Contract Associate

About AL TAIF

AL TAIF stands as a premier provider specializing in maintenance, repair, and overhaul services, offering comprehensive lifecycle support for land platforms, heavy utility vehicles, and ground support equipment. The company ensures customers can rely on their land-based platforms, systems, and personnel to operate at peak efficiency.

Key Responsibilities

• Lead the formulation, review, negotiation, and management of acquisition contracts related to vehicle systems, components, tooling, manufacturing assets, and sustainment services.
• Translate strategies around acquisitions, capability requirements, readiness standards, and regulatory mandates into clear and enforceable contractual terms.
• Develop and assess RFPs, RFQs, ITTs, Statements of Work, technical data packages, source selection criteria, and contract deliverables.
• Handle contract modifications, engineering change proposals, warranty clauses, depot-maintenance agreements, and performance-based logistics contracts.
• Ensure contract frameworks support lifecycle readiness, affordability, technical performance, and operational availability goals.
• Verify contractor technical outputs align with engineering and Military Standards (MIL-STD), safety regulations, and reliability benchmarks.
• Collaborate with engineering teams on design reviews, configuration adjustments, BOM updates, and manufacturing readiness evaluations.
• Analyze technical and acquisition proposals for vehicle subsystems, powertrains, electronics, armor, mission kits, and integration needs.
• Assist in technical risk assessments and forming acquisition decision documents.
• Conduct cost and price analyses, negotiation assistance, and lifecycle cost evaluations for acquisition and sustainment initiatives.
• Monitor contract budgets, funding status, financial obligations, and cost performance to maintain affordability and compliance.
• Ensure adherence to financial regulations, cost accounting standards, and prepare for audits.
• Drive cost realism, savings initiatives, and strategies to reduce total ownership costs.
• Supervise logistics planning regarding procurement, material handling, warehousing, production support, and spare-parts distribution.
• Coordinate with supply chain, production, and logistics teams to maintain production schedules and readiness timelines.
• Manage supplier performance, timely deliveries, and resolve quality or supply disruptions impacting assembly, operational units, or maintenance depots.
• Support provisioning, spare-parts identification, and updates to technical and logistics documents.
• Lead development and management of sustainment, field maintenance, and depot-level repair contracts.
• Define and track SLAs, operational availability, MTBF, MTTR, and maintenance performance metrics.
• Monitor contractor performance concerning uptime, reliability, failure analysis, obsolescence, and parts availability.
• Assist with planning upgrades, retrofitting, refurbishments, and sustainment strategies for end-of-life systems.
• Track program performance, contractual milestones, engineering progress, and production readiness per acquisition timelines.
• Prepare leadership reports, cost summaries, risk assessments, and program briefings.
• Identify and mitigate risks affecting acquisition execution, manufacturing schedules, logistics performance, or sustainment readiness.
• Ensure compliance with regulations, quality systems, cybersecurity standards, and export controls such as ITAR and EAR.
• Support audits, customer reviews, supplier evaluations, and technical assessments.
• Maintain complete documentation for all technical, financial, acquisition, sustainment, and logistics contracts.
• Ensure processes comply with ISO 9001, ISO 45001, ISO 14001 standards, along with company policies and procedures.
• Adhere to health, safety, and environmental guidelines, contributing to workplace safety.
• Assist in requirements analysis by consulting requestors and end-users to clarify contract needs and SOW specifics.
• Prepare project proposals, manage deliveries, and oversee supporting documentation.
• Lead pre-bid conferences; issue ITTs, RFPs, and RFQs; and prepare technical and commercial evaluation documentation.
• Administer contractual documents including POs, BPAs, SMAs, and subcontracts with necessary flow-downs and terms.
• Oversee complete contract lifecycle activities including bid preparation, proposals, risk assessments, negotiations, vendor selections, and closeouts.
• Support contract administration during vendor execution, resolving delays, returns, shortages, overages, and quality concerns.
• Prepare expediting or penalty reports; generate customer communications; verify goods and services received in ERP systems; and facilitate vendor payments.
• Manage tracking files and ensure timely submission of correspondence and reports.
• Negotiate and coordinate changes to POs, subcontracts, and BPAs; liaise with relevant departments and finance teams.
• Maintain subcontract records, evaluate vendor performance, and coordinate responses with senior management and stakeholders.
• Interpret and apply import/export regulations for compliance purposes.
• Evaluate current vendors and lead efforts to source and develop new suppliers.
• Provide mentoring and training to assigned team members and guidance to customers on contract policies and implementation.
• Protect high-value property through safeguarding, routine inventories, and upkeep to ensure serviceability.

Minimum Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in Mechanical, Electrical, Industrial, Systems Engineering or related disciplines; equivalent experience considered.
• At least 5 to 7 years of pertinent contract-related experience, ideally within acquisition, maintenance contracting, manufacturing, logistics, supply chain, or contract engineering domains.
• Experience with ground vehicle programs, manufacturing, depot maintenance, or vehicle sustainment, along with understanding of acquisition lifecycle, FAR/DFARS regulations, contracting practices, and performance-based logistics.
• Professional certifications such as PMP, CIPS, CPCM, or procurement-related qualifications are preferred.

Skills and Knowledge

• In-depth knowledge of procurement, technical specifications, maintenance operations, MIL-STD standards, logistics concepts, reliability engineering, and lifecycle sustainment.
• Proficiency with ERP systems, configuration management tools, contract management software, and Microsoft Office suite.
• Strong analytical, technical, and cost assessment capabilities to handle complex acquisition and supply-chain environments.
• Excellent communication, negotiation, and stakeholder engagement skills with ability to manage multiple tasks in fast-paced settings.
• Fluency in English and Arabic with outstanding verbal and written communication abilities.

Additional Requirements

• Possession of, or ability to acquire, a valid UAE driver’s license with willingness to travel within Abu Dhabi Emirate.
• Proactive problem-solving aptitude coupled with sound decision-making skills.