Legal and Contracts Operations Manager

“In 36 months, agentic AI systems will be an operating reality across major institutions. We intend to be central to it.” — Dr. Jim Rebesco, Cofounder and CEO, Striveworks

The government’s demand for AI is growing far faster than the systems required to support it. Fewer than 15% of federal AI programs have reached sustained production, despite billions of dollars invested. The models perform in testing, but they degrade in the real world. And when performance drops, trust goes with it.

Striveworks was built to solve that problem.

What you’ll build

Since 2018, we have delivered the most trusted AI systems operating in real-world use cases—providing a layer of assurance underneath hundreds of deployed models that monitors performance, manages drift, and sustains systems long after they leave the lab.

To support Striveworks’ business growth, this role takes ownership of the execution life cycle for company legal operations, public sector contracts, and federal compliance. Operating as a critical individual contributor, you will have primary responsibility for the systematic triage, review, evaluation, and management of a broad range of agreement types—including customer contracts and subcontracts, teaming and partnership agreements, software license agreements, vendor agreements, and NDAs. You will turn complex contractual and regulatory requirements into clear, practical instructions for our operational teams, directly enabling excellent execution, protecting the company’s intellectual property, and managing risk. You will have primary responsibility for maintaining databases, optimizing tracking workflows, and building out a scalable internal legal function. You will collaborate heavily across teams—including business development, engineering, security, IT, and company leadership—to ensure that the company operates and expands responsibly and efficiently.

What it’s like here

We lead with trust, treat each other with respect, and use candor consistently, kindly, and constructively. We care deeply about our work, and we find genuine satisfaction in doing it well. Above all, we take ownership—because we feel the weight of collective results personally. We are looking for people who share these values and are eager to put them into practice.

What we’re looking for

• A bachelor’s degree and 3–7 years of professional experience in a corporate legal department or with a technology company or defense contractor focusing on legal operations, paralegal duties, or contract management
• Direct experience executing initial document triage and comprehensive review of commercial and public sector agreements
• Experience handling basic agreement term negotiations directly with counterparties
• Proficiency analyzing, logging, and tracking Federal Acquisition Regulation (FAR) and DFARS clauses, with a clear understanding of how to translate clause requirements into concrete internal actions
• Experience implementing or administering process improvements for contract life cycle management
• Exceptional attention to detail, document drafting skills, professional maturity, and excellent communication capabilities
• A process-oriented mindset and a highly diligent approach to managing sensitive information
• Eligibility and willingness to obtain and maintain a Secret US security clearance

The following isn’t required, but we’d love to see it:

• A formal Paralegal Certificate from an ABA-approved program or a Certified Legal Operations Professional (CLOP) designation
• Tech sector fluency, specifically with reviewing software licensing frameworks, End User License Agreements (EULAs), and third-party AI tool usage terms
• Experience with export control frameworks, such as tracking Export Administration Regulations (EAR), International Traffic in Arms Regulations (ITAR), or managing export compliance gates
• Baseline administrative exposure to patent processing
• Experience with employment law
• Experience establishing and maturing a legal function within a growth-stage startup
• Direct experience selecting and implementing a Contract Lifecycle Management (CLM) platform
• Exposure to verifying or cross-mapping company practices against advanced compliance frameworks like NIST SP 800-171 or CMMC 2.0
• Familiarity with Department of Defense (DOD) contracts and defense industry regulatory frameworks, including the National Industrial Security Program Operating Manual (NISPOM)

This position is hybrid/on site at our office in Austin, TX.

Compensation

The anticipated base pay range for this position is $115,000–$155,000/year. Striveworks’ total compensation package includes a competitive base salary, equity grants, and cash bonuses.

Benefits include:

• Medical/dental/vision insurance
• Voluntary life, long-term disability, accident, and hospital indemnity insurance
• HSA and FSA (including dependent care FSA) plans
• 401(k) plan
• Unlimited PTO
• Paid parental leave

Ready to build systems that work for a mission that matters? Let’s talk.

Striveworks is an Equal Opportunity Employer and does not discriminate in employment on the basis of race, color, religion, belief, sex (including pregnancy and gender identity or expression), national origin, social or ethnic origin, political affiliation, sexual orientation, marital status, disability, genetic information, age, membership in an employee organization, retaliation, parental status, military service, or other non-merit factors. Striveworks will not tolerate discrimination or harassment of any kind.

If you require assistance or a reasonable accommodation in the application process, please contact People Operations at hr@striveworks.us.

In compliance with federal law, all persons hired will be required to verify their identity and eligibility to work in the United States and to complete an employment eligibility verification form upon hire.

Striveworks is a participating employer in the E-Verify program.