Startup Program Manager Jobs in Washington (NOW HIRING)

Overview

Sedaro is hiring a Contracts & Program Operations Manager to run the day-to-day administration of our U.S. Government and commercial contracts and to keep the program-support machinery moving - contract modifications, deliverables, personnel clearance actions, network and system accesses, government accounts, and DD Form 254 actions. You will be the single point of coordination for contract-related logistics across Program Management, Growth, Security, Finance, and company leadership, and the day-to-day interface with our government points of contact on existing contracts.

• Team: Operations, partnering closely with Program Management, Growth, and Security
• Location: Arlington, VA (Hybrid)
• Clearance: Ability to obtain and maintain a TS security clearance required; an active Secret or TS clearance is strongly preferred

Who We Are

Sedaro is a fast-growing startup building the world's most scalable cloud-native modeling and simulation platform for aerospace, defense, and commercial applications. Our software enables organizations to design, analyze, and optimize complex systems faster than ever before.

As Contracts & Program Operations Manager, you'll play a critical role in enabling Sedaro's growth by making sure nothing contract-related ever drops. Today, contract administration and program-support logistics are shared across several senior leaders; you will consolidate that work into one well-run function - a single tracker, a single point of contact, and clear escalation paths - so our Program Managers, Capture team, and executives can stay focused on delivery and growth.

Who You Are

• You are an experienced contracts administration or program operations professional with a strong working understanding of U.S. Government contracting environments.
• You have hands-on experience with post-award administration: modifications, option exercises, deliverables and reporting requirements, and contract closeout.
• You have working knowledge of the FAR, DFARS, and federal contracting practices, and can read a contract and know exactly what it requires of us and when.
• You are familiar with the government systems and processes that keep contracts moving - e.g., PIEE/WAWF, SAM.gov - and ideally have exposure to industrial security processes such as DISS/NISS, visit requests, and DD Form 254s.
• You are exceptionally organized and checklist-driven: you build trackers, you own them, and things you own do not slip.
• You are a confident, professional communicator with government Contracting Officers, CORs, and program security officers, as well as internal technical and business teams.
• You take ownership of your work, proactively identify risks and bottlenecks, and escalate with recommended solutions rather than open questions.
• You enjoy building and improving processes, templates, and workflows that help organizations scale.
• Most importantly, you're excited by the opportunity to build and run the contract operations function at a scaling startup and make a meaningful impact across the company.

What You'll Do

• Own the master tracker of all open contract and program-support actions - modifications, option exercises, deliverables, closeouts, clearance packages, network and system access requests, government accounts, and DD Form 254 actions - each with an owner, a status, and a deadline.
• Administer contracts post-award: process modifications, monitor contractual obligations, deliverables, and reporting deadlines, maintain organized contract records, and support invoicing and compliance activities with Finance.
• Serve as Sedaro's day-to-day interface with government points of contact - Contracting Officers, CORs, and program security officers - on existing contracts, keeping actions moving on both sides.
• Coordinate personnel security actions with our Facility Security Officer (FSO): clearance packages and sponsorships, periodic reinvestigations, and visit requests.
• Coordinate network and system access requests and government account provisioning for our teams (e.g., NIPRNet/SIPRNet accounts, customer collaboration environments, PIEE, SAM.gov).
• Coordinate DD Form 254 preparation, flow-down, and execution in partnership with our contracts signature authority and FSO.
• Support pre-award activities: representations and certifications, registrations, contract-volume inputs for proposals, and administration of NDAs and teaming agreements for the Capture team.
• Draft and route routine agreements (NDAs, vendor agreements, SOW updates) for review and signature, escalating negotiation items to leadership.
• Build and continuously improve the templates, checklists, and workflows that make contract operations scalable, including contract lifecycle management (CLM) tooling and records hygiene.

Benefits

• Equity
• Unlimited PTO
• 401(k) 4% match
• 100% premium payment for Medical Insurance
• Parental Leave
• Core hours
• Company provided lunches 3x a week
• Professional growth and development

Requirements

• Bachelor's degree in Business, Finance, Legal Studies, Public Administration, or a related field, or equivalent experience
• 4+ years of experience in U.S. Government contracts administration, program operations/analysis, or acquisition support (industry or government side)
• Strong working knowledge of the FAR, DFARS, and federal contracting practices
• Experience supporting both pre-award and post-award contract activities, including modifications, options, deliverables, and closeout
• Hands-on experience with government contracting systems such as PIEE/WAWF and SAM.gov
• Exceptional organizational skills and attention to detail; able to manage many parallel actions independently in a fast-paced startup environment
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills across government, technical, and business audiences
• Ability to obtain and maintain a TS security clearance

Additional Desirable Experience

• Active Secret or TS security clearance
• Industrial security coordination experience - DISS/NISS, DD Form 254s, visit requests - or prior work as a security coordinator or assistant FSO; FSO certification a plus
• Experience supporting DoW, Space Force, Air Force, NASA, NRO, or other federal customers
• Familiarity with SBIR/STTR contracts, OTAs, CRADAs, or other non-traditional acquisition vehicles
• Knowledge of ITAR, EAR, OFAC, and Controlled Unclassified Information (CUI) requirements
• Experience at a venture-backed startup or high-growth technology company
• NCMA certifications (CFCM, CPCM, CCCM), NCMS ISP certification, or equivalent professional credentials
• Experience implementing or managing contract lifecycle management (CLM) systems