Senior Contracts Manager

About the role

Allison Transmission is seeking an experienced Contracts Manager to drive Defense contracting activities from negotiations through closeout, ensuring compliance and serving as the official communication channel with external stakeholders. This role supports both Allison Transmission and Allison Off-Highway Drive and Motion Systems business units in improving the way the world works.

Responsibilities

• Manage all Defense contracting actions, including negotiations, compliance, and closeout
• Enforce company requirements and legal/regulatory compliance across Defense functions
• Serve as Defense’s official communication channel with external stakeholders
• Assist proposal teams with risk mitigation and proposal activities
• Provide expertise in FAR/DFARS, NDAs, and Representations & Certifications
• Review, negotiate, and manage terms and conditions for various contract types (e.g., CSO, Cost Plus, FFP, IDIQ, Labor Hour, OTA, T&M)
• Collaborate with prime contractors, U.S. Department of Defense (DoD), and international customers in sole-source and competitive environments
• Manage international contractual requirements (e.g., bank guarantees/letters of credit, CISG, Incoterms, licensees, localization, offsets, royalties)
• Handle DoD/U.S. Government-related topics, including CID, CPARS, CUI, CAS, CMMC, DoD Business Systems, EAR/ITAR, Exostar, FCPA, Government Property, OCI Plans, Small Business Subcontracting Plans, SPRS, SAM, TINA, MIL-STD, and WAWF
• Administer contracts in a Contract Lifecycle Management (CLM) system
• Develop, track, and report on key contractual metrics/deliverables for internal stakeholders
• Support Finance with contractual invoicing/receivables monitoring
• Assist with customer/governmental audit requests
• Provide business recommendations on contractual-related items
• Collaborate with fellow Contracts Managers and escalate issues to leads and management as necessary

Key Performance Measures

• Work independently and proactively under normal oversight
• Demonstrate significant attention to detail and organization
• Apply critical thinking to recognize and resolve issues, offering recommendations and seeing them through
• Multitask effectively under pressure, meet tight deadlines, and maintain responsiveness
• Communicate clearly and professionally with internal and external stakeholders
• Collaborate as a team player, assisting fellow Contracts Managers

Competencies and Behavior

• Deliver on commitments in a timely manner and take accountability for results
• Reflect on mistakes and proactively address them
• Act transparently in interactions and intentions
• Prioritize internal and external customers in decision-making
• Build effective relationships and gain trust through active engagement
• Anticipate consequences of actions across stakeholders
• Adapt to change and implement complex process improvements
• Innovate and work on unfamiliar challenges
• Solve problems constructively and participate in matrix teams

Qualifications

• Required: Bachelor’s Degree in Business, Finance, Pre-Law, or equivalent
• Preferred: Master of Business Administration or Juris Doctor
• Preferred: Certified Federal Contract Manager (CFCM) or Certified Professional Contract Manager (CPCM)
• Required: Minimum of 7 years of experience (substitution possible with advanced degree at Allison’s discretion)
• Required: U.S. DoD and international Defense prime/subcontracting experience with an understanding of complexities
• Required: Cross-functional/matrix organization experience
• Required: Proficiency with Microsoft 365 (Copilot, Excel, OneDrive, Outlook, Power BI, PowerPoint, SharePoint, Teams, Word)
• Preferred: Experience with a large Defense contractor focused on engineering and production
• Preferred: Defense wheeled and tracked vehicle experience
• Preferred: Allison Transmission Defense product knowledge
• Preferred: Membership in NCMA or NDIA

Scope Factors

• Assigned a specific portfolio of Defense contracts based on portfolio risk, experience, and company need
• Frequent interaction with company management and cross-functional teams as a key leader in Defense
• Proactively identify, define, and resolve common and upper-level issues impacting company management
• Decisions and recommendations impact cross-functional teams and are relied upon by all management levels, including the Executive Team
• Work independently under established guidance with normal oversight
• Proactively raise and address issues without prompting
• Comfortable working directly with attorneys daily (reports to Legal)
• No employee management responsibilities

Travel

Travel may be required for customer meetings/events and training seminars/conferences.

Benefits

• Choice of medical plans with prescription coverage
• Employer HSA contribution
• Dental & Vision Insurance
• Paid Parental Leave
• Short & Long-Term Disability
• Voluntary benefits including Critical Illness, Hospital Indemnity, Identity Theft Protection, and Pet Insurance
• 401K with generous company match & contribution
• Accrued Paid Time Off
• 12 Paid Holidays + 1 Floating Holiday
• Robust employee wellness program
• Tuition assistance program