Subcontracts Manager

Worker Type

Regular
Job Description

Summary

The Subcontracts Manager will lead a team of 2–3 subcontract professionals and serve as the primary interface between Program Management, Subcontracts, Contracts, Engineering, Finance, Quality, Supply Chain, and subcontractors. This position is responsible for managing the full lifecycle of subcontracts, including proposal development, source selection, negotiations, award, execution, performance management, changes, and closeout. The Subcontracts Manager will develop subcontracting strategies aligned with the overall program plan, company policies, and applicable FAR/DFARS requirements.

The Subcontracts Manager will manage subcontract baselines during the proposal phase to ensure scope, budget, capacity, risk management, delivery requirements, and payment terms are aligned with program needs. The position will evaluate potential sources for selection, negotiate and award subcontracts, and monitor subcontractor performance to ensure cost, schedule, technical, quality, delivery, and contractual requirements are met.

Position Responsibilities

- Lead, mentor, and develop a team of 2–3 subcontract professionals, including workload planning, prioritization, performance management, and professional development.
- Develop and execute subcontracting strategies aligned with program objectives, company policies, and applicable FAR/DFARS requirements.
- Manage the full subcontract lifecycle from proposal development and source selection through award, execution, modifications, performance management, and closeout.
- Support and monitor technical performance baselines while comparing key subcontract technical performance measures, assessing execution status, and taking appropriate action to maintain conformance with the baseline.
- Communicate, monitor, and promptly resolve issues across all functional elements within the program, including the supplier.
- Manage and balance communications with stakeholders through organized and disciplined processes, ensuring subcontract information is defined, collected, shared, understood, stored, and retrieved in a manner that effectively meets subcontract and stakeholder needs while protecting the company’s contractual rights.
- Effectively plan, define, establish, communicate, monitor, and control subcontractor scope to ensure that all required work, and only the required work, is performed.
- Analyze subcontractor changes and develop alternatives that balance technical, cost, schedule, quality, and contractual requirements.
- Track subcontractor performance, including technical reviews, delivery milestones, quality performance, corrective actions, and key performance indicators.
- Monitor subcontractor cost performance against budget and Estimates at Completion to ensure financial performance remains on target.
- Provide financial control and maintenance of subcontract budgets, including customer funding, cost analysis, Earned Value Management metrics, and Integrated Program Management Data and Analysis Report evaluation, as applicable.
- Lead subcontractor program reviews and performance reviews, including the development of agendas, briefing materials, action items, and recovery plans.
- Adhere to subcontract scope and manage changes through established change-control and control-board activities.
- Address subcontract uncertainty through an organized and analytical, forward-looking approach that identifies risks and opportunities, determines appropriate handling plans, and manages and communicates risks and opportunities throughout the subcontract lifecycle.
- Prepare executive-level briefings and develop mechanisms for monitoring subcontractor progress, identifying risks, supporting intervention, and resolving issues with functional leads, business management, program leadership, and customers.
- Interpret supplier schedules to understand impacts on program schedules, milestones, critical-path activities, and customer commitments.
- Develop, implement, and maintain subcontract execution plans, supplier management plans, and performance-monitoring processes.
- Develop and maintain Requests for Proposals, including subcontractor sourcing and selection, evaluation criteria, risk analysis, and cost and price analysis.
- Review supplier proposal responses, including technical evaluations, supplier Basis of Estimates, pricing, schedules, risks, and overall proposal quality.
- Support compliant source selections, negotiations, subcontract awards, and subcontract modifications.
- Coordinate with Engineering, Quality, Supply Chain, Finance, and Program Management to monitor supplier technical performance, qualification activities, production readiness, inspections, testing, delivery, and acceptance requirements.
- Communicate and escalate subcontractor performance issues, including cost, schedule, technical, quality, delivery, compliance, and contractual concerns.
- Develop and monitor corrective-action plans, recovery plans, and other intervention plans for subcontractors that are not meeting requirements.
- Cultivate productive subcontractor relationships while maintaining appropriate contractual discipline and protecting company interests.
- Identify, allocate, and manage resources within the subcontract management team and broader cross-functional program organization.
- Identify opportunities to improve subcontract processes, reduce risk, improve performance, and support organizational and program objectives.

Basic Qualifications (Required Skills & Experience)

- Bachelor’s Degree and 10 years of experience supporting U.S. Government contracts and customers and/or program management, supply chain management, proposals, procurement, contracts, or subcontract management.
- Demonstrated experience managing the full lifecycle of subcontracts, from proposal development and source selection through award, execution, modifications, performance management, and closeout.
- Active Secret clearance or ability to obtain one and ability to obtain and maintain SAP access, if required for the assigned program.
- Experience managing subcontract or program cost, schedule, technical, quality, and contractual requirements.
- Experience leading teams and/or organizations to achieve a common goal as a results-driven leader.
- Experience with global supply chain, supplier management, and supplier quality, with the ability to identify, select, direct, and manage subcontract and supply-chain elements in a manner that supports program goals and company strategy.
- Experience managing program or subcontract financials, including customer funding, budgets, Estimates at Completion, invoices, and cost analysis.
- Experience with subcontractor sourcing, compliant source selection, proposal evaluation, Basis of Estimate review, cost and price analysis, negotiations, and subcontract award.
- Experience managing supplier or subcontractor risks, opportunities, corrective actions, recovery plans, and performance issues.
- Experience working cross-functionally with Program Management, Contracts, Engineering, Finance, Quality, Supply Chain, and subcontractor organizations.
- Experience with capture execution, compliant source selection, negotiations, and proposals.
- Strong written, verbal, analytical, negotiation, organizational, and interpersonal communication skills.
- Ability to manage multiple priorities, work independently, make sound business decisions, and operate effectively in a fast-paced environment.

Other Qualifications & Desired Competencies

- Experience managing subcontracts supporting aerospace, defense, advanced technology, or other complex U.S. Government programs.
- Experience recognizing and responding to program needs in order to develop additional business opportunities that support organizational objectives.
- Experience identifying, coordinating, and controlling management activities and processes that integrate program interdependencies throughout their lifecycle to achieve successful program completion.
- Experience defining proposal strategy, leading proposal teams, analyzing and shaping Requests for Proposals, and producing and delivering winning proposals.
- Experience planning and executing a project quality-management system that satisfies quality requirements and emphasizes prevention, continuous improvement, and value creation.
- Experience defining, documenting, analyzing, tracing, prioritizing, and confirming requirements throughout the program and subcontract lifecycle.
- Experience addressing program or subcontract uncertainty through an organized and analytical, forward-looking approach that identifies risks and opportunities, determines appropriate handling plans, and manages and communicates effectively throughout the lifecycle.
- Experience defining, establishing, communicating, monitoring, and controlling scope to ensure that all required work, and only the required work, is performed.
- Experience applying technical performance baselines to monitor and compare key technical performance measures, assess program and product status, and take appropriate action to maintain conformance with the baseline.
- Experience with Earned Value Management, Integrated Program Management Data and Analysis Report, supplier performance metrics, or other program financial-management processes.
- Experience leading supplier program reviews, technical reviews, production-readiness activities, corrective-action reviews, and recovery efforts.
- Experience with continuous process improvement and the development of preventative quality and supplier-management processes.

Physical Demands

- Ability to work in an office environment (Constant)
- Required to sit and stand for long periods; talk, hear, and use hands and fingers to operate a computer and telephone keyboard (Frequent)

Work Location

- Hybrid position requiring three days per week in the office.
- A 5/40 work schedule is preferred.
- A 9/80 work schedule may be available based on business and program requirements.
- No travel is required for this position.

Clearance Level
No Clearance

The salary range for this role is:
$126,500 - $192,750

AeroVironment considers several factors when extending an offer, including but not limited to, the location, the role and associated responsibilities, a candidate’s work experience, education/training, and key skills.

ITAR Requirement:

This position requires access to information that is subject to compliance with the International Traffic Arms Regulations (“ITAR”) and/or the Export Administration Regulations (“EAR”). In order to comply with the requirements of the ITAR and/or the EAR, applicants must qualify as a U.S. person under the ITAR and the EAR, or a person to be approved for an export license by the governing agency whose technology comes under its jurisdiction. Please understand that any job offer that requires approval of an export license will be conditional on AeroVironment’s determination that it will be able to obtain an export license in a time frame consistent with AeroVironment’s business requirements. A “U.S. person” according to the ITAR definition is a U.S. citizen, U.S. lawful permanent resident (green card holder), or protected individual such as a refugee or asylee. See 22 CFR § 120.15. Some positions will require current U.S. Citizenship due to contract requirements.

Benefits :  AV offers an excellent benefits package including medical, dental vision, 401K with company matching, a 9/80 work schedule and a paid holiday shutdown.  For more information about our company benefit offerings please visit:  http://www.avinc.com/myavbenefits .

We also encourage you to review our company website at http://www.avinc.com to learn more about us.

Principals only need apply.  NO agencies please.

About AV:

AV isn’t for everyone. We hire the curious, the relentless, the mission-obsessed. The best of the best.

We don’t just build defense technology—we redefine what’s possible. As the premier autonomous systems company in the U.S., AV delivers breakthrough capabilities across air, land, sea, space, and cyber. From AI-powered drones and loitering munitions to integrated autonomy and space resilience, our technologies shape the future of warfare and protect those who serve.

Founded by legendary innovator Dr. Paul MacCready, AV has spent over 50 years pushing the boundaries of what unmanned systems can do. Our heritage includes seven platforms in the Smithsonian—but we’re not building history, we’re building what’s next.

If you're ready to build technology that matters—with speed, scale, and purpose—there’s no better place to do it than AV.

We are proud to be an EEO/AA Equal Opportunity Employer, including disability/veterans. AeroVironment, Inc. is an Equal Employment Opportunity (EEO) employer and welcomes all qualified applicants. Qualified applicants will receive fair and impartial consideration without regard to race, sex, color, religion, national origin, age, disability, protected veteran status, genetic data, sexual orientation, gender identity or other legally protected status.

ITAR

U.S. Citizen, U.S. Permanent Resident (Green Card holder), asylee/refugee status as defined by 8 U.S.C. 1324b(a)(3) or a person approved for an export license from the appropriate governing agency.