COLSA Corporation

Cost Analyst/Estimator, Senior

COLSA Corporation$85K — $110K *
Aerospace & Defense
8 - 10 years of experience
Job Overview by Ladders

Qualifications

  • Bachelor's degree with 21 hours in quantitative analysis and 3 hours of calculus
  • At least 8 years of relevant experience
  • Ability to pass Government Cost Chief review and annual Sufficiency Review
  • Must comply with various DoD and Air Force regulations and guidelines
  • U.S. Citizenship and ability to obtain a Secret security clearance required

Responsibilities

  • Develop Program Office Estimates (POEs) for acquisition tasks
  • Collaborate with IPT members to establish technical baselines and conduct data analysis
  • Continuously adjust POEs according to program changes and generate accurate life cycle cost estimates
  • Document and present results of cost estimates, including development and support phases
  • Maintain and provide ongoing management of cost data repository
  • Review and manage cost reports and estimates efficiently
  • Conduct analysis on weapon system contractor proposals and assist in financial documentation

Benefits

  • Gain experience working on Major Defense Acquisition Programs (MDAPs)
  • Opportunity to work with advanced cost estimating tools and methodologies
  • Collaborate with government agencies and contribute to high-impact defense initiatives
  • Engage in diverse responsibilities from cost estimation to performance analysis
  • Support the implementation of key national defense strategies and reforms
Full Job Description
Job Description

General Summary:

FMS Cost Analyst Estimator (Mobility): prepare and adhere to estimating schedules, in coordination with the responsible Government PM, that conform to the requirements of the acquisition timeline for each estimate.

Principal Duties and Responsibilities
  • Develop Program Office Estimates (POEs) from an estimating procedure which specifies the expected dollar cost to perform a stipulated task or to acquire an item.
  • Interface with IPT members developing the program's technical baseline, perform data collection and analysis, and document results.
  • Assess all current and future program efforts and estimate their costs, continuously adjust POEs whenever there is a program change, and produce objective, realistic life cycle cost estimates in an effective and timely manner.
  • Document, brief, and reconcile the results of the estimates, which will include development, procurement, sustainment / operations and support (O&S), and where applicable disposal costs, reflecting the program Cost Analysis Requirements Description (CARD) for Major Defense Acquisition Programs (MDAPs) / Major Automated Information System (MAIS) programs or technical baseline for all other Acquisition Category (ACAT) programs.
  • Develop, maintain, and provide on-going sustainment of a directorate cost data repository.
  • Receive, review, catalog, store, and retrieve all cost reports, cost data, and completed cost estimates.
  • Develop life cycle cost estimates to include Engineering and Manufacturing Development (EMD), production, and sustainment phases of programs.
  • Perform excursions, major and minor, to an existing program cost estimate that might include a program restructure/re-baseline, the insertion of new capabilities or technology, quantity changes, significant funding reductions/additions, and others as required.
  • Analyze weapon system contractor proposals.
  • Assist in the development of Program Objective Memorandum (POM) inputs and other financial documents.
  • Assist in the development of the program's initial CARD and assist in updates required throughout the program's lifecycle.
  • Utilize WInsight or other Government-provided software to coordinate work scope, schedule, and cost goals to objectively measure progress and evaluate weapon system contractor contract performance reporting data.
  • Assist the program offices in performance analysis of CPRs, CSSRs, CFSRs, and CCDRs.
  • Assist in Integrated Baseline Reviews (IBRs).
  • Use the PMB throughout the life of a project to facilitate and maintain mutual understanding of:
    • The scope of the PMB consistent with authorizing documents;
    • Management control processes;
    • Risks in the PMB associated with cost, schedules, and resources; and Corrective actions where necessary.
  • Provide inputs to program documentation, including inputs for the identification and development of program requirements and/or cost, schedule, technical, and program risks. These efforts shall include: program management plans; program baselines; WBSs; program risk assessments; standard program reviews; and/or reports including SARs, MARs, and DAES reports.
  • Support the Government's process to evaluate and report the status of total program cost, schedule, and performance, as well as program unit cost and unit cost breach information.
  • Support the Government process to evaluate and report actual program problems, warning of potential program problems, and describing mitigating actions taken or planned.
  • Provide direct cost service support during acquisition milestone decision points for MAIS programs and MDAPs, ACAT II, ACAT III, non-ACAT programs, and Clinger-Cohen Act compliance.
  • Participate in ORI exercises as an IPT member, working in the development of the cost estimate and associated documentation.
  • Provide economic analyses when called upon to assist the Government in developing decisions among competing alternatives and systematically examining and communicating costs, benefits, and risks of various alternatives IAW AFMAN 65-506.
  • Provide direct cost estimating and analysis assistance to the Government's formal Analysis of Alternatives (AoA) process.
  • In recognition of the Weapon Systems Acquisition Reform Act of 2009 and other Air Force cost analysis initiatives such as the Non-Advocate Cost Assessment (NACA), the Contractor shall provide ancillary assistance to the acquisition program office as well as the outside Government cost agencies such as OSD CAPE, AFCAA, and the Performance Assessment and Root Cause Analysis (PARCA) organization as required / requested.

Required Experience

  • BS/BA with twenty-one (21) semester hours in quantitative analysis courses, plus three (3) semester hours of calculus
  • Minimum of 8 years' experience.
  • Must pass Government Cost Chief review and an annual Sufficiency Review
  • Subject to compliance with DoD Directive 5000.1 The Defense Acquisition System, DoD Instruction 5000.02 Operation of the Defense Acquisition System, AFI 65-501 Economic Analysis, AFI 65-502 Inflation, AFI 65-503 U.S. Air Force Cost and Planning Factors, AFI 65-508 Cost Analysis Guidance and Procedures, AFMAN 65-506 Economic Analysis, the AFLCMC Standard Cost Process and other DoD, Air Force and lower level policy, publications, supplements, and manuals, as well as applicable documents and regulations, systems, processes and guides, as required.
  • U.S. Citizenship required; Ability to obtain and maintain a Secret security clearance required.

Preferred Qualifications
  • Previous experience with Automated Cost Estimating Integrated Tools (ACEIT) ®
  • Previous experience with other estimating tools such as: PRICE "TruePlanning" parametric modeling, Constructive Cost Model (COCOMO), and Oracle Crystal Ball
  • Previous experience with Air Force maintained databases such as Air Force Total Ownership Cost (AFTOC) and Reliability and Maintainability Information System (REMIS).
  • Experience with the Government's documentation/ databases requiring financial management and cost data, including but not limited to 1537s, mandatory Cost and Software Data Repository (CSDR) requirements for all programs, Procurement Documents (PDOCs), Research, Development, Test and Evaluation Documents (RDOCs), the Capital Investment Report, Government Accounting Office (GAO) and Air Force Audit Agency (AFAA) reviews and audits, Acquisition Program Baseline (APB), award fee plans, award fee boards, MARs, and CCaRS, should cost analyses, and cost capability analyses

Applicant selected will be subject to a government security investigation and must meet eligibility requirements for access to classified information.

About COLSA Corporation

COLSA Corporation is a technology services and solutions provider primarily serving the U.S. government and defense industry. The company offers a range of services including engineering, program management, cyber security, and information technology. COLSA Corporation was founded in 1980 and is headquartered in Huntsville, Alabama.
Learn more about COLSA Corporation
Size
2,000 employees
Industry

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