business objectives.
Develop and execute contractual strategies for DoW, FMS, and DCS programs supporting domestic, Italian, and Australian customers.
Assess contractual opportunities and decisions for their impact on customer relationships, program delivery, profitability, cash flow, compliance, and long-term growth.
Develop compliant solutions to complex contractual and commercial challenges and present leadership with options, tradeoffs, risk assessments, and recommendations.
Lead negotiations of complex DCS terms and conditions, including payment and milestone structures, delivery and acceptance, warranties, liability limitations, indemnities, intellectual property and data rights, termination, governing law, and dispute resolution.
Direct the contract lifecycle, including solicitation and RFP review, proposal development, negotiation, execution, amendments, change control, claims resolution, and closeout.
Ensure contractual commitments reflect applicable export authorizations and regulatory conditions.
Coordinate shipping requirements, delivery terms, invoices, letters of credit, and other commercial documentation with responsible functions.
Partner across functions to structure agreements that support revenue recognition policies, financial risk requirements, achievable milestones, and cash collection.
Advise leadership on contractual rights, obligations, exposures, and emerging issues; escalate material risks and obtain required approvals before making company commitments.
Support negotiations with customers and external organizations.
Provide input on commercial elements of RFPs during the bid and proposal stage.
Drive scalable process improvements and meaningful performance measures to strengthen execution, efficiency, accountability, and compliance.
Perform other duties as assigned by the supervisor.