Legal Counsel / Contracts Manager

ABOUT WIND RIVERX

Wind RiverX (WRX) is a mission-driven software company focused on delivering advanced, secure, and resilient solutions that support U.S. defense and national security missions. As a subsidiary of Wind River, a global leader in intelligent systems software with over four decades of proven success in aerospace and defense, WRX builds upon a trusted legacy of innovation, reliability, and mission assurance.

Wind River’s software has powered some of the world’s most critical systems — from the Mars rovers and commercial aircraft to advanced military platforms and autonomous defense technologies. Building on this heritage, WRX extends that technical excellence to accelerate innovation at the edge, combining agility, security, and modern software practices tailored to the unique needs of defense customers.

At WRX, we partner closely with government, defense, and industry leaders to provide secure and reliable systems to the most critical missions, enhance interoperability, and strengthen digital resilience.

Our team brings deep expertise in systems integration, open architecture, customer needs, and software-defined solutions that empower our warfighters and critical partners across air, land, sea, and cyber domains.

We are a fast-growing organization that values collaboration, integrity, and technical mastery. Our culture is rooted in innovation and purpose — we move quickly, think boldly, and take pride in delivering solutions that matter. If you believe you would be an asset to a high powered team with an energetic culture where you will cotribute to reducing the definition of impossible, we would like to talk to you.

YOUR ROLE

As our Public Sector business expands across U.S. Federal and Defense markets, we are hiring legal counsel/contracting manager to serve as the principal legal advisor for government contracting and regulatory matters.

This role sits at the center of Wind RiverX’s Federal growth strategy, combining legal leadership, transaction execution, and compliance stewardship. You will provide hands-on legal support to business leaders, influence deal structure, and establish operational rigor across customer contracts, partners, and government engagements.

Additionally, you will be Wind RiverX’s primary legal authority for U.S. Federal business and a trusted advisor to executive leadership. This position requires both subject matter expertise and the ability to operate independently in a high-growth environment.

Some travel within the US will be required.

Interface & Collaboration
Working with the leading provider of integrated embedded software solutions, you will work with some of the most talented engineers in the Aerospace & Defense industry to draft technical solutions to challenging problems.

As our customers look to gain a competitive advantage in this digital first world, they are looking to companies like Wind River to partner within their journey. Wind River is answering this call through our delivery of the world’s first Cloud Native Environment that enables developers of intelligent edge devices to transform and optimize their device life cycle from Development to Deployment, to Operations, and Servicing.

Your opportunity is to join as a key member of highly talented and motivated, customer facing field engineering team. You will be responsible for understanding our customers' business and technical needs and to work with them in the capacity of technical evangelist and trusted advisor in crafting the next generation Intelligent systems.

Responsibilities

Lead Federal Contracting Strategy

Provide legal guidance throughout the full federal sales lifecycle:

• Opportunity reviews
• RFP analysis
• Capture support
• Negotiation and award
• Contract administration
• Assess legal and compliance risk early in pursuits and recommend mitigation strategies

Structure and Negotiate Complex Agreements

Draft and negotiate a wide range of government-related agreements including:

• Subcontracts
• Teaming agreements
• OTAs
• NDAs
• Support negotiations with Prime contractors

Serve as Legal Partner to the Business

Advise executives and sales leadership on how contract terms impact:

• Revenue
• Program risk
• Delivery obligations

Provide practical advice on:

• Intellectual property strategy
• Software licensing models
• Government rights in technical data
• Serve as lead legal liaison back to Parent company.

Ensure Regulatory & Security Compliance

Lead WRX legal oversight for:

• FAR / DFARS compliance
• Export controls (ITAR/EAR)
• Data security obligations
• Partner with WRX Security leadership on Industrial Security and Insider Threat obligations

Manage Disputes and External Actions

Direct support for:

• Contract claims
• Government investigations
• Oversee outside counsel relationships

HOW YOU WILL CONTRIBUTE

Key skills and competencies for succeeding in this role are:

• Subject matter expertise in all facets of U.S. Government contracting, including deep knowledge of the FAR, DFARS, and other agency supplements.

• Experience structuring and negotiating FAR-based contracts, Other Transaction Authority (OTA) agreements, and GSA Schedule procurements.

• Proven experience with multiple contract types, such as FFP, Cost-Reimbursement, IDIQ, T&M, and BPAs.

• Experience with ITAR/EAR regulations and export compliance.

• Strong negotiation, contract drafting, and analytical skills, with experience representing a subcontractor.

• Deep substantive knowledge of enterprise software, software licensing, and channel distribution models is a significant plus.

Qualifications

• Juris Doctor (JD) from an accredited law school and active membership in at least one U.S. state bar.

• 8+ years of relevant government contracts experience, with a strong preference for a combination of law firm and in-house roles.

• Active Top Secret U.S. Government security clearance or the ability to obtain and maintain such a clearance.

SECURITY CLEARANCE REQUIREMENTS

Successful candidates must engage in a security clearance process in regard to their citizenship in order to perform fundamental job duties, as per applicable law. In particular, candidates with certain citizenship may not be able to perform such fundamental job duties. Currently, this includes citizens of the following countries: Belarus; Burma; China; Cuba; Iran; North Korea; Syria; Venezuela; Afghanistan; Cambodia; Central African Republic; Cyprus; Democratic Republic of Congo; Ethiopia; Eritrea; Haiti; Iraq; Lebanon; Libya; Russia; Somalia; South Sudan; Sudan; Zimbabwe. The security clearance process may take a significant amount of time to complete, and any offer of employment will be contingent on the candidate's legal ability to perform the fundamental job duties. Wind River is committed to meeting its obligations to candidates under applicable human rights law and privacy law in this regard.

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Aptiv is an equal employment opportunity employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, national origin, sex, gender identity, sexual orientation, disability status, protected veteran status or any other characteristic protected by law.