Subcontracts Manager, Public Sector

About this role

Scale AI is at the forefront of the AI revolution, helping the U.S. government unlock the potential of AI across national security missions. We’re building and deploying agentic AI solutions on large, complex government programs that increasingly require Scale technology to integrate with capabilities delivered by traditional defense primes and other subcontractors.

We’re hiring a subcontracts manager to own the day-to-day relationships, execution, and integration of subcontractors supporting our Public Sector programs. You will work alongside Scale’s Delivery team and technical leads to ensure our subcontractors understand where their work fits into the broader technical solution, deliver against committed timelines and requirements, and remain fully integrated into our overall program execution.

This role requires unusual range: you should be equally comfortable reviewing an integrated master schedule and discussing technical dependencies as you are resolving an invoice, onboarding a new subcontractor, or flowing down security requirements. You will need technical fluency to understand what Scale is building and how subcontractor capabilities fit into the solution, while using strong program management and influence to hold external partners accountable for results.

You will:

• Own day-to-day relationships with subcontractors supporting large Public Sector programs, including major defense primes and specialized technical partners

• Understand Scale’s overall technical solution and ensure each subcontractor clearly understands how its scope, interfaces, and deliverables fit into that solution

• Translate prime contract milestones and program requirements into clear subcontractor deliverables, timelines, dependencies, and acceptance criteria

• Integrate subcontractor activities into the broader Integrated Master Schedule (IMS) and proactively identify dependencies, risks, and potential schedule impacts

• Hold subcontractors accountable for committed scope, timelines, deliverables, status reporting, and corrective actions when execution falls behind

• Partner closely with Scale technical leads and program managers who will review and approve the technical quality of subcontractor work, while you own execution, coordination, and follow-through

• Establish clear operating cadences with subcontractors, including status reviews, action tracking, risk management, decision logs, and escalation mechanisms

• Drive resolution of technical and programmatic blockers across Scale teams, subcontractors, customers, and other external stakeholders

• Lead onboarding of new subcontractors and ensure they have the program context, systems access, security requirements, documentation, and operating processes necessary to execute

• Coordinate the flow-down and tracking of applicable security, access, compliance, and program requirements

• Manage subcontractor administrative workflows, including invoices, billing questions, documentation requests, staffing changes, access issues, and other day-to-day operational needs

• Provide Scale program managers with a clear view of subcontractor performance and proactively escalate issues before they impact government deliverables

• Build productive, high-trust relationships with subcontractor teams while maintaining a high bar for accountability and execution

Must haves:

• Active Top Secret clearance

• 5+ years of experience in program management, technical program management, subcontractor management, defense acquisition, systems integration, or a related role

• Experience managing external organizations against defined scope, schedules, milestones, and deliverables

• Experience working with Integrated Master Schedules, Work Breakdown Structures, Statements of Work, deliverable tracking, and formal program reviews

• Strong technical acumen and the ability to understand software, systems integration, interfaces, dependencies, and technical program plans without needing to be the engineer approving the work

• Demonstrated ability to operate across both technical and administrative domains, from engineering dependencies and program schedules to invoicing, onboarding, and documentation

• Experience building and managing integrated program plans with multiple teams, workstreams, and external dependencies

• Strong ability to influence organizations and individuals outside of your direct reporting chain

• Comfort holding sophisticated external partners accountable, including escalating performance issues when necessary

• Excellent written and verbal communication skills, with the ability to communicate clearly with engineers, program managers, executives, subcontractors, and government stakeholders

• Strong organizational skills and attention to detail, particularly around commitments, documentation, financial workflows, and schedule management

• High ownership and a track record of proactively identifying risks and driving them through resolution

• Willingness to work onsite in the Washington, DC area as required to support customers, programs, and classified work

• Willingness to travel to subcontractor facilities as required

Nice to haves:

• Experience working with or for a major defense prime contractor or managing relationships with traditional defense primes

• Experience supporting large Department of Defense or Intelligence Community contracts

• Familiarity with government contracting structures, subcontract administration, FAR/DFARS requirements, and flow-down obligations

• Experience managing subcontractors delivering software, AI/ML, data, systems integration, or other technically complex capabilities

• Familiarity with AI/ML systems, generative AI, agentic workflows, APIs, data pipelines, or modern software architectures

• Experience supporting classified programs and coordinating security requirements, personnel access, and work across secure environments

• Familiarity with subcontractor invoicing, cost tracking, forecastin

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