# Senior Contracts Manager

**Company:** [Shield AI](https://hotfix.jobs/companies/shield-ai)
**Location:** Melbourne, Australia
**Role:** Legal
**Experience:** 8+ years
**Skills:** Asdefcon, Commonwealth Procurement Rules, Contract Negotiation, Contract Administration, Intellectual Property, Technical Data, Software Licensing, International Transactions, Contract Management, Export Control, Product Liability, Dispute Resolution, Change Management, Commercial Risk, Information Security
**Posted:** 2026-09-07

> Leads complex defence and technology contracting across tenders, negotiations, contract administration, claims, and closeout. Requires at least eight years of relevant experience, Australian Defence contracting expertise including ASDEFCON, and strong knowledge of hardware, software, intellectual property, and international transactions.

## Job Description

## Responsibilities
- Lead preparation, review, negotiation, and administration of contracts for Australian Defence, allied governments, prime contractors, and commercial customers.
- Support Australian Government and Defence tenders, including solicitation review, compliance matrices, qualifications and departures, and commercial assumptions.
- Negotiate and administer ASDEFCON-based contracts and apply the Commonwealth Procurement Rules.
- Manage commercial risks involving intellectual property, technical data, software rights, liability, indemnities, insurance, warranties, acceptance, delays, liquidated damages, remedies, audits, termination, governing law, and dispute resolution.
- Draft and negotiate product-sale, framework, teaming, reseller or representative, memorandum of understanding, nondisclosure, and statement-of-work agreements.
- Negotiate software development, licensing, SDK/API access, professional services, integration, and third-party software terms.
- Develop intellectual-property structures covering background and foreground IP, technical data, software rights, derivative works, improvements, interfaces, and government or third-party use rights.
- Support contracts for defence products combining hardware, software, integration, testing, delivery, acceptance, warranty, product liability, repairs, spares, training, field support, upgrades, and sustainment.
- Maintain contract summaries, obligations registers, deliverable and milestone tracking, notices, change-control records, funding status, claims files, correspondence, approvals, and audit-ready documentation.
- Lead modifications, amendments, extensions, renewals, equitable-adjustment requests, claims, settlements, and closeout.
- Serve as the contractual interface with customers, subcontractors, suppliers, technology partners, and internal stakeholders.
- Train stakeholders on contracting requirements, delegated authority, negotiation strategy, obligations, and commercial risk.
- Develop scalable contracting processes, templates, playbooks, approval workflows, and contract-management tools.

## Requirements
- Bachelor’s degree in law, business, commerce, finance, engineering, supply chain, international relations, or a related discipline, or equivalent relevant professional experience.
- At least eight years of progressively responsible contracts or commercial-management experience in defence, aerospace, advanced technology, or another highly regulated product environment.
- Experience supporting or negotiating contracts with the Australian Department of Defence, Australian Government entities, or major Australian Defence contractors.
- Practical experience with ASDEFCON-based tenders or contracts and the Commonwealth Procurement Rules.
- Experience negotiating and administering complex hardware and software product contracts.
- Experience with software development, software licensing, technology integration, intellectual property, technical data, or data-rights agreements.
- Experience negotiating international commercial or cross-border government transactions.
- Understanding of product delivery, acceptance, warranty, product liability, sustainment, support, intellectual property, export control, and information security.
- Ability to lead complex, high-value negotiations and manage concurrent transactions and deadlines.
- Strong commercial judgment and ability to translate legal, technical, operational, and regulatory requirements into practical recommendations.
- Excellent written and verbal communication skills.
- Ability to work across time zones and with distributed teams.
- Legal authorisation to work in Australia.

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