Contracts Administrator
Location: Herndon, VA — Hybrid, in office 2 days per week
Pay: $50,000–$55,000 starting base salary + bonus
About ALKU
Your next big career move starts here, join us at an organization that has been voted Best Place to Work for the past decade.
Join one of the fastest-growing, top-rated staffing firms in the country. ALKU is a specialized consulting and staffing firm that connects exceptional talent with organizations across Technology, Life Sciences, Healthcare IT, Government, and other highly specialized industries. Since our founding, we’ve built our business around expertise, long-term relationships, and delivering an exceptional experience for both our clients and consultants.
See it for yourself @LifeatALKU or on our website page: About ALKU!
What You’ll Do
The Contracts Administrator provides contract administrative support, including pre- and post-award contract administration, within our internal Government Contracts team. You will maintain responsibility for client portals and partner closely with Program Managers and prime contractors. This role will also support front-end proposal work for new pre-award business.
Success in this role means accurate, timely tracking of funding, rates, and billing so issues are flagged and resolved before they affect programs. The best-suited candidate has strong attention to detail and a desire to work with numbers and detailed information.
- Assist with all travel: process TDY/travel requests and estimates, confirm authorization and customer travel requirements, and document allowable costs for invoicing.
- Own program burn tracking: monitor subcontract funding, expenditures, and remaining balances against ceilings (by CLIN/task order as required), maintain projected run-out, and alert Program Managers and the Prime before funding is exhausted.
- Track subcontract modifications, prime-issued POs, funding authorizations and changes, option years, and periods of performance.
- Own bill rate management during escalation periods: validate pay rates, bill rates, LCATs, and funded work authorization, manage LCAT rate increases and annual escalations, and flag rate mismatches.
- Own the Unbilled Report and maintain responsibility for client portals.
- Support front-end proposal work for new pre-award business, alongside pre- and post-award contract administration.
What We’re Looking For
Required
- Bachelor’s degree
- 0–2 years of relevant experience (entry level)
- Strong working knowledge of Microsoft Excel, including formulas, lookups, and pivot tables for tracking and reporting
- Strong attention to detail and comfort working with numbers and detailed information
- Ability to communicate and collaborate effectively with Program Managers, prime contractors, and internal Government Contracts team members
What We Provide
- Comprehensive onboarding and training from day one
- Dedicated mentorship and coaching
- Clear career progression and opportunities for internal advancement
- Hands-on exposure to the full government contract lifecycle, from front-end proposal support through post-award administration
The Benefits
- Medical, dental, and vision
- Life and disability insurance
- Competitive 401(k) match
- Equity plan
- PTO package, plus birthdays off and volunteer time off
- Paid holidays
- Student Loan Reimbursement after one year as a full-time employee
- Childcare reimbursement
- Fitness reimbursement
- A variety of Employee Resource Groups (ERGs)
Location & Work Environment
On-site requirements
- In office 2 days per week at our Herndon, VA office (hybrid)
Physical requirements
- Prolonged periods of sitting at a desk and working on a computer
What Happens Next
- Apply, and you’ll hear from an Internal Recruiter within 1–4 business days if you’re a match
Equal Opportunity Employer
ALKU is an Equal Opportunity Employer committed to fostering an inclusive workplace where all individuals are treated with respect and provided equal employment opportunities. Employment decisions are based on business needs, job-related qualifications, merit, and performance, without regard to any characteristic protected by applicable federal, state, or local law.
ALKU is committed to providing reasonable accommodations to qualified individuals with disabilities and applicants throughout the hiring process, consistent with applicable law.
**Applicants must be authorized to work for any employer in the U.S. We are unable to sponsor or take over sponsorship of an employment visa at this time.**
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#LI-Onsite
Skills Required
- Bachelor's degree
- 0-2 years of relevant experience
- Strong working knowledge of Microsoft Excel, including formulas, lookups, and pivot tables
- Strong attention to detail and comfort working with numbers and detailed information
- Ability to communicate and collaborate effectively with Program Managers, prime contractors, and internal Government Contracts team members
- Authorization to work for any employer in the United States without visa sponsorship
What We Do
ALKU is a highly specialized consulting services firm focused on deploying highly skilled consulting resources in the areas of Technologies, HCIT, Life Sciences, and Government Programs. Each of our niche divisions consists of dedicated individuals who focus on a single specialty in each industry we serve. ALKU delivers efficiency and accuracy, with specialized knowledge and experience from start to finish. At ALKU, we patiently and continuously recruit bright, motivated people, present them with opportunity, and reward them for their efforts. Through careful hiring that utilizes a focus on character traits, ALKU has created a culture of success for our tenured employees and recent hires. We believe that if we treat our employees with respect and provide them with great opportunity, they in turn will do the same for our clients and candidates. We believe you can truly Have Fun Working Hard™. Follow us at @LifeAtALKU on Instagram, Twitter and Facebook to see for yourself.
