Director, Contracts

About Palladium:

Palladium is a global company working to design, develop and deliver positive impact on the lives and livelihoods of people around the globe; broaden access to health, water, power, and infrastructure; build enduring, sustainable, and transformative institutions and market systems to address global challenges; and conserve the natural world. We operate in over 90 countries and have a workforce of 4,000 talented, motivated, and diverse staff of all religions, races, languages, and gender identities

This Opportunity:

The Director of Contracts is responsible for overseeing all aspects of the contract, grant and agreement administration process with various USG agencies including USAID, CDC, and DOS, as well as commercial clients and other governmental clients in the United States and elsewhere throughout the world. The Director of Contracts will also manage and lead the Contracts team and have a close working relationship with Palladium’s Global Legal and Compliance, Human Resources, Finance and Accounting, Business Development, Process Excellence, and Project Delivery teams. This person must bring strong interpersonal skills and demonstrated experience building and leading teams to excel.

Location and Compensation:

The position is based in Palladium’s Washington D.C. office.

For our prospective employees in the United States, please note that the full-time equivalent annual base salary for this position is expected to range from $128,900 to $195,000, and successful candidates may also be eligible for additional, variable incentive compensation dependent on the role.

Please be advised that a final salary offer will be based on various factors, including but not limited to your qualifications, education, experience, skills, seniority, performance, and Palladium’s business or organizational needs.

If you have any questions or concerns regarding the compensation for this position, please do not hesitate to reach out to us. We value your interest in our company and appreciate the opportunity to discuss this opportunity with you.

You and Your Career:

If you are a strategic, collaborative, team builder with a proven track record of delivering complex contracting solutions while mitigating risk, we are interested in hearing from you.

We are a learning organization and provide growth opportunities from the start. We pride ourselves on giving you the freedom, resources, and guidance to chart a fulfilling career!

Reporting Lines:

This role reports to the Vice President, Operational Excellence with a dotted line to Palladium’s General Counsel and coordination with other regionsThis role will have supervisory and mentorship responsibilities

Primary Roles and Responsibilities:

USG Contract Administration

Oversee all aspects of contracts, grants and agreement administration from pre-award through project close-out
Administer various types of contracts, including but not limited to GSA, OASIS, IDIQ, CPFF, FFP and T&M
Liaise with external clients (Contracting and Agreement Officers) and internal clients and teams
Manage all existing contracts to comply with contract requirements and company policies
For USG clients, direct all subcontract and procurement management
Maintain contract documentation and track and report contract funding, portfolio, backlog, and historical award information
Oversee start-up and close out of all contracts and task orders.
Identify and escalate risks as appropriate

USG Subcontract Administration

Prepare, review, and participate in the negotiations of subcontracts, teaming agreements and non-disclosure agreements, memoranda of understanding, and other agreements and toolsPrepare templates such as subcontract agreements, including flow-down of prime-contract clauses
Work with the General Counsel’s Office to ensure that the company and its employees comply with regulatory requirements, contractual terms and conditions, and internal policies and procedures
Coordinate internal compliance review and monitoring activities, including periodic reviews of departments and projects in close coordination with Director of Risk Management and General Counsel
Support the Office of the General Counsel in responding to government investigations and queries
Oversee government reporting and periodic compliance filings (e.g., SAM.gov, service contractor reporting, GSA schedule reporting, FSRS, ESRS, CPARS etc.)
Support ISO, USAID/OIG and other external and internal audit activities
Provide strategic advice to portfolio leads and project teams regarding contract management as it is affected by client and local laws and regulations

USG Business Development Support

Oversee, review, and approve Palladium’s representation and certifications and subcontracting plans for business proposals
Lead project kick-off meetings with clients
Identify concerns with requests for proposals (RFPs) and solicitations and ensure that Director of Strategic Growth is appropriately briefed on all significant terms and risks
Participate in potential protest analysis and execution

Other responsibilities

Mentor and build contract and compliance capacity within and beyond the core contracts team
Provide company-wide support for contract review and management beyond the USG space as requested

Essential Criteria:

Detailed knowledge of U.S. federal contracting and procurement laws, regulations, policies, and procedures
Proven experience successfully resolving complex contracting challenges throughout for multiple contract types
Experience providing full-cycle support of the contracts function for multiple contract types and clients
Mentoring and overseeing others who perform contracts support functions
Extensive experience anticipating and mitigating risk
Proven ability to provide vision and leadership in a dynamic and evolving environment
Strong verbal and written communication skills
Enjoys building, inspiring, and leading teams
Embraces collaboration and organizational change

Desirable Criteria:

USG Contractor warrant would be welcome
Fluency in Spanish or French a plus
Legal background desired but not requiredExperience with commercial and non-USG donor clients welcome

Equity, Diversity & Inclusion - Palladium is committed to embedding equity, diversity, and inclusion into everything we do. We welcome applications from all sections of society and actively encourage diversity to drive innovation, creativity, success and good practice. We positively welcome and seek to ensure we achieve diversity in our workforce; and that all job applicants and employees receive equal and fair treatment regardless of their background or personal characteristics. These include: (but are not limited to) socio-economic background, age, race, gender identity and expression, religion, ethnicity, sexual orientation, disability,
nationality, veteran, marital or Indigenous status.

Should you require any adjustments or accommodations to be made due to a disability or you are a neurodivergent individual or for any other circumstance, please email our team at accessibility@thepalladiumgroup.com and we will be in touch to discuss.

Safeguarding - We define Safeguarding as “the preventative action taken by Palladium to protect our people, clients and the communities we work with from harm”. We are committed to ensuring that all children and adults who come into contact with Palladium are treated with respect and are free from abuse. All successful candidates will be subject to an enhanced selection process including safeguarding-focused interviews and a rigorous due diligence process.