Mgr, Defense Contracts & Compliance

At Polaris Inc., we have fun doing what we love by driving change and innovation. We empower employees to take on challenging assignments and roles with an elevated level of responsibility in our agile working environment. Our people make us who we are, and we create incredible products and experiences that empower us to THINK OUTSIDE.

The Contracts and Compliance Manager is responsible for managing the full lifecycle of government and defense contracts, ensuring compliance with federal regulations, and supporting business development and program execution teams. This role serves as a key liaison between Polaris and government contracting officers, legal counsel, and internal stakeholders. The ideal candidate will bring deep expertise in FAR/DFARS, risk mitigation, and contract negotiation, while fostering a culture of integrity, accountability, and continuous improvement.

Essential Duties and Responsibilities

• Manage contract lifecycle, including proposals, quotes, negotiations, awards, change orders, modifications, ongoing contract administration and close out.

• Draft, review, and revise contractual documents to ensure alignment with company standards and regulatory requirements.

• Analyze terms and conditions and ensure compliance with FAR, DFARS, GSAR, and other applicable regulations.

• Ensure adherence to U.S. government acquisition regulations, including ITAR, export controls, and Executive Orders.

• Coordinate with Polaris Legal and Global Compliance teams to review and ensure adherence to international defense-related terms and conditions.

• Work with the Global Sourcing team to negotiate B2B agreements consistent with Polaris, U.S., and international standards.

• Perform risk assessment to identify business and legal areas of risk and collaborate with legal and business stakeholders to resolve contractual issues.

• Partner with business development, legal, program management, and finance teams to support compliant proposal development and pricing strategies.

• Evaluate and make recommendations on non-standard terms and conditions for executive review and approval.

• Serve as the interface between Federal, State, and Local contracting officers.

• Follow existing policies and processes and recommend strategies for process improvement and efficiency.

• Support training initiatives related to contracts and compliance best practices.

Required Skills and Experiences

• Bachelor’s degree in business, law, public administration, or related field.

• Minimum 7 years of relevant experience

• Deep knowledge of FAR, DFARS, GSAR, and government contracting processes.

• Demonstrated ability to manage complex contracts and high transaction volumes.

• Strong negotiation, analytical, and communication skills.

• Eligible for U.S. Secret Security Clearance.

Preferred Skills and Experiences

• NCMA, CPCM, CFCM, or equivalent certifications.

• Experience with commercial item acquisition (FAR Part 12) and GSA schedules.

• Prior experience in a defense or government contracting environment.

• Proficiency in contract management systems, and key federal contracting platforms such as GSA ASSIST, CPARS, SAM, eSRS, and JCP.

Work Environment

• Fast-paced, mission-driven environment with a passionate customer base.

• Office located at Polaris Global Headquarters in Medina, MN, with flexibility for hybrid or remote work.

• Occasional travel (up to 15%) for customer meetings, audits, and industry events.

Note: this position is not eligible for Immigration sponsorship

The starting pay range for Minnesota is $125,000 to $165,000 per year. Individual salaries and positioning within the range are determined through a wide variety of factors including but not limited to education, experience, knowledge, skills, and geography.  While individual pay could fall anywhere in the range based on these factors, it is not common to start at the high end or top of the range.

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To qualify for this position, former employees must be eligible for rehire, and current employees must be in good standing.

We are an ambitious, resourceful, and driven workforce, which empowers us to THINK OUTSIDE.  Apply today!

At Polaris we put our employees first, by offering a holistic approach to their health and financial wellbeing.  Polaris is proud to offer competitive compensation, including a market-leading profit-sharing plan that is f