Commercial Contracts Manager

About Nominal Engineers today are building some of the most ambitious machines humanity has ever seen. They should have AI that’s purpose-built for them.

Nominal is building the Hardware Intelligence Platform that gives engineers increased visibility into complex physical systems, helps them make better decisions, and ultimately gets their products into the real world faster. It brings together the systems, data, intelligence, and applications hardware engineering requires to meet the AI moment. Hardware engineering teams use Nominal to simulate, test, manufacture, and operate the physical systems that keep the world moving, from spacecraft and autonomous vehicles to next-generation energy systems and robotics.

Our customers span aerospace, defense, manufacturing, transportation, energy, and robotics. They include Anduril, Shield AI, Wisk Aero, Pratt Miller Motorsports, Antares, and Shinkei Systems, amongst others, alongside programs within the U.S. Air Force and Navy. Our team draws from SpaceX, Palantir, Anduril, Applied Intuition, Tesla, and other leading companies, united by a common mission: giving hardware engineers the tools to build the future with speed, safety, and confidence. We're a fast-moving team that owns problems end-to-end, works across disciplines, and thrives at the intersection of hardware and software.

Some of the world’s leading technology investors, including Sequoia, Lightspeed, Founders Fund, General Catalyst, Lux Capital, and Insight Partners, are backing Nominal’s ambition to change how machines are built and operated.

🚀 About the role Nominal's Legal team supports every deal we sign, from commercial software agreements with aerospace and autonomy companies to deals with prime contractors across the defense industrial base. As our commercial business grows, contract volume and complexity are growing with it. As a Commercial Contracts Manager, you'll own commercial contracting and proposals, so our attorneys can focus on the highest-risk legal work.

This role is ideal for a contracts professional who knows commercial technology deals and how defense primes contract, and who wants to shape how a contracts function runs, not just process paper, in partnership with Sales, Finance, Security and our Government team, in addition to Legal.

👨🏻‍💻 What You'll Do

• Negotiate and manage commercial agreements end to end, including software licenses, SaaS subscriptions, MSAs, NDAs, and partner and vendor contracts.
• Build and maintain Nominal's commercial contracts playbook, templates, and fallback positions so most deals close without escalating to an attorney.
• Shape how contracting runs at Nominal, from intake and approvals to signature, by improving our contract tools, automations, and metrics in partnership with our Deal-Ops team.
• Track post-signature obligations such as renewals, notice periods, and customer commitments, and make sure the right teams act on them.
• Mentor future contracts teammates and serve as a go-to partner for commercial deal questions across the company.

🔍 We're looking for someone with

• Experience negotiating commercial technology contracts, such as SaaS, software licensing, or services agreements, in-house or at a firm.
• Hands-on experience with contracts between commercial suppliers and defense or aerospace prime contractors, including FAR and DFARS flowdowns plus security and commerciality addendums.
• A track record of owning a high volume of deals end to end while keeping turnaround times short.
• Experience writing or managing proposals and responses to institutional RFPs or RFQs from large procurement or CIO functions.
• Working knowledge of contract lifecycle management (CLM) tools and e-signature workflows.
• Sound judgment on which risks to accept, which need a fallback, and when to bring in an attorney.
• Clear communication with Sales, Finance, and Engineering partners who aren't contract specialists.

⚡ Skills that accelerate us

• Familiarity with export controls (ITAR and EAR) and deployability considerations (common cloud hosting and support structures) in commercial contracts.
• Experience building a contracts function at a global venture-backed startup.
• Familiarity with commercial SaaS pricing and global (e.g., UK) contracting considerations beyond the U.S.

✨ Benefits/Perks

• 🏥 100% coverage of medical, dental, and vision insurance
• 🏖️ Unlimited PTO and sick leave
• 🍽️ Free lunch, snacks, and coffee
• 🚀 Professional Development Stipend
• ✈️ Annual company retreat

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

ITAR Requirements To conform to U.S. Government export regulations, applicant must be a (i) U.S. citizen or national, (ii) U.S. lawful, permanent resident (aka green card holder), (iii) Refugee under 8 U.S.C. § 1157, or (iv) Asylee under 8 U.S.C. § 1158, or be eligible to obtain the required authorizations from the U.S. Department of State. Learn more about the ITAR here.

Compensation The base pay range for this role is $125,000 – $175,000 per year.