ABOUT THIS ROLESt. Michael's is hiring a
Senior Contract Specialist / Agreements Officer to support a Department of Defense (DoD) client. In this role, you will lead and support the development, implementation, and administration of non-traditional, rapid-acquisition mechanisms-
with a primary emphasis on Other Transaction Authority (OTA) and Agreements Officer (AO) functions-as well as traditional financial, contractual, and technical aspects of software-intensive digital application projects across the acquisition lifecycle.
You will be in a client-facing role leveraging your deep knowledge of non-FAR statutory authorities, prototype/production OTs, commercial practices, and price/cost reasonableness techniques. Our core value of Teamwork will be paramount as you actively participate in Integrated Product Teams (IPTs), guiding technical program personnel, commercial tech vendors, non-traditional defense contractors, and traditional suppliers on non-FAR and rapid acquisition strategies.
WHO YOU ARE- Active Secret Clearance
- Bachelor's degree in business or a related field
- DAWIA Practitioner Level II Equivalency in the Contracting field
- Minimum 10 years working in federal government acquisition programs, including:
- Minimum 8 years of acquisition/contracting/agreements experience.
- Key Requirement: Demonstrated, hands-on experience structuring, soliciting, awarding, or administering Other Transaction Authority (OTA) instruments (under 10 U.S.C. 4021/4022) or holding an Agreements Officer (AO) Warrant.
- Deep working knowledge of non-FAR statutory strategies, including Other Transactions (Research, Prototype, and Production), Commercial Solutions Openings (CSOs), Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR/STTR), and Consortium Agreements.
- Knowledge of pre- and post-award procedures sufficient to award and administer non-FAR OTs, firm-fixed-price, cost-reimbursement, and indefinite-delivery instruments.
- Knowledge of statutory laws, policies, and regulatory framework governing non-FAR acquisitions as well as traditional federal procurement, including FAR, DFARS, and Special Operations Forces Federal Acquisition Regulation Supplement (SOFARS).
- Familiarity with intellectual property (IP) rights, data rights, milestone payment schedules, and commercial terms tailored to engage non-traditional defense contractors.
- Knowledge of contract data reporting tools, training, and database operations and maintenance.
Highly Preferred:- Education: Master's degree in business or a related discipline.
- Warrant Status: Active or previous Agreements Officer (AO) Warrant issued by a DoD component.
- Experience: Minimum 6 years of contracting/agreements experience, with at least 1 year of OTA/contracting experience within USSOCOM.
- Consortium Experience: Experience working with OT Consortium Managers or executing rapid software prototyping under 10 U.S.C. 4022.
PRIMARY RESPONSIBILITIES- Lead Non-FAR & OTA Execution: Drive the pre-award and post-award planning, drafting, negotiation, and execution of Other Transactions (OTs), Consortium actions, CSOs, and non-FAR agreements to support rapid software development and digital capability delivery for USSOCOM.
- Agreements & Contracting Strategy: Formulate and execute tailored non-FAR and traditional acquisition strategies within cost, schedule, and performance baselines, aligning requirements with non-traditional vendor capabilities.
- Regulatory & Statutory Advisory: Conduct independent research across statutory authorities (e.g., 10 U.S.C. 4021/4022, FAR, DFARS, SOFARS) to provide expert Guidance and Courses of Action (COAs) to PCOs, Agreements Officers, program leaders, and IPTs.
- Pre-Award & Solicitation Drafting: Prepare pre-solicitation and agreement documentation, including OT Solicitations, Determinations and Findings (D&Fs), Small Business coordination (DD Form 2579), and Commercial Solutions Offerings.
- System & File Management: Draft solicitations, OT agreements, amendments, and contract awards in relevant writing systems (e.g., PD2 or successor systems) for PCO/Agreements Officer review and approval. Post notices to SAM.gov/FBO as required.
- Price / Cost Analysis & Valuation: Perform rigorous price and cost evaluations, price reasonableness determinations, and valuation of milestone-based deliverables, coordinating with DCAA, DCMA, or commercial benchmarks as needed.
- Negotiations & Term Structuring: Structure complex terms including intellectual property/data rights, cost-sharing provisions, milestone payment schedules, and follow-on production provisions; prepare negotiation positions (PNM/BCM) for PCO/AO approval.
- Post-Award & OT Administration: Perform post-award administration for both FAR contracts and non-FAR OT agreements, including agreement modifications, milestone verifications, post-award memorandums, and closeouts retained by USSOCOM.
- Audit-Ready Files: Establish and maintain complete, auditable, repeatable, and defensible contract and OT agreement files.
- IPT Collaboration & Industry Engagement: Actively participate in IPTs to advise technical program personnel, sales representatives, non-traditional defense contractors, and local suppliers on OT procedures, rapid acquisition flexibilities, and business issues.
This position will remain open until filled.
