Position OverviewKnexus is seeking a sharp, highly analytical, and proactive Contracts and IP Manager with 7-10 years of experience to oversee our contract lifecycle and IP portfolio. This is a 100% remote, individual contributor (non-supervisory) role reporting directly to the VP of Finance and Administration.
In this position, you won't just be checking boxes. You will act as a vital strategic partner to the VP of Finance and Administration, helping to safeguard the company's interests while enabling business growth. We are looking for an autonomous operator who excels at spotting potential risks, loves the challenge of diving into complex text, and is eager to bring problems to the table for collaborative brainstorming and solution-building.
Key Responsibilities- Diverse Contract Review: Review, draft, redline, and negotiate a wide array of agreements. This spans everything from corporate lease renewals and non-disclosure agreements (NDAs) to complex subcontract agreements with large federal prime contractors and direct government task order contracts.
- Strategic Advisory: Partner closely with the VP of Finance and Administration to present clear contract summaries, flag areas of concern, and provide actionable risk-mitigation recommendations.
- IP Management & Protection: Ensure Knexus' growing list of IP is appropriately managed and protected across the business.
- Regulatory Compliance: Ensure all contracts, proposals, and agreements strictly adhere to federal regulations, corporate policies, and client requirements.
- Critical Foresight: Analyze contract clauses deeply, thinking critically about the "domino effect" and long-term implications of specific terms on the business years down the line.
- Collaborative Problem Solving: Proactively identify ambiguities or unfavorable terms in agreements, and bring them forward to the VP of Finance and Administration to collaboratively brainstorm creative, compliant solutions.
- Smart Automation: Sensibly evaluate and utilize modern tools (including AI) to streamline administrative workflows or basic templates, while ensuring that all substantive legal and compliance reviews are executed with your own rigorous, manual oversight.
Qualifications & Experience- Experience: 7-10 years of progressive contract management experience, with a proven track record working within small-to-mid-sized federal government contractors.
- FAR Expertise: An intimate, deep working knowledge of the Federal Acquisition Regulation (FAR) and DFARS. You should know how to navigate and apply these regulations seamlessly.
- Data Rights Protection: A clear understanding of contractual data rights clauses to ensure appropriate data rights compliance, enabling IP protection.
- The "Reader" Mindset: A genuine love for reading and a passion for critical thinking. You are someone who enjoys dissecting dense contractual language to understand its true intent and impact.
- Proactive Independence: Highly comfortable operating independently in a remote environment, managing your own deadlines, and driving tasks to completion without being micromanaged.
- Communication Skills: Strong collaborative spirit with excellent written and verbal communication skills. You know how to articulate complex contractual risks in plain, business-friendly language.
Bonus Points If:- You attended some law school or hold a Juris Doctor (JD) degree but decided you didn't want to pursue a career in law.
