Consultant - Contracts Manager in at ARES Enterprise

Ares Enterprise is seeking an experienced Contracts Manager Consultant to provide contract review, drafting, negotiation, and administration support for our federal government contracting activities.

The primary focus of this position will be the development, review, negotiation, and execution of Non-Disclosure Agreements (NDAs), Teaming Agreements (TAs), and Subcontract Agreements (SubKs) supporting Ares Enterprise's federal business development and contract portfolio.

This is a hands-on consulting role intended for an experienced government contracts professional who can independently manage agreements from initial request through negotiation and execution while identifying contractual, financial, compliance, and performance risks.

• Draft, review, revise, and negotiate mutual and unilateral NDAs.
• Evaluate confidentiality definitions, permitted disclosures, intellectual property provisions, residuals, term, survival, remedies, and governing law.
• Identify non-standard or unfavorable provisions and recommend appropriate revisions.
• Maintain efficient turnaround for routine agreements supporting active capture and teaming efforts.

• Draft, review, revise, and negotiate federal government contracting Teaming Agreements.
• Review provisions related to:
  • Prime/subcontractor relationships
  • Workshare and scope allocation
  • Exclusivity and non-compete restrictions
  • Proposal responsibilities
  • Pricing and cost information
  • Intellectual property and proprietary information
  • Termination rights
  • Post-award subcontract negotiations
• Ensure proposed agreements appropriately protect Ares Enterprise's workshare and business interests.
• Coordinate agreement language with business development, capture, proposal, and executive leadership.

• Draft, review, revise, and negotiate subcontract agreements for Ares Enterprise as both a prime contractor and subcontractor.
• Review subcontract terms for consistency with the prime contract and negotiated teaming arrangements.
• Evaluate FAR/DFARS flow-down requirements and determine applicability.
• Review clauses addressing:
  • Scope and deliverables
  • Period of performance
  • Pricing and payment
  • Invoicing
  • Funding and limitation of funds
  • Changes
  • Personnel and key personnel
  • Workshare
  • Intellectual property and data rights
  • Cybersecurity and information protection
  • Insurance
  • Indemnification
  • Termination
  • Disputes
  • Compliance requirements
• Identify contractual risks and clearly communicate recommended changes to management.
• Support subcontract modifications and related contractual actions as required.

• Maintain organized records of agreements, modifications, negotiations, and executed documents.
• Track agreement status and outstanding contractual actions.
• Coordinate with executives, program managers, finance, business development, and outside counsel when appropriate.
• Support development and maintenance of contract templates, clause libraries, negotiation positions, and internal contracting procedures.
• Escalate material legal, financial, compliance, or performance risks to executive leadership or legal counsel.
• Help establish efficient contract review processes appropriate for a growing federal contractor.

• 5+ years of contracts or subcontract management experience, preferably within the federal government contracting industry.
• Demonstrated experience independently reviewing and negotiating NDAs, Teaming Agreements, and Subcontract Agreements.
• Strong working knowledge of the Federal Acquisition Regulation (FAR).
• Experience reviewing and applying DFARS and prime-contract flow-down clauses.
• Understanding of federal subcontracting requirements and prime/subcontractor relationships.
• Experience supporting federal competitive procurements and proposal teaming arrangements.
• Strong contract drafting, redlining, negotiation, and risk-analysis skills.
• Ability to distinguish between routine business terms and issues requiring executive or legal review.
• Strong attention to detail and ability to manage multiple agreements simultaneously.
• Ability to work independently with limited supervision.

• 8+ years of federal government contracts/subcontracts experience.
• Experience supporting small and mid-sized federal contractors.
• Experience with DoD and civilian agency contracts.
• Familiarity with FFP, T&M, Labor Hour, and Cost-Reimbursement contract structures.
• Experience with IDIQs, task orders, GWACs, BPAs, and GSA Schedule contracting.
• Familiarity with SBA small-business subcontracting and socioeconomic program requirements.
• Experience with Organizational Conflict of Interest (OCI), limitation on subcontracting, workshare, and affiliation considerations.
• NCMA certification such as CPCM, CFCM, or CCCM is preferred but not required.

• The consultant should be capable of handling routine contractual matters independently and efficiently while escalating material contractual or legal risks when appropriate.
• Typical assignments will range from straightforward NDA and Teaming Agreement reviews to more complex subcontract negotiations involving FAR/DFARS flow-downs, workshare requirements, intellectual property, cybersecurity, and other federal contracting requirements.
• The position is expected to operate on an as-needed hourly consulting basis, with workload fluctuating based on Ares Enterprise's proposal activity, teaming arrangements, contract awards, and subcontracting requirements.