Counsel, Public Sector

Appian is seeking a Counsel, Public Sector to be a trusted business partner dedicated to Appian’s growing US and International government business. The Contracts Manager will support the full lifecycle of high value public contracts and will be responsible for providing contracting guidance from the initial solicitation phase onward, including proposals, contract negotiation, post-award administration, auditing, and monitoring.

This role is based at our HQ in McLean, VA. Appian was built on a culture of in-person collaboration, which we believe is a key driver of our mission to be the best. Employees hired for this position are expected to be in the office 5 days a week to foster that culture and ensure we continue to thrive through shared ideas and teamwork. We believe being in the office provides more opportunities to come together and celebrate working with the exceptional people across Appian.

In this role, you will:

• Negotiate, draft and advise on software platform licensing and professional services agreements with various government entities, worldwide and prime-contractors. Through cross-functional collaboration with finance, sales operations, product, support, infosec and others, ensure alignment across the enterprise and negotiate risk-mitigated contractual provisions. Agreement types include, without limitation, agreements executed through resellers and in partnership with systems integrators, prime contracts, subcontracts, OTA agreements, teaming agreements and NDAs. 

• Support public sector sales, capture, proposal stakeholders  with RFP analysis and response. 

• Implement best practices for contracting with Appian’s professional services subcontractors. 

• Advise on FAR/DFARS, ITAR and export control requirements. 

• Standardize Appian’s approach to providing requisite certifications to government entities or prime contractors.

• Support the Facility Security Office with compliance, including Industrial Security function and Insider Treat program.

• Perform impactful work with independence and exemplary business judgment.

Required Experience:

• U.S. citizen, holds or open to applying for security clearance.  

• J.D., or Bachelor’s degree in a related field.

• 5+ years as a Counsel, or Contracts Manager with significant public sector experience, including business with state and local governments.

• Deep experience navigating FAR/DFARs framework. 

• Proven track record of ability to draft and negotiate complex contracts with government entities and reseller/distribution agreements with commercial partners.

• Strong analytical, problem-solving, and communication skills, with the ability to explain legal concepts to non-legal stakeholders;

• Experience with IT-related legal issues (e.g., cybersecurity, software licensing, cloud services) preferred.

• Knowledge of CMMC 2.0 and National Industrial Security Program Operating manual  requirements.  

Preferred Experience:

• Experience with specific agency supplements to the FAR. 

• Experience navigating government procurement outside of the U.S.