What are the responsibilities and job description for the Senior Contracts Manager position at Oak Ridge Associated Universities?
| ID | 2026-2747 | Category | Business Operations | Type | Full Time |
ORAU is conducting the search on behalf of Type One Energy for a permanent, fulltime Senion Contracts Manager in Knoxville, TN.
Location: Knoxville, TN
Salary: Highly Competitive Plus Benefits
Role: Permanent, full time
About Type One Energy
Type One Energy Group is mission-driven to provide sustainable, affordable fusion power to the world. Established in 2019 and venture-backed in 2023, the company is led by a team of globally recognized fusion scientists with a strong track record of building state-of-the-art stellarator fusion machines, together with veteran business leaders experienced in scaling companies and commercializing energy technologies.
Type One Energy offers:
In addition to a basic salary and yearly bonus, you will also get...
- Stock options
- Relocation allowance
- Insurance plans
- Retirement options
- And many more great voluntary benefits
Type One Energy applies proven advanced manufacturing methods, modern computational physics and high-field superconducting magnets to develop its optimized stellarator fusion energy system. Our FusionDirect development program pursues the lowest-risk, shortest-schedule path to a fusion power plant over the coming decade, using a partner-intensive and capital-efficient strategy.
Type One Energy is committed to community engagement in the development and deployment of its clean energy technology. For more information, visit www.typeoneenergy.com or follow us on LinkedIn.
Your role in the mission:
Type One Energy are seeking a Senior Contracts Manager to manage and coordinate contract activities across engineering, supply chain, and project teams. This role will play a critical part in ensuring that all contractual commitments are met for our key partnerships-specifically within the public power industry. This role will also be responsible for ensuring that contracts are well-structured, compliant, and aligned with our company's business objectives.
Working in a dynamic, fast-paced environment, the Contracts Manager will draft, review, and negotiate contracts while supporting project execution, risk management, and supplier relationships. This position is ideal for someone with a strong foundation in contracts administration and project management.
Responsibilities:
- Manage and track Non-Disclosure Agreements, commercial agreements, and collaborative agreements
- Partner with project managers to align contract deliverables, schedules, and risk mitigation strategies with project goals.
- Draft, review, and negotiate contracts related to project deliverables, ensuring compliance with legal and regulatory requirements.
- Management of existing and emerging agreements with collaborators, suppliers, universities, and other entities.
- Support commercial agreements and task order generation.
- Identify and assess potential terms and conditions and contractual risks, providing recommendations for risk mitigation strategies.
- Establish and maintain strong relationships with key stakeholders, fostering a collaborative and mutually beneficial environment.
- Oversee the development and implementation of a contract review process to ensure approvals consistent with business processes (i.e. delegation of authority).
- Act as primary interface with legal advisors to ensure contracts are legally sound.
- Act as a point of contact for dispute resolution, working closely with legal counsel and relevant teams to address any contractual disputes in a timely and efficient manner.
- Implement processes to track and report on compliance metrics, taking corrective actions when necessary.
Required Qualifications and Experience
- Bachelor's degree in Business Administration, Law, Engineering, or a related field, advanced degree preferred.
- 5-10 years of experience in contract management, procurement, within an engineering, energy, or manufacturing organization.
- Solid understanding of contract law principles and commercial terms.
- Proven experience managing multiple contract types (fixed-price, T&M, cost-plus, etc.).
- Excellent negotiation, communication, and stakeholder management skills.
- High attention to detail and organizational skills with the ability to manage competing priorities.
- 3-5 years of experience working with large public power companies; in particular, Tennessee Valley Authority.
- 5-10 years of experience supporting government contracts, specifically with the US Department of Energy.
Preferred:
- Experience supporting large engineering or construction projects.
- Experience supporting research contracts with Universities and/ or national laboratories; in particular, Oak Ridge National Laboratory.
- Certification such as PMP or CFCM (or working toward one).
- Experience working in the clean energy, nuclear, or advanced technology sectors.
Equal Employment Opportunity/Affirmative Action Employer. It is the policy of ORAU to recruit, hire, train, and promote persons in all job classifications without regard to race, color, age, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, mental or physical disability, protected veteran's status, or genetic information.