Strategic Pricing & Contracts Director (Hybrid | Travel)

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Director, Pricing and Contracts

Administration Active Full-Time Management Belcamp, MD, US

30+ days ago Requisition ID: 3092

About Company:

Element U.S. Space & Defense stands at the forefront of testing innovation, serving as a trusted partner to NASA, the U.S. Department of Defense, government agencies, and prominent industry leaders across the space and defense sectors. Founded as NTS Technical Systems, our company brings over 60 years of experience and expertise in handling the most complex projects and programs in the world.

From centrifuge testing for the latest Mars rover, vibration testing for the Space Launch System (SLS), to environmental simulations for next-generation missiles, we are the pioneering partner for highly custom, end-to-end testing design and implementation. By advancing our state-of-the-art testing technologies, subject matter expertise, and service to critical missions, Element U.S. Space & Defense has become the go-to partner for ground-breaking industries.

What We Offer:

Growth & Development:

• Opportunities for professional development and career advancement.
• A collaborative and innovative work environment.
• The chance to work on groundbreaking projects that shape the future of space and defense.

Benefits: Employees are eligible to participate in the benefits offered throughout their availability, including the following:

• Medical, Dental, Vision, Short- and Long-Term Disability, Life Insurance, Flexible Spending Accounts
• Seven (7) paid holidays and four (4) paid floating holidays, depending on your hire date
• Paid Time Off (PTO), accrued biweekly
• 401k with employer match
• Twelve (12) hours of Paid Volunteer Time Off (PVTO) each year
• Tuition reimbursement and other employee programs
• Flexible schedules offered at some of our labs
• Monthly Lab Bonus plans (Based on position)

Salary:
At EUSSD, compensation is determined through a comprehensive approach that considers candidate qualifications, role responsibilities, market benchmarks, and organizational needs. Pay may vary by location with potential eligibility for bonuses or commission depending on the role.

Summary:

The Director of Pricing and Contracts leads enterprise pricing strategy, proposal development, and contract administration across government and commercial contracts. This role serves as the organization's subject matter expert for pricing and contractual matters, establishing governance, policies, and standardized methodologies that drive competitive, compliant, and profitable business outcomes. The Director leads and develops pricing professionals while providing strategic guidance to executive leadership, Business Development, Capture, Finance, Engineering, and Program Management teams throughout the business acquisition and contract lifecycle.

Primary Responsibilities:

Pricing and Contracts:

• Develop and execute enterprise pricing strategies across government and commercial contracts, including FFP, IDIQ, OTA, BPA, and GSA MAS and other contract vehicles.
• Lead end-to-end proposal pricing activities, including cost volumes, pricing narratives, price to win strategies and defensible Basis of Estimate (BOE) development.
• Translate technical specifications, and statements of work (SOWs) into compliant work breakdown structures (WBS), labor and material estimates, cost models, and customer-ready proposals.
• Lead pricing model design, scenario analysis, and price-to-win strategy in collaboration with Business Development and Capture teams.
• Ensure compliance with FAR, DFARS, CAS, TINA, GSA MAS requirements, and other applicable regulations, including certified cost or pricing data submissions and commercial item determinations.
• Develop and maintain GSA MAS and IDIQ pricing structures, discount strategies, and economic price adjustments (EPAs), and related contract requirements.
• Establish and maintain pricing governance, methodologies, databases, labor standards, rate libraries, and historical cost repositories to ensure consistency, accuracy, and audit readiness.
• Assess and mitigate contractual, financial, and compliance risks associated with proposals, negotiations, and ongoing contract performance.
• Ensure all contractual documents adhere to applicable laws, regulations, and company’s Delegation of Authority (DoA).
• Support negotiations with government contracting officers, prime contractors, and commercial customers regarding terms and conditions, pricing, scope, and contract modifications.
• Support and provide guidance for contractual claims, requests for equitable adjustment (REA), change orders, and dispute resolution activities.
• Negotiate and administer contractual agreements, including NDAs, teaming agreements, master service agreements, contract modifications, limitation of funds notifications, stop-work orders, and other post-award obligations.

Strategic Leadership:

• Empower quoting professionals to develop quotations that support growth, profitability, and competitive positioning within guidelines of pricing policy.
• Serve as a visible and engaged leader who regularly connects with employees at all levels of the organization, fostering trust, transparency, and open communication.
• Lead and develop a high-performing organization, while fostering a culture of accountability, collaboration, employee engagement, and continuous improvement.
• This role ensures all quoting professionals follow established pricing models are competitive, compliant, and audit-ready while maximizing profitability and win probability.
• Lead cross-functional pricing and contract reviews with Engineering, Program Management, Business Development, and Finance.
• Provide executive leadership with strategic insights, market intelligence, pricing recommendations, and risk assessments to support business decisions and investment priorities.

Talent & Organizational Leadership:

• Champion a people-first leadership philosophy that recognizes employees as a key competitive advantage and critical driver of long-term business success.
• Serve as a visible and engaged leader who regularly connects with employees of the organization, fostering trust, transparency, and open communication.
• Ability to strengthen employee engagement, retention, and organizational culture.
• Create a workplace culture where employees feel respected, heard, valued, and empowered to contribute their best work.
• Drive initiatives that promote collaboration, inclusion, recognition, accountability, and continuous learning.
• Foster a culture that balances high performance with employee well-being, professional growth, and career development opportunities.
• Promote a safe, respectful, and inclusive work environment where every employee can thrive and contribute meaningfully to business success.

Minimum Qualifications:

• Position is hybrid with > 50% travel.
• Bachelor’s degree in business, Finance, Engineering, Legal, or related field.
• Minimum of 10 years of experience in leading pricing strategy and knowledge of government contracting in a complex environment.
• 8 years of leadership experience managing and developing high-performing teams.
• Strong knowledge of FAR Part 15, FAR Part 12, and TINA requirements.
• Demonstrated expertise with FAR, DFARS, CAS, Truthful Cost or Pricing Data (formerly TINA), GSA MAS, or federal acquisition regulations.
• Experience with specialized, government contractor software platforms used to build, analyze, and negotiate complex cost proposals.
• Proven experience leading complex proposal efforts, cost volume development, Basis of Estimate (BOE) creation, and price-to-win analyses.
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills.

Preferred Qualifications:

• 12+ years of progressive experience in government pricing, contracts, proposal development, or related functions within the aerospace, defense, or government contracting industry.
• Demonstrated expertise with FAR, DFARS, CAS, Truthful Cost or Pricing Data (formerly TINA), GSA MAS, and federal acquisition regulations.
• Strong technical aptitude with the ability to translate engineering requirements, solution architectures, and program execution strategies into defensible pricing, cost estimates, and contract proposals.
• Experience supporting DOW, DCAA, DCSA, or DCMA audits.
• Experience developing GSA MAS pricing strategy and schedule management.
• Advanced financial modeling and analytical capabilities.
• Experience leading cross-functional pricing initiatives.
• Familiarity with government operations, complex manufacturing or high-tech environments.
• Experience supporting DCAA, DCSA, government audits, and certified cost or pricing data submissions.
• Proven people leader that inspires and motivates leaders and teams, ability to develop and manage people with collaboration with shared accountability.
• Demonstrated ability to create high levels of employee trust, engagement, and organizational commitment across geographically dispersed teams.

Knowledge and Skills:

• Deep understanding of pricing methodologies, cost accounting principles, and indirect rate structures.
• Knowledge of government acquisition regulations (FAR, DFARS).
• Excellent negotiation, communication, and executive presentation skills.
• Team building and employee development planning.
• Strong training and process development skills.
• Proficiency in data analysis and scenario modeling.
• Ability to build defensible estimates and pricing narratives.
• Strong business acumen with the ability to align pricing strategies to profitability, growth, and operational objectives.
• Strong influencing and stakeholder management skills.

Physical Requirements:

While performing the duties of this job, the employee is occasionally required to stand; walk; sit; climb stairs; balance; stoop; kneel; crouch or crawl; talk or hear; taste or smell. The employee may occasionally lift and/or move up to 25 pounds. Specific vision abilities required by the job include close vision, distance vision, color vision, peripheral vision, depth perception and the ability to adjust focus.

EEO Policy Statement:

It is the policy of Element US Space & Defense to offer Equal Employment Opportunity to all individuals without regards to race, creed, ancestry, color, sex, gender identity, sexual orientation, marital status, age, national origin, physical disabilities, pregnancy, childbirth, and related medical conditions.