Senior Principal Contracts Specialist in Chantilly, Virginia at Mission Systems

Senior Principal Contracts Specialist

ID: 2026-75671
US-VA-Chantilly US-MN-Bloomington US-AZ-Scottsdale US-VA-Manassas
Required Clearance: Secret, obtainable within reasonable time based on requirements
Posted Date: 10/19/2026
Category: Contracts
Employment Type: Full Time
Hiring Company: General Dynamics Mission Systems, Inc.
Basic Qualifications

Education Requirements:

Bachelor's degree or equivalent combination of education and relevant experience is required plus a minimum of 10 years of relevant experience; or Master's degree plus a minimum of 8 years of relevant experience.

Clearance Requirements:
Department of Defense Secret security clearance obtainable within reasonable time based on requirements. Applicants selected will be subject to a U.S. Government security investigation and must meet eligibility requirements for access to classified information. Due to the nature of work performed within our facilities, U.S. citizenship is required.

Responsibilities for this Position

Overview:
A Contracts Specialist is responsible for supporting the management of the company's contractual agreements with customers, in the drafting, negotiation, and execution of contracts, as well as ensuring compliance with contract terms and conditions. The Contracts Specialist also maintains accurate contract records and databases and assists in identifying and mitigating any contract-related risks. Additionally, this role requires strong communication and or-ganizational skills, as the Contracts Specialist will work closely with program managers, legal teams, and customers to ensure that all contractual obligations are met.

Key Responsibilities:
• Advises and supports business team on issues/developments relative to assigned contracts or subcontracts.
• Negotiates contracts or subcontracts within business goals and documents substance of discussions, agreements, and results.
• Participates as a key member of the proposal or program team to address contract or subcontract require-ments.
• Manages contract or subcontract change process and collaborates with the Program Manager, including Pro-gram Manager - Subcontracts, Engineering, Finance, and other disciplines to mitigate performance risk.
• Monitors program performance for scope changes and takes appropriate action.
• Provides leadership, subject matter expertise, and innovative recommendations to new or unusual contracting, subcontracting, or programmatic issues.
• Reviews or supports reviews of subcontractor proposals, including management of the source selection pro-cess by participating with the proposal evaluation team in fact-finding, technical evaluation, and cost or price analysis.
• Builds customer or subcontractor relationships and knows customer or subcontractor needs and issues.
• Collaborates with cross-functional teams, including Program Management, Engineering, Finance, and Supply Chain, to ensure contract or subcontract requirements are fully understood and effectively executed, while ad-dressing any potential risks or issues that may arise.

Knowledge, Skills & Abilities:
• Demonstrated knowledge of applicable federal regulations (FAR/DFARS) and experience with prime contrac-tors or subcontractors across various contract types.
• Demonstrated analytical/critical thinking skills, attention to detail, and research skills.
• Demonstrated negotiation skills for contracts or subcontracts of moderate to high risk/complexity.
• Demonstrates flexibility and the ability to prioritize/re-prioritize with changing goals.
• Resolves a wide range of issues in creative ways, demonstrating innovative approaches and solutions.
• Collaborates and works effectively cross-functionally throughout the business.
• Demonstrates judgment and creativity to identify and resolve moderately complex contract or subcontract is-sues, recognizing when more expert guidance is required.
• Shows initiative on assignments, exercises independent judgment, and professionally executes projects with little direction.
• Acts independently to determine methods and procedures on new or special assignments.

Salary Note

This estimate represents the typical salary range for this position based on experience and other factors (geographic location, etc.). Actual pay may vary. This job posting will remain open until the position is filled.

Combined Salary Range

USD $143,834.00 - USD $155,632.00 /Yr.

Company Overview

General Dynamics Mission Systems (GDMS) engineers a diverse portfolio of high technology solutions, products and services that enable customers to successfully execute missions across all domains of operation. With a global team of 12,000+ top professionals, we partner with the best in industry to expand the bounds of innovation in the defense and scientific arenas. Given the nature of our work and who we are, we value trust, honesty, alignment and transparency. We offer highly competitive benefits and pride ourselves in being a great place to work with a shared sense of purpose. You will also enjoy a flexible work environment where contributions are recognized and rewarded. If who we are and what we do resonates with you, we invite you to join our high-performance team!

Equal Opportunity Employer / Individuals with Disabilities / Protected Veterans

#GDMS-US#