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Havoc AI, a leader in all-domain collaborative autonomy for military and commercial autonomous systems, is seeking a Government Contracts & Compliance Counsel to support its rapidly growing U.S. Government and defense business. Founded in 2024 and headquartered in Providence, Rhode Island, Havoc develops software-defined hardware that enables autonomous systems across sea, air, and land to sense, decide, and act together in complex environments.
This is a highly cross-functional legal role serving as a key partner to leadership and teams across contracts, finance, strategy, business development, programs, engineering, and operations. You will advise across the full government contract lifecycle—from capture and proposal activities through negotiation, performance, compliance, and closeout—while helping Havoc build scalable compliance infrastructure as the company scales.
Key Responsibilities:
Government Contracts: Provide legal counsel across U.S. Government contracts, subcontracts, grants, OTAs, and other government agreements. Review, draft, and negotiate prime contracts, subcontracts, teaming agreements, NDAs, vendor agreements, and related documents. Advise on FAR, DFARS, agency supplements, flow-down requirements, representations and certifications, and government contracting obligations. Partner with Contracts, Finance, Strategy, and program teams on solicitations, proposals, negotiations, contract modifications, and performance issues. Advise on contract interpretation, changes, disputes, terminations, intellectual property rights, technical data rights, and government rights in software. Support diligence and risk analysis for new programs, customers, partners, and contracting vehicles.
Compliance & Risk: Develop, implement, and continuously improve Havoc's government contracting compliance program as the company scales. Provide practical guidance on procurement integrity, organizational conflicts of interest, ethics, mandatory disclosures, lobbying restrictions, gifts and gratuities, and federal contracting requirements. Advise on business systems and compliance requirements applicable to government contractors, including accounting, purchasing, estimating, property management, and related controls. Partner with Finance and Contracts on cost and pricing requirements, timekeeping, allowable costs, indirect costs, and audit readiness. Support internal compliance reviews, risk assessments, investigations, and corrective actions. Monitor regulatory developments affecting defense contractors and translate new requirements into actionable guidance. Develop policies, procedures, training, and internal controls that enable the business to move quickly while maintaining appropriate compliance standards.
Defense Trade & Regulatory Support: Partner with internal and external stakeholders on ITAR, EAR, export controls, sanctions, and foreign-person access considerations. Advise teams on regulatory considerations associated with international business, foreign partners, technical data, and defense-related products and services. Coordinate with security, engineering, People, and business teams where government contracting requirements intersect with export controls, security requirements, or personnel considerations.
Business Partnership: Serve as a trusted legal advisor to executives and business leaders, providing clear recommendations rather than simply identifying legal risks. Work closely with teams during fast-moving capture, proposal, contracting, and program decisions. Balance legal and compliance requirements with operational realities, helping teams identify practical paths forward. Partner with outside counsel and specialized advisors when additional expertise is required. Help build scalable legal and compliance processes appropriate for a rapidly growing defense technology company.
Requirements:
- J.D. from an accredited U.S. law school and active membership in good standing with at least one U.S. state bar
- 7+ years of relevant legal experience, with significant experience in U.S. Government contracting and federal procurement law
- Strong working knowledge of the FAR and DFARS and experience interpreting and applying government contract requirements
- Experience advising defense contractors, aerospace companies, technology companies, government agencies, or organizations operating within the Defense Industrial Base
- Demonstrated experience drafting, reviewing, and negotiating government contracts, subcontracts, teaming agreements, and related agreements
- Experience advising on government contracting compliance programs and internal controls
- Strong understanding of government contract intellectual property and technical data considerations
- Ability to independently analyze complex regulatory issues and translate them into clear, actionable business guidance
- Excellent judgment, communication, negotiation, and stakeholder-management skills
- Ability to manage multiple high-priority matters simultaneously and operate effectively with ambiguity and evolving requirements
- High degree of ownership, discretion, and integrity
- U.S. Citizenship required
- Ability to obtain and maintain a U.S. Government security clearance
Preferred Qualifications:
- Experience working directly within a defense technology, aerospace, autonomous systems, robotics, or high-growth government contractor
- Experience with Other Transaction Authority (OTA) agreements and non-traditional defense acquisition pathways
- Experience advising on ITAR, EAR, export controls, and international defense business
- Knowledge of government contract cost accounting, CAS, TINA/Truthful Cost or Pricing Data requirements, DCAA audits, and DCMA processes
- Experience with government rights in technical data and computer software, including SBIR/STTR data rights
- Familiarity with cybersecurity and government contractor requirements, including CMMC, NIST SP 800-171, and applicable DFARS cybersecurity clauses
- Experience supporting internal investigations, mandatory disclosures, government audits, or regulatory inquiries
- Prior in-house experience within a rapidly scaling organization
- Active or previously held DoD security clearance
