Contract Operations Manager Jobs in San Ramon, CA

Muon Space seeks an experienced, detail-oriented Contracts Manager and Legal Ops Manager to join our growing team. In this role, you manage the day-to-day lifecycle of both commercial and government (DoD, IC, and Civil) contracts. You will partner closely with cross-functional teams-including Growth (business development), Mission Engineering (Program Management), and Supply Chain-accelerate deal execution, streamline workflows, and proactively mitigate contractual risk.

Ideally candidates are hybrid out of San Jose, but open to remote.

This is an exceptional opportunity for a mid-level contracts professional looking to deeply impact the rapidly evolving commercial space and defense sector under direct mentorship.

• Contract Drafting & Review: Produce and review NDAs, Teaming Agreements, Subcontracts, Consulting Agreements, Vendor Agreements, Modifications, and PO terms & conditions against established playbooks and templates, including accurate flow-down of prime contract requirements.
• Risk Identification & Escalation: Spot deviations from playbook positions and unfavorable clauses; translate technical and business risks into structured review packages for senior contracts counsel.
• Proposal & Capture Partnership: Partner with Growth through the pre-award lifecycle; support bid capture and proposal preparation.
• Contract Administration & Customer Interface: Manage post-award execution, work with Mission Engineering to submit deliverables and CDRLs, coordinate modifications and change requests, and serve as a day-to-day point of contact with customer contracting officers and prime counterparts.
• Government Systems Administration: Own Muon's profiles, representations, and certifications in SAM.gov, PIEE, WAWF, and related portals and supplier/subcontractor databases.
• Contract Operations & Records: Anchor day-to-day department operations, tracking deadlines, metadata, version control, and an audit-ready digital filing system across active and legacy files.
• CLM & Process Improvement: Refine Muon's CLM workflows to shorten cycle times and give stakeholders clear pipeline visibility and status.
• Cross-Functional Partnership: Advise Growth, Mission Engineering, and Supply Chain on contracting terms, process, and timelines.

• Experience: 4+ years in contracts administration, management, or legal operations, with at least 2 recent years at a government defense contractor, intelligence community partner, or aerospace company.
• Government Procurement: Working knowledge of the FAR and its supplements, and fluency in Government contract portals such as SAM.gov, PIEE, WAWF, and supplier/subcontractor portals,including navigation, updates, and reporting.
• Contract Portfolio: Hands-on across the full lifecycle (pre-award through closeout) with a mix of FFP, SBIR, commercial/non-commercial, and OTA agreements.
• Proposal Support: History of partnering with Growth or capture teams to review RFP requirements, flag proposal risk, and meet submittal deadlines.
• Execution Discipline: Experience working from playbooks and templates.
• Organization & Throughput: Experience managing a high volume of concurrent actions in a fast-paced environment; prioritizes independently, tracks shifting deadlines, and keeps details from slipping.
• Communication: Clear written and verbal communicator who can translate contracting terms for non-legal teams.
• Work Style: Process-oriented, deadline-driven, and comfortable with the broad scope of duties typical of a small team.

• Active TS security clearance (or eligibility to acquire one).
• Direct experience in the aerospace, space systems, or satellite industry.
• Professional certification such as NCMA Certified Federal Contract Manager (CFCM).
• A Bachelor's or Master's degree in business, law, finance, or a technical engineering discipline preferred; equivalent experience considered.

The salary range for this role is $110,000 - $150,000 plus a competitive equity grant and comprehensive benefits package. Final compensation will be based on skills, qualifications, experience, and geographic location as assessed during the interview process.