Senior Director of Contracts

United States-Maryland-Linthicum May 29, 2026 Full Time Workday
RELOCATION ASSISTANCE: Relocation assistance may be available

CLEARANCE REQUIRED FOR START: Yes

CLEARANCE TYPE: Secret

TRAVEL: Yes, 10% of the Time

Description

At Northrop Grumman, our employees have incredible opportunities to work on revolutionary systems that impact people's lives around the world today, and for generations to come. Our pioneering and inventive spirit has enabled us to be at the forefront of many technological advancements in our nation's history - from the first flight across the Atlantic Ocean, to stealth bombers, to landing on the moon. We look for people who have bold new ideas, courage and a pioneering spirit to join forces to invent the future, and have fun along the way. Our culture thrives on intellectual curiosity, cognitive diversity and bringing your whole self to work — and we have an insatiable drive to do what others think is impossible. Our employees are not only part of history, they're making history.

Our values support our ability to deliver on our shared purposes.  If you are a leader who leads with innovation, strategic thought, doing the right thing, does what is promised and is committed to shared success, then we encourage your candidacy for our Senior Director of Contracts position.

We are seeking a highly qualified, strong leader to influence and enable the strategic direction of the Mission Next (MNX) division headquartered in Linthicum, MD.   The candidate selected will join our team of talented individuals, be a key member of the division leadership team supporting the Mission Next division Vice President and General Manager and be direct report to the Mission Systems sector’s Vice President of Contracts and Corporate Compliance Officer.

This is a full-time onsite position in Linthicum, MD that offers the 9/80 schedule with every other Friday off.

What You'll Get to Do:

As a direct report to the Mission Systems sector’s Vice President of Contracts and Corporate Compliance Officer, and a trusted advisor to Mission Next Division Vice President and General Manager, you will do the following:

Contractual Leadership:

  • Drive financial outcomes by demonstrating ownership and leading the team to deliver strong financial performance, and ensuring good business deals
  • Create and execute contractual strategies that result in sustainable value creation that deliver measurable results
  • Make decisions with speed, offer guidance and work collaboratively with a multitude of organizations.
  • Achieve top performance through proactive risk and change management
  • Evaluate, analyze, integrate, and communicate Pricing, Estimating and Financial impacts, cost issues and risks to senior and executive leadership

Employee Development and Engagement:

  • Build and develop high-performing teams that achieve success through a strong culture of early engagement, internal collaboration, and critical thinking including cross-functional/cross-organization teams.
  • Lead and foster professional development through choreographed training, learning by doing initiatives, coaching and mentoring.
  • Serve as a role model for inclusion by seeking out and including diverse opinions and perspectives, to include the ability to solve complex problems with new ideas from a variety of sources.

Stakeholder Management and Communications:

  • Strategically engage with customers to build strong business relationships, enabling RFP shaping of contractual requirements and successful negotiation outcomes.
  • Implement coordinated customer engagement plans and create succinct value propositions at the right level
  • Provide expert advice to various levels of leadership on topics such as contractual risks,  liabilities, innovative contracting solutions and contractual strategy utilizing excellent oral and written communication skills and ability to provide independent opinions

Required Qualifications:

  • Bachelor’s Degree with 10 or more years OR a master’s degree with 10 or more years of relevant professional experience
  • 4 or more years of direct management experience
  • Demonstrated experience building and developing high-performing teams that achieve success through a strong culture of early engagement, internal collaboration, and critical thinking including cross-functional/cross-organization teams
  • Broad experience in managing contracts throughout the acquisition life cycle, including reviewing and approving contractual documents for protection of the company’s contractual posture and adherence to company policy.
  • Experience in early business deal shaping, risk identification/mitigation, proposal development, negotiation skills, change management, customer intimacy.
  • Knowledge of and experience with Pricing and Estimating (P&E) methodologies, quality, and compliance requirements (FAR/DFARS).
  • US Citizenship
  • Must have U.S. Government active Secret and the ability to obtain and maintain a Top Secret clearance

Your Edge – Preferred Qualification:

  • Active US Top Secret Security clearance, SCI and/or SAP cleared
  • Master Certification of Procurement and Contracts Management or NCMA Certification (CPCM, CFCM and/or CCCM).
  • Knowledge of FAR, DFAR, CAS, TINA and other Government procurement regulations as they pertain to bid/costing proposals.

Your Unique Contribution – Soft Skills:

  • Enthusiastic about change, learning and process improvement
  • Act with a sense of urgency
  • Possess excellent problem-solving, communication, and organizational skills

Primary Level Salary Range: $210,100.00 - $315,100.00

The above salary range represents a general guideline; however, Northrop Grumman considers a number of factors when determining base salary offers such as the scope and responsibilities of the position and the candidate's experience, education, skills and current market conditions.

Depending on the position, employees may be eligible for overtime, shift differential, and a discretionary bonus in addition to base pay. Annual bonuses are designed to reward individual contributions as well as allow employees to share in company results. Employees in Vice President or Director positions may be eligible for Long Term Incentives. In addition, Northrop Grumman provides a variety of benefits including health insurance coverage, life and disability insurance, savings plan, Company paid holidays and paid time off (PTO) for vacation and/or personal business.

The application period for the job is estimated to be 20 days from the job posting date. However, this timeline may be shortened or extended depending on business needs and the availability of qualified candidates.

Northrop Grumman is an Equal Opportunity Employer, making decisions without regard to race, color, religion, creed, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, marital status, national origin, age, veteran status, disability, or any other protected class. For our complete EEO and pay transparency statement, please visit http://www.northropgrumman.com/EEO. U.S. Citizenship is required for all positions with a government clearance and certain other restricted positions.
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How to Get Hired at Northrop Grumman

  • Put your security clearance status or clearance eligibility at the top of your resume — this single detail influences whether a Northrop Grumman recruiter continues reading
  • Tailor every application to the specific requisition by incorporating exact terminology from the job description into your resume and thoroughly completing all Workday screening questions
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