Staff Contract Administrator

About the role

• RELOCATION ASSISTANCE: Relocation assistance may be available
• CLEARANCE REQUIRED FOR START: No
• CLEARANCE TYPE: Secret
• TRAVEL: Yes, 10% of the Time

About the role

At Northrop Grumman, our employees have incredible opportunities to work on revolutionary systems that impact people's lives around the world today, and for generations to come. Our pioneering and inventive spirit has enabled us to be at the forefront of many technological advancements in our nation's history - from the first flight across the Atlantic Ocean, to stealth bombers, to landing on the moon.

We look for people who have bold new ideas, courage and a pioneering spirit to join forces to invent the future, and have fun along the way. Our culture thrives on intellectual curiosity, cognitive diversity and bringing your whole self to work — and we have an insatiable drive to do what others think is impossible. Our employees are not only part of history, they're making history.

Northrop Grumman is seeking a Staff Contracts Administrator (Level 5) to join the Advanced Weapons team of qualified, and diverse professionals. This is an on-site position located in Northridge, CA; remote or hybrid work is not available for this role.

Relocation, sign-on bonus, and schedule flexibility may be available. This position’s standard work schedule is a 9/80. The 9/80 schedule allows employees who work a nine-hour day Monday through Thursday to take every other Friday off, providing additional flexibility and work-life balance.

The successful applicant will become part of Northrop Grumman’s Contracts organization and will support various Government programs and capture and proposal activities, as well as provide contracts operations support.

The successful candidate will be a direct report to Contracts leadership and will work closely on a day-to-day basis with business managers, operations managers, capture managers, and other functional teams throughout the department.

The successful candidate will be responsible for all aspects of contracts from the business development phase through contract closeout, delivering strong customer satisfaction, successful financial performance, and risk mitigation. The ideal candidate brings a proactive mindset, strong business judgment, and a proven ability to operate in a fast-paced environment.

Candidate’s ability to build strong customer intimacy and employee engagement is key. Candidate must be a self-starter and able to work collaboratively with team members, including in an advisory role to program management, site management, and customers. Candidate will have knowledge of Federal Acquisition Regulation (FAR) and Defense Federal Acquisition Regulation Supplement (DFARS).

Key Responsibilities

• Act as primary interface with the customer for contractual issues; monitor contracts and associated programs to ensure contractual obligations are communicated and understood.
• Conduct proposal preparation, contract negotiation, contract administration, and customer contact activities for proper contract acquisition and fulfillment per company policies, legal requirements, and customer specifications.
• Develop solutions to routine and complex contractual matters to ensure company compliance with contract requirements on assigned programs.
• Review terms and conditions to address provisions and risks of financial terms, acceptance criteria, delivery requirements, warranty, intellectual property, termination provisions, indemnification, and all other potential risk areas and recommend risk mitigation strategies.
• Prepare and manage written communications with internal and external customers for assigned contractual matters.
• Ensure timely delivery of all contractual deliverables and support submitting invoices, proposals, and data calls.
• Ensure contract requirements are fulfilled, manage contract changes, and maintain historical information.
• Participate in customer meetings, monitor compliance to contract requirements, and lead change management processes.
• Ensure non-disclosure agreements and contract terms and conditions are negotiated within company guidelines.
• Work complex assignments independently and support Finance, Program Management, and various levels of management.
• Provide contractual guidance to capture and proposal teams, including development of risk registers, negotiation strategies, and business case inputs.

Basic Qualifications – Staff Contracts Administrator

• Bachelor’s degree and at least 12 years relevant experience in U.S. Government contract administration, management, and/or supply chain, or a Master’s degree with 10 years relevant experience.
• Ability to effectively work with management of other organizations (program management, subcontracts, business management, finance, and supply chain management) as well as representatives of Government agencies.
• Demonstrated understanding of and experience with FAR and DFARS.
• Demonstrated experience with various contract types such as Time & Material, Cost Reimbursable, Firm Fixed Price, etc.
• Advanced understanding of Government contracting requirements.
• Capable and effective proposal development skills, excellent negotiation skills, and excellent oral and written communication skills.
• Excellent decision-making skills that support resolution of complex problems while minimizing risk to the corporation.
• Strong technical acumen in Microsoft Office Suite (specifically Excel, PowerPoint, and Word) and Adobe.
• Demonstrated in-depth knowledge of FAR/DFARS, including application across multiple contract types and life-cycle phases (capture through closeout).
• Experience in technical data packages and data rights.
• Active Secret security clearance, with the most recent periodic investigation completed in the last 5 years.
• Ability to obtain and maintain program-specific accesses as required.

Preferred Qualifications

• Excellent verbal and written communication skills with internal and external customers.
• Demonstrated ability to work independently.
• Ability to learn and utilize various data entry/software tools and to adapt with changes to those tools.
• Experience in the Aerospace/Defense industry.
• Experience in larger, complex proposals, competitively and sole source.
• Experience working restricted programs; proven ability to work in closed program areas.
• Experience working in early development stage
• Demonstrated experience leading cross-functional negotiation teams and presenting negotiation strategies and outcomes to senior leadership.
• Experience mentoring or coaching junior contracts professionals.

Primary Level Salary Range

$146,300.00 - $219,500.00

The above salary range represents a general guideline; however, Northrop Grumman considers a number of factors when determining base salary offers such as the scope and responsibilities of the position and the candidate's experience, education, skills and current market conditions.

Depending on the position, employees may be eligible for overtime, shift differential, and a discretionary bonus in addition to base pay. Annual bonuses are designed to reward individual contributions as well as allow employees to share in company results. Employees in Vice President or Director positions may be eligible for Long Term Incentives. In addition, Northrop Grumman provides a variety of benefits including health insurance coverage, life and disability insurance, savings plan, Company paid holidays and paid time off (PTO) for vacation and/or personal business.

The application period for the job is estimated to be 20 days from the job posting date. However, this timeline may be shortened or extended depending on business needs and the availability of qualified candidates.