Director of Contracts in Arlington, Virginia at Forterra

About Forterra

At Forterra, we are unleashing autonomy at scale to transform the battlefield. Our mission is to build the foundational platforms that enable an intelligent ecosystem to coordinate, adapt, and execute with speed and precision even in the uncertainty and disruption of modern conflict. In an era marked by rapid technological change and evolving threats, we design for flexibility, survivability, and operational dominance.

Forterra delivers weapons, sensors, and battlefield effects through integrated autonomous networks reaching operational areas faster, safer, and without placing human lives at risk. Our systems operate with distributed control, dynamic routing, and real-time responsiveness, enabling sustained advantage across complex mission environments.

About the role

The Forterra Contracts team seeks a Director of Contracts to own the full spectrum of the company's government contracting activity. This includes shaping deal structure during capture, negotiating and executing awards, administering performance and compliance, advising growth and business development and proposal teams on contract vehicles and acquisition strategy, and managing the subcontract and teaming portfolio that supports program delivery. The Contracts team partners closely with Legal, Finance, Program Management, and Engineering, as well as with government customers and industry partners, to move Forterra's technology into operational settings.

Forterra is a fast-growing company at the early stages of growth. Consistent with this fast growth, members of our Contracts team must be resourceful, creative, and eager to take ownership of complex matters. This role requires fluency across the full range of acquisition instruments, including FAR-based contracts, Other Transactions, commercial agreements, IDIQs and task orders, and grants and cooperative agreements, along with the judgment to select the instrument that will field capability fastest. You will also assist building the systems, templates, and processes that allow the contracts function to scale with the business. Experience across every one of these areas is not expected, but a willingness to learn and adapt is.

What you'll do

1. Own Forterra's contracts function as a leader on a small, dynamic team. You will set the strategy, standards, and processes for how the company contracts with its customers and partners.
2. Take responsibility for significant, material agreements that directly determine the company's revenue, runway, and ability to field capability.
3. Drive customer growth by structuring and executing new government awards and expanding existing ones. Use your expertise in federal acquisition to help the Business Development, Proposal, and Engineering teams select the right contract vehicle and instrument, position for follow-on scope, and avoid the structural mistakes that stall programs. Advise on acquisition strategy beginning at the earliest stages of capture.
4. Manage relationships with contracting officers, agreements officers, and procurement offices across the government. High-trust professional relationships with government contracting and procurement offices are critical to Forterra's continued success, and you will be called upon to develop and foster these relationships throughout your tenure.
5. Lead day-to-day management of the entire acquisition lifecycle. Review and shape proposals and pricing volumes, lead negotiations on terms, data rights, and intellectual property, administer awards through performance, resolve issues and requests for equitable adjustment, identify risks and mitigations, and ensure compliance with applicable laws, regulations, and contract terms.
6. Build and manage the subcontracts and teaming portfolio, including NDAs, teaming agreements, subcontracts, and flow downs. Represent the contracts function with vendors, primes, partners, engineers, executives, and customers.

Minimum Qualifications

• Describe the experience, education, and skills of what is required for this position
• Please include expectations of travel. IE: Ability to work remotely with up to 30% travel
• 8+ years of federal contracting or acquisition experience, in government, industry, or a combination of both
• Demonstrated command of the Federal Acquisition Regulation (FAR) and DFARS, including contract types, competitive procedures, and cost and price analysis
• Working knowledge of government data rights and intellectual property under DFARS 252.227, and the ability to negotiate them
• Experience leading negotiations independently and administering awards through performance and closeout
• Eligibility to obtain and maintain a US security clearance

Preferred Qualifications

• Government-side acquisition experience, particularly with a contracting or agreements officer warrant
• Hands-on experience with Other Transactions (10 U.S.C. 4021 and 4022) and Commercial SolutionsvOpenings, and a track record of using non-traditional authorities to accelerate fielding
• Experience at a defense innovation organization such as DIU, AFWERX, ONR, DARPA, or a service innovation unit
• DAWIA certification in Contracting or Program Management
• A graduate degree in contract management, acquisition, business, or law
• Active TS/SCI clearance
• Experience working with non-traditional defense contractors and commercial technology companies, including getting new entrants through ATO, FCL, and other barriers to entry
• Experience building or scaling a contracts function at a high-growth company

US Salary Range
$180,000.00 -$220,000.00 USD

The salary range for this role is an estimate and is based on a wide variety of compensation factors. The salary offered to candidates will vary based on a variety of factors including (but not limited to) relevant work experience, education, specialized training, critical expertise, training, and more. Equity in Forterra is included in most of our full-time, high-demand roles and is therefore considered part of Forterra’s overall compensation package. In addition to base salary and equity, Forterra offers competitive benefits for full-time employees including:

• Premium Healthcare Benefits: Three plan options, including an HSA-eligible plan, with Forterra covering 80% of the plan premium for you and your dependents.
• Basic Life/AD&D, short and long-term disability insurance plans 100% covered by Forterra, plus the option to purchase additional life insurance for you and your dependents.
• Extremely generous company holiday calendar including a winter break in December.
• Competitive paid time off (PTO) offering 20 days accrued per year.
• A minimum of 7 weeks fully paid parental leave for birth/adoption.
• A $9k annual tuition reimbursement or professional development stipend.
• Fully stocked beverage refrigerators with all the Celsius your little heart desires.
• 401(k) retirement savings plan, including traditional, Roth 401(k), and after-tax deferral with company match up to 4%.

Your recruiter will be able to share more information about our salary and benefits offering during the hiring process.

CLEARANCE ELIGIBILITY - This position may require eligibility to obtain and maintain a U.S. security clearance. For more information about U.S. Security Clearances: click here. 

Forterra is an equal-opportunity employer, providing and promoting equal employment opportunity in all personnel practices. Forterrans are unique, talented individuals who are united through a shared passion to deliver autonomous systems that enable national resilience and a robust supply chain.

All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to any factor, including veteran and disability status, and criminal history, in accordance with applicable local, state, and federal laws.

Forterra is also committed to working with and providing reasonable accommodations to individuals with disabilities. Please let your recruiter know if you need an accommodation at any point during the interview process.

To see Forterra’s candidate data privacy policy, please visit Forterra Legal | Job Applicant Privacy Notice.