Director,Government Contracts Counsel Job Sherman area,Texas USA,Law/Legal

Description Primary

Duties & Responsibilities

Establish and lead Coherent’s enterprise-wide legal strategy for U.S. government and defense contracting.
Develop a comprehensive framework for identifying, reviewing, approving, and managing government-contract opportunities and obligations across the company.
Create consistent policies, processes, decision criteria, and escalation protocols for government-contracting activities.
Build visibility into existing government contracts and emerging opportunities across Coherent’s business units.
Advise executive leadership on significant contractual, regulatory, compliance, and reputational risks associated with government programs.
Monitor regulatory and enforcement developments and determine their impact on Coherent’s operations and business strategy.

Legal Counsel and Risk Management

Serve as the company’s primary legal counsel on FAR, DFARS, agency supplements, CMMC, and other requirements applicable to federal and defense contracting.
Provide strategic legal guidance throughout the government-contract lifecycle, including opportunity assessment, proposal development, negotiation, performance, administration, and closeout.
Lead legal risk assessments for significant government programs and recommend practical mitigation strategies.
Draft, review, and negotiate prime contracts, subcontracts, teaming agreements, nondisclosure agreements, licensing arrangements, and other government-contract-related agreements.
Advise on mandatory and risk-based flow-down requirements and establish strategies for subcontractor and supplier compliance.
Support internal investigations, audits, disclosures, and compliance reviews involving government contracts.
Engage with the DoD, Department of State, other federal agencies, prime contractors, and external counsel on significant contractual or regulatory matters.

CMMC and Cybersecurity Compliance

Provide legal leadership for Coherent’s CMMC readiness and broader government-contract cybersecurity compliance strategy.
Partner with IT, cybersecurity, engineering, and business leadership to interpret contractual cybersecurity obligations and establish clear ownership for implementation.
Advise on DFARS cybersecurity clauses, controlled unclassified information requirements, incident-reporting obligations, and related contractual risks.
Evaluate cybersecurity and CMMC requirements associated with new opportunities, business arrangements, and acquisitions.
Provide executive-level guidance on gaps, remediation priorities, and business risks related to CMMC readiness.

Business Partnership and Influence

Serve as a trusted advisor to business-unit and functional leaders pursuing or performing government-contract work.
Translate complex legal and regulatory requirements into clear, actionable guidance for nonlegal stakeholders.
Facilitate cross-functional decisions where legal requirements, customer expectations, operational needs, and commercial priorities may conflict.
Build relationships across decentralized business units and drive adoption of consistent enterprise standards without relying on direct reporting authority.
Provide practical, risk-based solutions that protect the company while enabling responsible business growth.
Develop and deliver targeted training for executives, program teams, engineers, IT and cybersecurity professionals, supply-chain personnel, and other stakeholders.

Education & Experience

Juris Doctor degree from an accredited law school required.
Active membership in good standing with at least one U.S. state bar required.
Typically 10 or more years of progressively responsible experience in U.S. government or defense contracting, including meaningful in-house legal or counsel experience.
Significant experience advising…

Director, Government Contracts Counsel