Contract Specialist

The role

This person will manage the full lifecycle of government contracts, including drafting, negotiating, and administering various agreement types. They will also handle pricing strategy, compliance with FAR and DFARS, and support capture and proposal efforts.

What you will do

• Serve as primary point of contact for Contracting Officers and prime contractor counterparts
• Draft, review, and administer prime contracts, subcontracts, NDAs, and other agreements
• Manage contract vehicles and award types end to end
• Lead negotiation of terms, conditions, flowdowns, and modifications
• Protect company IP and data rights
• Maintain contracts repository, funding trackers, and closeout pipeline
• Develop and maintain provisional and forward pricing rate structures
• Participate in price-to-win analysis and competitive pricing strategy
• Review certified cost or pricing data submissions
• Own contractual and administrative volumes for proposals

Required qualifications

• 7+ years in government contracts
• At least 3 years at a management level owning a portfolio or a function
• Deep working command of the FAR and DFARS
• Experience across the full lifecycle: pre-award capture, pricing, negotiation, post-award administration, and closeout
• Experience with traditional FAR-based procurement and non-traditional pathways like OTAs, CSOs, SBIR Phase III, and consortium awards
• Active Secret clearance at minimum
• Willingness to upgrade to TS/SCI
• Based in, or willing to relocate to, the Washington, DC metro area

Nice to have

• Experience at a defense technology company, whether a prime or a startup
• Experience on an early-stage team, such as a new vertical within a company or at a startup
• Experience with DoD, Intelligence Community, DHS, or federal law enforcement customers
• Familiarity with classified contracting and DD Form 254 requirements
• Software, AI/ML, autonomy, or hardware-intensive product contracting experience

Benefits

• Career track opportunity with potential for rapid advancement
• 100% employer paid, comprehensive health care including medical, dental, and vision
• Paid maternity and paternity for 14 weeks at employees' normal pay
• Unlimited PTO, with management approval
• Opportunities for professional development and continued learning
• Optional 401K, FSA, and equity incentives available
• Mental health benefits available through Tara Mind
• Cost effective GLP-1 solutions available through Crux

Before you apply

• Active Secret clearance at minimum required
• Willingness to upgrade to TS/SCI
• Application materials may be verified for accuracy and authenticity by third-party providers

About the company

Red Cell Partners is an incubation firm building and investing in rapidly scalable technology-led companies in healthcare, cyber, and national security.