This position will be focused on the Original Equipment Manufacturers (OEM) side of Simmonds Precision Products Inc located in Vergennes Vermont. This role will be well suited for a highly motivated, well-organized person who enjoys working in a fast-paced, collaborative team environment. Your responsibilities will include developing creative approaches to solving problems while employing sound decision making and communication skills.
The Contracts Manager is responsible for the performance of activities relating to the negotiation of contract terms and conditions for new and existing contracts, creation, and negotiation of contracts and special agreements, contract flow down, negotiation of claims, settlements for labor and material costs, and customer account management. This may include audit, control, or liaison functions with both suppliers and customers. The Contracts Manager will provide overall contract compliance oversight to standard procedures. This position will work with both the Commercial and Military customer contracts.
This position is for an experienced contracts professional that can work well independently. This position is hybrid, but does require some working on-site in the Vergennes, Vermont facility on a regular basis or as required.
Responsibilities to Anticipate:
- Provide contract management to meet customer obligations, achieve company objectives, and comply with company policies
- Professionally represent Simmonds Precision on contractual transactions and work closely with customers to develop business relationships
- Act as a lead for the analysis of Requests for Proposals (RFP), development of proposals, proposal reviews and coordination, negotiation, contractual agreements, contracts execution, as well as general contract administration
- Effectively manage contractual scope and terms and conditions to ensure work is performed to the overall contract scope
- Support Customer Service teams and Program Managers/Business Unit Managers with Contract/Order Review
- Ensures proper internal flow down of contractual obligations and requirements.
- Advises and represents the organization on legal issues concerning contract matters.
- Works with International Trade Compliance (ITC) personnel to ensure compliance with all import/export regulations.
- Coach less experienced staff and other functional areas to help them better understand their relevant contractual obligations
- Prepares documentation for legal and contract negotiations and relationships.
- Conducts Contract Closeouts
- Maintains historical legal/contractual records.
- Identify, mitigate, and drive the resolution of contractual issues as they may arise
- Provide guidance regarding contractual and business issues, advising management of contractual rights and obligations as well as possible mitigation of contractual/program risks
- Understands distinctions between and appropriate use of FFP, CPFF, T&M, and other contract types
- TINA requirements and applicability
- Small Business regulations and compliance considerations
- Prepare, review, and execute Data Rights Assertions
- Draft, review, and negotiate all appropriate contractual instruments.
- Maintain current knowledge of FAR, DFARS, NFARS, and other applicable regulations.
- Verify the use of customer-owned property under contract
- Coordinate and obtain RFNIU (Rent-Free Non-Interference Use) agreements for U.S. Government-owned testers/equipment.
- Support Customer Property administration by assisting with required customer forms.
- Serve as the Simmonds point of contact for DCMA TINA packet audits.
- Support Commercial Item Assertions (CIAs) by:
- Coordinating with Engineering to develop CIAs for qualifying products under FAR 2.101
- Extracting invoice data from SAP or equivalent ERP systems
- Responding to customer inquiries and providing required, appropriately redacted documentation
Qualifications You Must Have:
- Typically requires: A Bachelor’s Degree or equivalent experience and minimum 8 years prior relevant experience, or An Advanced Degree in a related field and minimum 5 years’ experience bachelor’s degree in business, Finance/Math, or related field
- Experience with US Government contracts; working knowledge of U.S. Government acquisition and related regulations, e.g., FAR, DFARS, and ITAR
- Understanding of contract structures, pricing strategies, policy & procedure, and compliance principles.
Qualifications We Value:
- Knowledge of the Federal Acquisition Regulation (FAR) and Defense Federal Acquisition Regulation Supplement (DFARS)
- Experience managing development contracts
- Experience as a team or program Contracts lead
- Ability to understand the financial aspects of contracts and risk quantification
- Demonstrated ability to develop effective relationships with customers and internal partners based on understanding, teamwork, and trust
- Experience working in a fast-paced environment, where prioritization is required to be effective
- Proven record of responsiveness with strong time management and organization skills
- Contractual acumen with proficiency in contracts fundamentals
- Related contract administration experience including hands-on proposal preparation and contract negotiations with the US Department of Defense (DoD)
- Experience with US Government and US Prime Contractor customers as well as end-user communities in the development and acquisition of major systems
- Familiarity with Other Transaction Agreements, Intellectual Property, license agreements, or teaming agreements
- Juris Doctor or MBA a plus
Some of our competitive benefits package includes:
- Medical, dental, and vision insurance
- Paid time off
- Generous 401(k) plan that includes employer matching funds
- Tuition reimbursement program
- Life insurance and disability coverage
Pay Range
$125,000-135,000
Skills Required
- Bachelor's degree or equivalent experience and minimum 8 years relevant experience, or advanced degree and minimum 5 years relevant experience
- Experience with U.S. Government contracts and working knowledge of FAR, DFARS, and ITAR
- Understanding of contract structures, pricing strategies, policy & procedure, and compliance principles
- Ability to work independently in a fast-paced, collaborative team environment
- Ability to work on-site regularly in Vergennes, Vermont (hybrid role)
- Experience preparing, reviewing, and negotiating contractual instruments including Data Rights Assertions and Commercial Item Assertions
- Experience extracting invoice data from SAP or equivalent ERP systems
- Experience with contract administration including proposal preparation, RFP analysis, negotiations, and contract closeouts
- Experience managing development contracts and serving as a team or program contracts lead
- Familiarity with TINA, DCMA audits, Commercial Item Assertions (CIAs), Other Transaction Agreements, and small business regulations
- Ability to understand financial aspects of contracts, risk quantification, and coordinate with internal stakeholders (Engineering, ITC, Program Managers)
- Juris Doctor (JD) or MBA
What We Do
Simmonds Precision Products, Inc. is a leading global designer and manufacturer of highly engineered fuel, proximity sensing, and structural health monitoring solutions for the aerospace and defense end markets. Based in Vergennes, Vermont, the company provides precision-engineered components for commercial aviation, military, and rotary-wing platforms, specializing in high-quality products with significant aftermarket content across major aerospace and defense platforms.
