Contracts and Proposal Manager | Legal Support Specialist

About Us

LeoLabs is the leading provider of integrated solutions that persistently monitor activity in space to reveal threats to safety and security. Through our unique global radar network and AI-enabled analytic platform, we collect millions of measurements per day across more than 21,000 objects in low Earth orbit (LEO) to maintain a living map of orbital traffic. LeoLabs is transforming how military space commands, civil government agencies, commercial satellite operators see, understand and act on opportunities to protect and defend their assets in space.

The Role

Under the direction of the Chief Legal Officer (CLO), the Contracts and Proposal Manager (Manager) oversees all contracts, grants and subawards awarded to LEOLABS, as well as serves as the main point of responsibility for proposal management, supporting the GTM functions of the Company. Additionally, the Manager will support the Legal Team in reviewing documents, as well as provide organization and administrative structure to the Legal Department.  The Manager monitors the contracts and grants management operations to ensure the high quality of contracts and grants administration and compliance with legal and regulatory requirements across all LEOLABS business areas. The Manager will be responsible for managing the effective and efficient operations in the areas of proposal oversight, acquisition, procurement, solicitation, budget preparation, contracting, and award administration (grants, cooperative agreements and contracts) to include financial monitoring. The Manager will design, implement, manage, and monitor contracts and grants workflow processes and procedures. The Manager will report to the CLO. The Manager will work cooperatively with the Leadership Team and each respective business area program manager to support effective and efficient LEOLABS program implementation through its successful execution of proposals, contracts, grants and subawards. The Manager will serve as the main point of contact between LEOLABS and customer contract and grants officials, shall be responsible for reviewing all contracts and grants documents, and shall provide insightful and substantive recommendations upon review to the CLO and the rest of the Legal Team. The Manager may undertake special projects and other duties as assigned or initiated by the CLO

CORE DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES

Organization Compliance

·        Ensures regulatory compliance with U.S. Government (USG), university and other customer regulations and requirements for all contract and acquisition agreements, as may be applicable and appropriate.

Organization Management

·        Conducts organizational assessment of contracts and grants (C&G) requirements at LEOLABS and presents findings and recommendations to the CLO and at her direction, the Leadership Team

·        Provides leadership and guidance to staff on implementation of contracts and grants awarded to LEOLABS

Contracts & Grants Agreement Management and Administration

Oversees the implementation of standard terms and conditions for grant award letters, agreements and contracts.

·        Acts as the main point of contact with customer contracting officers

·        Responsible for monitoring deliverables, cost estimates, and primary cost-sharing documentation, if applicable

·        Identifies project/mission close-out requirements and manages each project/mission’s closeout implementation

·        Maintains permanent files including successful proposals, all award documents and correspondence with contracts and grants officers that affect funding or other agreement terms and conditions

·        Monitors the issuance of LEOLABS deliverables, compliance with regulations, as well as terms and conditions

·        Advises LEOLABS staff on matters related to preparation, administration and closeout of contracts and subawards

Legal Support and Operations

·        Under CLO’s leadership, establishes and/or enhances operational policies and procedures for the Legal Team, procurement and contracts/grants management, and creates and provides in-house training to staff on contractual and compliance topics

·        Provide comprehensive administrative support to the Legal Team

·        Remains current on changes within the industry through publications and continuing education, and maintains up to date resource library for staff to use

·        Projects a professional and seasoned appearance and cooperative attitude, maintains high ethical standards of confidentiality in representing LEOLABS to ensure a professional representation at all times

Proposal Management

·        Manages the comprehensive activities involved in the development and revision of major proposals

·        Coordinates with internal capability teams to define technical approaches and solutions for inclusion in various proposal volumes

·        Presents proposal reviews to management and incorporate feedback.

·        Applies broad expertise or unique knowledge and contribute to development of proposal strategies and proposal content to achieve goals in creative and effective ways, including resolving significant and unique issues, where the analysis of situations or data requires an evaluation of intangibles

·        Creates formal networks involving coordination among groups

·        Analyzes methods and procedures to optimally address proposal requirements and exercise independent judgment in methods and techniques, including evaluating criteria for obtaining results

Must be able to demonstrate quantifiable support and successful execution of a diversity of proposals for a wide variety of DoD, IC and Civilian agencies, with contract values ranging from several hundred thousand dollars (e.g., task order proposals) to millions of dollars (e.g., large ID/IQ contract vehicles).

 Qualifications 

·        Bachelor’s Degree in Business Administration, Law or other relevant field of study

·        Minimum of 10 years relevant experience in federal and/or private grants/contracts management

·        Demonstrated project management and organizational skills to set priorities, establish deadlines, and follow through in a timely manner, to organize files and records for easy access and tracking

·        Ability to understand/compare contract/grant data to develop and implement budgets, goals, and plans

·        Ability to compose reports, presentations, of memos or other written documents based on analysis of information, presented in an organized, logical and concise manner

·        Demonstrated expertise with and knowledge of federal cost principles, administrative requirements, and other applicable rules and regulations regarding implementation of federal awards

·        Detailed knowledge of OMB’s Uniform Guidance (2CFR200) and Circular A-133

·        Detailed knowledge of the Federal Acquisition Regulations and the Defense Federal Acquisition Regulations

·        Excellent verbal and written communication skills for use in preparing information, clarifying situations, resolving problems, and for use in preparing a variety of correspondence and reports

·        Proficiency in Google Docs, MS Word and Excel

·        Highly developed collaboration and management skills

·        Strong logistical attention to detail and multi-tasking abilities

·        Ability to work effectively as part of a team with all levels of staff

·        Demonstrated experience in exercising discretion and judgment and in maintaining the security of confidential and sensitive information and materials

·        In addition to providing day-to-day support to the Legal Team, provide general support to LEOLABS Go-to-Market (GTM) Team and other Company teams, as so directed by the CLO.

Location: This position is aligned to the Legal Department in LEOLABS’ Chantilly, VA office.

Work Hours: The candidate is expected to work normal business hours and provide advance notice of any absences.

Travel: Availability for at least two (2) trips to LEOLABS’ headquarters in Menlo Park, CA is desired.

Within 1 month, you’ll:

·        Complete our comprehensive onboarding program, gaining insights into our business, vision, and team

·        Gain an understanding about how your role fits into LeoLabs broader organization

·        Familiarize yourself with LeoLabs’ active contracts and current customers; inclusive of how deliverables are tracked, how contracts are stored, and any contracting software utilized by the Company

·        Familiarize yourself with LeoLabs’ Proposal process; inclusive of familiarity with Company templates, document organization, how solicitations are tracked, and post-submission communications

Within 3 months, you’ll:

·        Collaborate with and support key stakeholders to implement a Deal Desk to vet opportunities and establish a strategy to pursue said opportunities

·        Establish a foundational structure for the Contracts team and implement an internal company playbook of Contracting, Proposal, and Legal best practices

·        Have an understanding of LeoLabs’ products and service offerings and their pricing

·        Collaborate and establish a regular cadence with Sales to strategize contracting pathways

·        Identify Governmentwide Acquisition Contracts (GWACs) and/or strategic partners to pursue

Within 6 months, you’ll:

·        Refine and document the Contracting team structure and processes

·        Collaborate across multiple to departments to refine and document Deal Desk best practices

·        Own all Contracts and Proposals responsibilities and be self-sufficient to execute on them

·        Provide company-wide training on various aspects of Contracting, such as: the do’s and don'ts of government contracting, when to involve Contracts in the Sales cycle, Deal Desk, contracting pathways, etc.

Within 12 months, you’ll:

·        Have a thorough understanding of strategic customers and strategize with key stakeholders on how to pursue them

·        Have access to or work towards the acquisition of at least one (1) GWAC (if LeoLabs is the Prime) or access to at least two (2) GWACs (if working with a partner(s))

·        Refine and document any processes based on customer feedback and be able to collaborate and strategize with internal stakeholders on refinements to products based on customer feedback

(We do not work with outside staffing agencies)

All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, disability, or status as a protected veteran.

#LI-DNI

 ITAR REQUIREMENTS

To conform to U.S. Government space technology export regulations, including the International Traffic in Arms Regulations (ITAR) you must be eligible to obtain the required authorizations from the U.S. Department of State. More information regarding ITAR can be found at DDTC’s website