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Principal Contracts Manager

Mercury Systems

Phoenix, AZJobSeen 2w agoSeen in employer's feed 4 days ago

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At a glance

Compensation
No compensation found
Location
Phoenix, AZ
Work Authorization
US work authorization required

Olive lists jobs from US employers, including remote roles you can work from the United States.

Requirements

Credentials this posting asks for.

Secret clearanceBachelor's degree

Job overview

Mercury Systems seeks a Principal Contracts Manager to support its Integrated Processing Solutions business unit as an individual contributor. The role manages US Government and commercial defense contracts, including negotiations, compliance, risk mitigation, and coordination with internal teams and external contracting officials. Candidates must have at least six years of directly related experience, a relevant bachelor’s degree, and US citizenship; the role requires the ability to obtain a Secret security clearance or higher.

Skills & qualifications

RequiredNice to have

Skills

Contract AdministrationBusiness ManagementUS Government ContractsPrime ContractsCommercial ContractsWeighted Guidelines ProfitDefense Contract TypesContract Lifecycle ManagementFAR/DFARSCommercial AcquisitionsContract NegotiationAnalytical SkillsFinancial SkillsAttention to DetailMicrosoft Office SuiteAdobe AcrobatCustomer Relationship ManagementRisk MitigationAudit CoordinationSAMD&BCerts & RepsExostar

Qualifications

Bachelor's in Business or Related6+ Years Related ExperienceUS CitizenshipSecret Clearance Eligibility

Benefits

Tuition Assistance

Full job description

Req. Number

26-541

Job Description

Mercury Systems Inc’s high-performing contracts team is seeking a Principal Contracts Manager in support of the Integrated Processing Solutions business unit with contract management responsibilities as an individual team contributor. This position requires a thorough understanding of US Government Department of Defense contracting as a team player who is also a strong independent contributor with leadership skills, problem-solving skills, and a proactive, detail-oriented approach. The Principal Contract Manager will be required to deal effectively with competing priorities and deadlines and handle multiple tasks.

This successful individual will provide strong working knowledge in customer relationships, risk analysis and mitigation strategies, regulations, and contract negotiations. The successful candidate must possess the ability to work well with others in high-stress high-volume situations, effectively interface with internal functional and program organizations, and meet the goals/objectives of the program teams and the overall Mercury business.

Job Responsibilities:

  • Manage program contracts supporting the IPS Business Unit.

  • Review complex solicitations/RFPs and prepare specialized/non-routine proposal responses in conjunction with proposal team, as well as reviews and approves contractual documents for adherence to customer specifications and requirements, compliance with Terms and Conditions, applicable FAR/DFARS clauses, special provisions and adherence to company policy and procedures.

  • Drafts/reviews and redlines customer agreements, negotiates complex agreements, including master agreements, with the objective of protecting the company’s interests.

  • Develops and recommends negotiation strategies consistent with business goals and objectives.

  • Advises management and program teams of contractual rights, obligations, intellectual property protections, including data rights assertions, organizational conflicts of interest and general risks and mitigation strategies.

  • Demonstrates effective and creative problem-solving abilities.

  • Maintains deadlines for internal and external customer requests as well as contractual historical data; enters contract data into databases as required.

  • Analyzes and tracks contract compliance in conjunction with other functions.

  • Externally interfaces directly with Government contracting officials, prime contractor procurement representatives and other customer representatives.

  • Internally interfaces with Contracts team members, Legal, Program Management, Capture, Finance, Pricing, Proposal, Property, Quality, Engineering and other functional staff as required.

Required Qualifications :

  • Bachelor’s in Business, Management, or other related field(s).

  • Minimum of Six (6) years of directly related experience in Contract Administration/Business Management/Finance role with direct US Government defense or prime contractors.

  • Experience with US Government, Prime and Commercial contracts.

  • Experience with US Government weighted guidelines profit.

  • Experience with defense contract types such as: Cost Reimbursable (CR), Cost Plus Fixed Fee (CPFF), Cost Plus Incentive Fee (CPIF), Firm Fixed Price (FFP), Time and Materials (T&M), incentive-type contracts, Indefinite Delivery Indefinite Quantity (IDIQ), Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR), etc. and with all phases of contracting from pre-solicitation through completion/termination and contract closeout.

  • Strong working knowledge of US Government regulations (FAR/DFARS) required, with emphasis in acquisitions governed by Part 12 Acquisition of Commercial Products and Services and Part 15 Contracting by Negotiation.

  • Provide strong analytical, financial and negotiation skills. Must demonstrate a strong attention to detail.

  • Requires a full understanding of Contracts lifecycle from RFP to Closeout.

  • Proficiency in MS Office Suite (Excel, Word, & Outlook) as well as Adobe Acrobat required.

  • An ability to obtain a US Government Secret security clearance or higher. US Citizenship is required .

  • Travel: As required, estimated less than 10%

Preferred Qualifications :

  • Experience working directly for both the US Government and Defense Contractors

  • Expected to meet responsibilities in a highly interactive team environment, to work well under pressure within tight deadlines, and deliver on multiple priorities while producing quality work.

  • Expected to meet responsibilities in a highly interactive team environment, to work well under pressure within tight deadlines, and deliver on multiple priorities while producing quality work.

  • Shall establish and maintain effective relationships with internal and external customers to include management, technical and functional counterparts to communicate project status.

  • Ability to identify performance risks and recommend mitigations.

  • Expected to coordinate and support audit activities with Prime, Government or other agencies.

  • Required to be trusted to maintain confidentiality and adhere to company policies and Government acquisition laws and regulations.

  • Experience with Government and Business Systems including SAM, D&B, Certs & Reps and Exostar preferred

Visit our Careers page to see other openings in Contracts Management: Jobs in Aerospace and Defense Technology and Engineering | Mercury Systems (https://www.mrcy.com/careers)

Why Mercury?

Why should you join Mercury Systems?

Mercury Systems is a technology company that makes the world a safer, more secure place. We push processing power to the tactical edge, making the latest commercial technologies profoundly more accessible for today's most challenging aerospace and defense missions. From silicon to system scale, Mercury enables customers to accelerate innovation and turn data into decision superiority. Headquartered in Andover, Massachusetts, Mercury employs more than 2,300 people in 24 locations worldwide. To learn more, visit mrcy.com

Our Culture

We are committed to making Mercury a great place to work, no matter where our employees are located. We offer a casual and enjoyable atmosphere that allows employees to learn and grow. We help and care for one another and work as one to achieve results for us and for our customers. We value communication and transparency, and strive to foster two-way dialogue at all levels of the organization. We are committed to lifelong learning, offering comprehensive skills training and tuition reimbursement. Whether you're just starting out on your career journey or you are an experienced professional, it's important to us that you feel recognized and rewarded for your contributions.

To find out more about Why Mercury? (https://www.mrcy.com/careers/) , or visit the Mercury Community (https://www.linkedin.com/company/mercury-systems/life/) or find answers to general questions at Mercury FAQs (https://www.mrcy.com/company-overview/facts-at-a-glance/)

Mercury Systems is an equal opportunity employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, age, sex (including pregnancy), sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, genetic information, creed, citizenship, disability, protected veteran or marital status.

As an equal opportunity employer, Mercury Systems is committed to a diverse workforce. In order to ensure reasonable accommodation for individuals protected by Section 503 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973, the Vietnam Veterans' Readjustment Act of 1974, and Title I of the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990, applicants that require accommodation in the job application process may contact the number below for assistance.

(978) 256-1300

Click here (https://www.mrcy.com/company/news-insights) read about our recent press release.

How this job compares

Set against the 471 open Contract Administrator jobs on Olive Jobs, counted November 3, 2026.

Pay
  • This postingNot listed
  • US median$90–125K/yr321 salary ranges
  • US median$28–36/hr24 hourly ranges
Openings
Olive Jobs lists 13 open Contract Administrator jobs in Arizona and 471 across the US. 3% of them nationwide are listed as remote or flexible.
Hiring the most across the US
Experience
This posting asks for at least 6 years of experience; Contract Administrator postings that state a minimum ask for 5 years at the median (431 postings).
Education
This posting asks for a bachelor's degree; 141 of the 471 open Contract Administrator jobs (30%) ask for a bachelor's degree or higher.

Counted across the open, public US postings on Olive Jobs on November 3, 2026. Pay medians are the middle values of the low ends and of the high ends of postings that list both ends of a range in the same cadence (a yearly salary or an hourly rate); a range's midpoint is halfway between its ends. Pay and experience figures resting on fewer than 20 postings are left out.

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