MPR Associates, Inc. (MPR), a thriving multi-discipline, specialty engineering services and consulting firm, is seeking a talented and motivated Contracts Specialist for MPR’s Alexandria, VA office.  If you are seeking a unique, challenging, and rewarding career opportunity, MPR may be the right company for you.

Founded in 1964, MPR has a wide and growing client base in the fields of power and energy, federal services, and health and life sciences in the United States as well as internationally.  Headquartered in Alexandria, Virginia, we also have offices in East Lyme, Connecticut and Burlington, Massachusetts.  MPR makes challenging projects successful, delivering safe and reliable technical solutions across the entire project or product life-cycle to benefit our clients and society as a whole.  We hire the best and brightest staff which results in a high-performance, respectful culture making this an exceptional place to work.

General Job Description

The Contracts Specialist will perform a full range of contract management functions ranging from proposal development, contract review, drafting, negotiation, and close out, as well as subcontract and procurement management.  This individual will also be responsible for supporting all aspects of MPR’s risk management process.  The ideal candidate will have experience in both commercial and federal contract environments and must be able to manage internal and external contractual relationships and efficiently communicate and train others on contractual risks. The candidate should be comfortable working in a collegial environment and with colleagues at all levels of the organization. This is a full-time, exempt position that is part of the corporate risk management function and will report to the In-House Counsel.

• Review contractual documents for accuracy, performance risk, and conformance with contract terms and conditions and other provisions, including applicable federal regulations and business team objectives. This includes contracts, purchase orders, non-disclosure agreements, teaming agreements, subcontractor agreements, consultant agreements, and vendor agreements.
• Provide support for bid review and proposal requests, specifically review of contractual and legal terms and conditions.
• Correspond with clients regarding contract status (contract acknowledgements, applicable terms, and conditions), requests for additional information, etc.
• Negotiate with clients to close differences in desired terms and conditions to finalize agreements.
• Work with team members to ensure contract requirements are fully understood and executed.
• Support all aspects of administrative responsibilities of the contract routing process in MPR’s automated process software (a software workflow tool developed by and unique to MPR).
• Coordinate functions associated with contracts’ insurance requirements.
• Support annual insurance, financial, and client audits.
• Develop strong working relationships with other Contracts Team members, as well as with engineers and staff all levels of the organization and across market segments.
• Review and update contract administration and routing processes to evolve them in line with current and future business objectives.
• Assist In-House Counsel with managing internal and external legal matters and coordinating with external legal counsel, including assisting with responses to legal orders and internal compliance with such orders.
• Develop expertise in select and/or novel legal or policy areas pertinent to the business operations and future growth of the company to become an in-house source of knowledge and advice for the company.
• Enhanced understanding of and exposure to emerging technologies in the fields of nuclear and renewable energy and health and life science product development.

• This position involves Export Control compliance requirements, therefore a “US Person” as defined by 22 C.F.R § 120.15 is required. “US Person” includes US Citizen, lawful permanent resident, refugee, or asylee.

Education & Experience

• Bachelor’s degree required. Juris Doctorate is desired, and a bar license is a plus.
• Candidates without a bachelor’s degree will be considered if they are able to show proficiency developed through at least seven (7) years of experience.
• At least five (5) years of working experience in the field of contracts management.
• For candidates without a Juris Doctorate, certification in contract management is desired.
• Knowledge of contracting concepts, contract terms, and applicable acquisition laws and regulations.
• Experience with commercial and federal government terms and conditions is desired.
• General understanding of contracts administration required to provide daily support of contracts routing process and contract review.

Skills – Technical

• Candidate must have adequate knowledge of the law governing contracts and experience reviewing and negotiating contracts. The candidate needs to be conversant with regulatory, legislative, and industrial changes governing MPR’s client industries.
• High degree of proficiency in MS Office (Outlook, Word and Excel) required.
• General knowledge of PowerPoint is a plus.

Skills – Personal

• Outstanding organizational and interpersonal skills with the ability to interface effectively with multiple levels of an organization.
• Ability to effectively and proactively interact with project teams to complete necessary work.
• Demonstrated capacity to manage multiple tasks simultaneously and quickly adjust to changing priorities and deadlines.
• Strong leadership and management skills, with the ability and motivation to identify areas where they can be of assistance and where process improvements can be made.
• Ability to effectively communicate (both verbally and written) in a courteous and professional manner.
• Attention to detail with a high degree of accuracy while working independently with minimum supervision.
• Excellent time management skills and habits.
• Solid proofreading skills.
• Be flexible, motivated, resourceful and organized in a multi-functional role.
• Motivated to expand skills and knowledge, as well as tackle new problems and take on new responsibilities.
• Strong questioning attitude and the ability to accept that in others; ability to effectively and appropriately provide and receive feedback from engineers across market segments.
• Ability and strong willingness to learn and familiarize oneself with technical language and specific aspects of engineering projects to facilitate contract routing and administration.

MPR Associates, Inc. is an equal opportunity and affirmative action employer, who participates in E-Verify.  All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, national origin, sex, religion, age, disability, veteran’s status, sexual orientation, gender identity, genetic information or any other classification as required by applicable law.  MPR is a certified Virginia Values Veterans (V3) employer.