Contracts Manager - Government Contracts (DOD)

About the role

In this position, you will be responsible for managing all aspects of contract administration and proposal development across numerous aerospace and defense programs. This role provides strategic oversight, process governance, and leadership to ensure compliance with federal regulations (FAR/DFARS/other agency supplements), company policies, and customer requirements. This position partners cross-functionally with Program Management, Engineering, Supply Chain, Legal, Finance and Sales to mitigate risk, streamline contract execution, and support the company’s financial and operational goals. This generally includes oversight of the contract management process, as well as development of specific standards for bidding and submission, contract negotiations, and document management. This is a highly visible position requiring strong business acumen, regulatory expertise, and the ability to build collaborative relationships with customers as well as internal stakeholders.

Our Team

Reporting to the Senior Manager, Contracts for Molex's Aerospace & Defense Solutions (ADS) division, you'll be part of a team that works cross-functionally with various departments including Program Management, Legal, IT, Compliance, Sales, Engineering and Operations – working together to support sustainable growth for Molex in the aerospace & defense customer-base. This team is deeply committed to protecting our business and enabling success in a highly regulated environment.

What You Will Do

• Review, draft, and negotiate complex contractual documents, including but not limited to: NDA's, Terms and Conditions, Letter Subcontracts, Undefinitized Contract Actions (UCA), Teaming Agreements, IP Agreements, and formal proposal responses to customer RFx. This may also include subcontracts upstream.
• Ensure compliance with applicable regulations (FAR, DFARS, ITAR, and other federal acquisition requirements)
• Lead and manage all pre-award and post-award contracting activities for US government contracts to ensure compliance with federal regulations (FAR/DFARS), contractual risk mitigation, on-time deliverables, and profitable contract performance.
• Act as the primary contract authority for assigned programs and provide strategic contracting guidance to program leadership, finance, procurement, and legal.
• Support and Lead capture and proposal effort: compliance matrices, cost estimating and pricing inputs, contract strategy, risk assessment, and contract terms & conditions evaluation.
• Lead responses to contract-related inquiries, audits, investigations, and legally significant events; support dispute resolution and claims preparation.
• Share knowledge and best practices with program managers, project leads, engineering and relevant staff on contract obligations, change control, and compliance.
• Maintain strong working relationships with internal and external stakeholders, including customers
• Continuously improve internal contracting processes, templates, and playbooks.
• Align contract and proposal requirements with managers of business operations, including relevant divisions of engineering, finance, quality, legal and program management. Ensure that contracts and proposals are properly entered into organizational databases and securely maintained.

Basic Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in Business, Law, Engineering, or a related field (or equivalent experience).
• Proficient in Microsoft Office (Word, Excel, PowerPoint)
• 5+ years of experience in U.S. Government contracting (FAR/DFARS).
• Demonstrated experience negotiating terms, developing complex proposals, and drafting contracts supporting US Government contracts.
• Proven ability and passion for understanding technical product aspects, and their relevance to the contract requirements.
• Team-oriented individual who holds himself and others accountable to achieving a shared mission
• Demonstrated ability to work independently and take initiative with minimal supervision

Preferred Qualifications

• Excellent negotiation and persuasion skills, both in one-on-one and group situations.
• Advanced degree (Master's, JD) or certifications such as CFCM, CPCM, CCCM, CCMA, or equivalent.
• Experience working within the aerospace and defense industry.
• Familiarity with FAR, DFARS, ITAR, EAR, and export compliance frameworks.
• Strong leadership in cross-functional project management and stakeholder engagement.
• Experience developing proposals subject to TINA
• Experience developing termination (for convenience) settlement proposals supporting US Government contracts
• Experience with subcontract management, including source selection and price reasonableness analysis
• Experience drafting Commercial Item Determination (CID) packages
• Experience developing Small Business Subcontracting Plans in accordance with FAR 52.219-9

Pay

$80,000 - $140,000 per year. This role is eligible for variable pay, issued as a monetary bonus or in another form.

Benefits

• Medical, dental, and vision coverage
• Flexible spending and health savings accounts
• Life insurance, ADD, and disability coverage
• Retirement plans
• Paid vacation/time off
• Educational assistance
• Infertility assistance (may apply)
• Paid parental leave and adoption assistance (may apply)