Senior Counsel, Government Contracts

Core Responsibilities

• Negotiate, interpret, and manage a broad range of government agreements, including: Other Transaction Agreements (OTAs), including prototype and follow-on production agreements, Federal research and development contracts, grants, cooperative agreements, and other assistance instruments, Subcontracts, subawards, teaming agreements, and collaboration agreements supporting government programs, Proposal, pre-award, and post-award documents, including solicitations, modifications, and statements of work, Contract modifications, claims, disputes, and compliance communications
• Advises business and program teams on FAR, DFARS, agency supplements, and other applicable federal contracting requirements throughout the opportunity, award, and performance lifecycle
• Identifies and helps manage legal and business risk involving intellectual property and data rights, cost and pricing, audit, cybersecurity, export control, domestic sourcing, labor, payment, and flow-down requirements
• Leads internal coordination on significant government-contracting issues, including proposal strategy, approval pathways, contract interpretation, performance risks, and customer communications
• Pairs with Export Control and technical stakeholders on national-security and export-control considerations, including ITAR/EAR requirements, as they intersect with government programs
• Develops practical templates, playbooks, and training that enable business and program teams to move quickly while maintaining disciplined compliance

Business Partnership & Operational Integration

• Partners with business development, program management, engineering, and finance to shape bid and proposal strategy, negotiate appropriate risk allocation, and support successful program execution
• Supports internal governance for government contracting, including approval frameworks, documentation, and escalation processes for high-risk or nonstandard terms
• Provides targeted training to commercial, technical, and program teams on government-contracting requirements, risk awareness, and compliance fundamentals
• Supports cross-functional regulatory, corporate, and strategic matters as needed within a lean legal team

Requirements

• JD from an accredited law school with outstanding academic credentials
• 8+ years of relevant legal experience, including substantial responsibility for federal government contracting; top-tier law firm, in-house defense contractor, or government-contracts practice experience strongly preferred
• Significant experience negotiating and counseling on complex federal government contracts and related subcontracts, subawards, and teaming arrangements
• Demonstrated expertise in FAR and DFARS; meaningful experience with OTAs is required
• Experience supporting Department of Defense or other federal research and development programs, ideally as a prime contractor or with a major defense, aerospace, technology, or research organization
• Working knowledge of intellectual property and data-rights issues under government contracts, including technical data and computer software rights, as well as flow-down and compliance requirements
• Strong executive communication skills and the ability to translate complex government-contracting risk into practical, business-focused guidance. Familiarity with ITAR/EAR and related export-control issues is strongly preferred

Cultural and Performance Expectations

• An ownership mindset with bias toward action
• Ability to balance urgency with technical and legal excellence
• Willingness to coach business teams and actively seek coaching and feedback in return
• Comfort giving and receiving direct feedback
• Discipline in documentation, process development, and follow-through
• Intellectual curiosity about emerging technologies and regulated markets
• Resilience in a resource-constrained, fast-evolving environment