Contracts Manager Jobs in New Jersey

Government Contracts & Manufacturing Program Manager

Central Metal Fabricators, Inc. (CMF)
Location: Farmingdale, New Jersey
Reports to: CEO / President
Annual Base Salary: $120,000-$150,000

About CMF and the Role

Central Metal Fabricators, Inc. is a New Jersey manufacturer supporting government, defense, and commercial customers through metal fabrication, machining, welding, finishing, assembly, and related manufacturing services.

We are seeking an experienced Government Contracts & Manufacturing Program Manager to manage government and defense manufacturing programs from order receipt through final delivery. This position serves as a primary point of coordination between customers and CMF's Operations, Estimating, Quality, Purchasing, and Production Control teams.

The Program Manager is responsible for understanding contractual and customer requirements, coordinating internal handoffs, monitoring program milestones and deliverables, communicating status, and ensuring customer commitments are clear and achievable.

Operations and Production Control lead daily production planning and shop-floor execution. The Program Manager focuses on overall program coordination, government and customer requirements, contractual compliance, customer communication, and timely resolution of issues that could affect delivery or performance.

Government Contracts and Customer Communications

• Review government and commercial contract requirements, awards, purchase orders, modifications, drawings, specifications, and associated documentation.
• Coordinate clarification of incomplete, conflicting, or unclear contractual and technical requirements.
• Communicate professionally with government customers, contracting officers, contract specialists, technical representatives, prime contractors, and commercial customers.
• Prepare clear correspondence, status reports, clarification requests, delivery updates, responses to contract inquiries, and other formal customer communications.
• Maintain accurate records of customer direction, approvals, contractual changes, commitments, and correspondence.
• Ensure contractual changes or customer direction are communicated to the appropriate internal departments.

Program Management and Order Coordination

• Process incoming customer purchase orders, awards, amendments, and modifications.
• Verify order details and coordinate contract and order reviews with the appropriate internal departments.
• Establish and track program requirements, milestones, deliverables, reporting requirements, customer-furnished information, and due dates.
• Provide complete and accurate program requirements to Operations, Quality, Purchasing, Production Control, and other departments.
• Track program status from order receipt through manufacturing, inspection, documentation, shipment, and final delivery.
• Monitor program risks, open issues, customer actions, and approved changes.
• Coordinate internal resolution of issues that may affect quality, cost, schedule, or contractual performance.
• Confirm delivery dates, recovery plans, manufacturing assumptions, and schedule changes with Operations before making commitments to customers.
• Coordinate customer-required documentation, inspections, source inspections, approvals, and other contractual deliverables.
• Lead customer program reviews, status meetings, and internal program meetings as required.
• Maintain action-item lists and ensure follow-up through closure.
• Escalate significant schedule, technical, contractual, or customer issues to company leadership as appropriate.

AI and Process Improvement

• Use company-approved AI and automation tools to standardize recurring administrative and program-management tasks.
• Develop reusable templates, checklists, and workflows for order review, program kickoff, meeting notes, action tracking, customer reporting, contract reviews, and status updates.
• Identify opportunities to reduce administrative workload and improve consistency across customer programs.
• Review all AI-assisted work for accuracy and compliance with company, customer, contractual, and information-handling requirements.

Required Qualifications

• Experience managing government, defense, or customer programs in a manufacturing environment.
• Experience with government contracts, including reviewing contractual requirements, coordinating deliverables, and managing contract modifications or clarifications.
• Experience communicating directly with government customers, prime contractors, or other regulated-industry customers.
• Ability to interpret purchase orders, contract requirements, drawings, specifications, and supporting documentation.
• Strong organizational skills with the ability to manage multiple active programs and competing deadlines.
• Strong written and verbal communication skills, including the ability to prepare professional customer and government correspondence.
• Demonstrated follow-through and ability to track issues, actions, and commitments through completion.
• Ability to work effectively with Operations, Quality, Purchasing, Estimating, and Production Control.
• Ability to make realistic customer commitments based on input from the departments responsible for execution.
• Proficiency with standard business software and an interest in using AI and automation to improve everyday work.

Preferred Experience

• Department of Defense, federal government, or defense-prime manufacturing programs.
• Government contracting and contract administration within a manufacturing environment.
• Defense or aerospace manufacturing.
• Metal fabrication, machining, welding, finishing, assembly, or contract manufacturing.
• Experience coordinating DCMA or other government/customer inspections and documentation requirements.
• Fulcrum or a comparable manufacturing ERP system.
• Experience working in a high-mix, multi-program manufacturing environment.
• Experience improving program-management, contract-review, or administrative processes.

Benefits

• 401(k)
• 401(k) matching
• Health insurance
• Paid time off

Work Location: In person

Pay: $120,000.00 - $150,000.00 per year

Benefits:

• 401(k)
• 401(k) matching
• Health insurance
• Paid time off
• Professional development assistance

Work Location: In person