Contracts Manager, Defense Programs
Type: Independent contractor (fixed fee per engagement), with potential full-time conversion
Location: Remote, United States
Clearance: Preferred, not required
About the role
eyesAtop builds the operating platform for multi-drone operations: a battle-proven system that enables a single operator to deploy and orchestrate drones across vendors, mission types and contested environments. With more than 500,000 frontline operational hours and TRL 9 validation, our software is not a prototype. It is fielded and operating today.
As our U.S. programs mature, we anticipate a growing need to negotiate agreements with government customers and prime contractors, including prime contracts, subcontracts and teaming agreements. We are looking to establish a relationship now with someone who has sat across the table on defense agreements and knows where the risk sits.
The work will begin with defined engagements: when a contract is ready, you will take responsibility for negotiating it for an agreed fixed fee. We expect the volume to grow over time and potentially support conversion into a full-time U.S. contracts lead position.
You will operate with light internal support from technical leads and program managers and without a dedicated contracts department behind you.
What you’ll do
- Negotiate prime contracts, subcontracts and teaming agreements with DoD customers and prime contractors.
- Review terms and flow-downs for risk, including indemnification, termination, warranty, payment terms and the clauses that matter more than they initially appear.
- Protect our technical data, software and IP rights, including assertions under DFARS 252.227-7017 and rights and markings under DFARS 252.227-7013, -7014, -7015 and -7018 for SBIR/STTR data.
- Advise on acquisition and contracting strategy, including SBIR/STTR, OTAs, IDIQs, GSA Schedule opportunities and FAR Part 12 commercial-product procedures.
- Support proposals, including representations and certifications, SAM.gov registration, pricing structures and cost-narrative review.
Compliance and contract administration
- Flag export-control, cybersecurity, accounting-system and other compliance requirements, including ITAR/EAR, CMMC, DCAA audit readiness and DCMA-administered requirements, before they become problems.
- Maintain clean contract files and a defensible record of what was agreed and why.
What you bring
- Five or more years of experience negotiating defense contracts from either side of the table. Former government contracting officers in the 1102 series and industry contracts managers are equally welcome.
- Working command of the FAR and DFARS and the judgment to know which clauses are negotiable in practice.
- Direct experience with technical data rights and IP in a hardware or systems context.
- Familiarity with at least one of the following: SBIR/STTR, OTAs or subcontracting under a major prime.
- The self-direction to run an engagement without a contracts department behind you.
Helpful, not required
- Active or recent security clearance.
- NCMA certification (CFCM or CPCM), current DoD Contracting Professional Certification, or legacy DAWIA Level II–III certification.
- UAS, aerospace or defense-hardware background.
- Export-control licensing experience.
- DoD price-analysis or cost-realism experience.
- OTA negotiation experience involving data rights or prototype-transition language.
Terms
- Engagement phase: Fixed fee per engagement, typically $3,500–$12,000 depending on complexity. A straightforward subcontract negotiation sits at the low end; a prime OTA or negotiation involving contested data rights sits at the high end. Scope, expected negotiation rounds and fee are agreed in writing before each engagement. If a negotiation materially expands beyond that scope, we agree on any additional fee before continuing. Indeed requires an hourly equivalent. Actual compensation is an agreed fixed fee of $3,500–$12,000 per engagement, based on scope and complexity.
- Potential full-time conversion: As contract volume grows, this role may convert to a full-time U.S. contracts lead position with a base salary of $130,000–$185,000.
- Location: Remote within the United States, with occasional travel for negotiations and program reviews.
- Eligibility: This role requires access to export-controlled technical data. Applicants must therefore be authorized to access that data under applicable U.S. export-control laws. For this position, eyesAtop currently requires U.S.-person status as defined under ITAR, 22 CFR 120.62.
Pay: $175.00 - $300.00 per hour
Application Question(s):
- Tell us about one defense contract you negotiated: what the sticking point was, and what you got changed.
Work Location: Remote