Cost Estimator

Systems Planning and Analysis, Inc. (SPA) delivers high-impact, technical solutions to complex national security issues. With over 50 years of business expertise and consistent growth, we are known for continuous innovation for our government customers, in both the US and abroad. Our exceptionally talented team is highly collaborative in spirit and practice, producing Results that Matter. Come work with the best! We offer opportunity, unique challenges, and clear-sighted commitment to the mission. SPA: Objective. Responsive. Trusted.  

SPA’s Sea Land Air (SLA) Division supports a diverse portfolio of national security government clients, including the Undersea Enterprise, the Navy Surface Community, the Navy MPTE Enterprise, the Air Force, Army, DoD Agencies, DARPA, international clients including the Canadian Navy and Australian Defence Force.  Our primary objective is to provide timely, objective and analytic assessments that integrate the policy, operational, technical, programmatic and acquisition aspects of our clients’ challenges.

Leveraging both in-domain and cross-domain expertise to maximize our clients’ success, SLA Division acts as trusted agents to senior decision-makers and key leaders and excels at providing data driven analytic insights, systems engineering, strategies and plans that address current and emerging challenges to national security.

The Veracity Forecasting Group is part of the SLA Division within SPA. Our unique processes result in authoritative, data-driven analyses that assist enterprise managers in making complicated decisions. We offer our customers proven expertise in descriptive, predictive, and prescriptive analytics; advanced mathematics and computational techniques (a.k.a. data science); and software engineering. Our mission is to help enterprise leaders make complex, fully informed decisions and save money in the process.

The successful candidate will provide Independent Government Cost Estimates, Economic Analyses, and related Cost Analysis to the NAVAIR cost department in Patuxent River, MD. In this role, analysts will develop forward-looking estimates which support contract actions, budget drills, analysis of alternatives, and ad-hoc analysis. Data will be collected and analyzed from both Government and public sources. Day to day tasks will be guided by NAVAIR individual product teams and the cost department leadership.

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The duties and responsibilities of this role include but are not limited to the following:

• Assist in the development and analyze the cost and schedule risk-adjusted Life Cycle Cost Estimations (LCCEs), Independent Government Cost Estimates (IGCEs), Business Case Analyses (BCAs), Analysis of Alternatives (AoAs), program office estimates and other standard cost analyses.
• Develop presentations and brief executive leadership on program cost positions, impact of budget changes on supported programs and other cost issues.
• Use cost estimating outputs to assess the impact that various factors have on the costs to design, research, develop, operate, maintain and dispose of a particular weapon system.
• Determine the appropriate phase of the budgetary cycle for initiating new programs, analyze contractor financial data to determine program viability with respect to cost and schedule performance.
• Utilize analytical processes such as: setting up the problem, conducting background research, collecting and reducing data, displaying data for analysis, formulating mathematical expressions, and drawing conclusions.
• Analyze management problems and provide advice and insight about the probable effects of alternative solutions to these problems; utilize routine cost estimating methods such as analogy, engineering or scientific methodology and extrapolation.

Required Qualifications:

• BA/BS degree in Business, Engineering, Quantitative Science (such as Physics or Chemistry), or Mathematics with 24 semester credit hours in quantitative analysis.
• 8+ years of experience with DoD or Federal civilian agencies performing acquisition, cost estimation and operations research tasks.
• Eligible for a DoD Secret clearance.

Desired Qualifications: 

• Experience working with DoD acquisition programs, U.S. Navy training centers or Defense Acquisition University as an Operations Research Analyst or Cost Estimator/Analyst.
• Knowledge of the Office of the Secretary of Defense (OSD) Cost Assessment and Program Evaluation (CAPE) Operating and Support Cost Estimating Guide.
• MA/MS degree in Business, Engineering, Quantitative Sciences (such as Physics or Chemistry), or Mathematics.
• Cost analysis certification from an accredited organization.