Decision Analyst

About the Role

We are seeking an experienced cost analyst to join our team at MITRE, a nonprofit engineering, applied research, and advanced technology organization working in the public interest. This role is part of the Acquisition Affordability and Business Analytics Department, which focuses on solving critical economic and financial challenges for our sponsors. The position involves leading teams, conducting structured analyses, and engaging directly with sponsors to address complex problems.

Responsibilities

• Lead teams of junior analysts to meet project objectives.
• Identify, scope, and execute structured analysis for government sponsors, managing timelines, deliverables, and outcomes.
• Develop models and perform qualitative and quantitative analyses to assess the cost/economic/financial impact of investments, risk mitigation strategies, and government actions.
• Collect and analyze financial, cost, and economic data.
• Develop and evaluate program technical and programmatic baselines.
• Create innovative cost estimating techniques for development, production, and operating and support (O&S) costs.
• Develop independent or program life cycle cost estimates (LCCEs) and accompanying risk, uncertainty, and sensitivity analyses.
• Prepare cost estimates for source selection, including Independent Government Cost Estimates (IGCEs).
• Conduct cost-related studies, such as rate reasonableness analyses.
• Develop investment economic and decision analyses, including business case analyses, cost/benefit analyses, and affordability analysis.
• Perform strategic business and financial analyses, including economic studies, cost recovery strategies, and budget planning.
• Assess the credibility of government and industry cost estimates using benchmark guidance.
• Conduct surveys and utilize sampling techniques.
• Research various fields, including politics, national security, healthcare, education, and energy.
• Analyze historical data and market trends.
• Assist in gathering quantitative and qualitative data to support decision-making.
• Apply analytical skills, including exploratory data analysis, time series analysis, and linear regression.
• Communicate findings clearly in written and verbal form.
• Develop data visualization products to present complex data sets.
• Translate unstructured data into business insights.
• Perform data cleaning, visualization, and analysis using tools like R, Stata, and Excel.

Qualifications

• Minimum of 8 years of experience in cost estimating, cost risk analysis, budgeting, and the CPIC process in defense, intelligence, and/or civil agencies.
• BA/BS or Master’s in Economics, Mathematics, Statistics, Finance, Business, Operations Research, Systems Engineering, Data Science, or related field.
• Proficiency in developing risk-adjusted LCCEs and investment economic and decision analyses.
• Proficient with MS Office Suite and other analysis tools.
• Technical depth with demonstrated skills in presenting analytical results verbally and in writing.
• Eligibility to obtain and maintain a Top Secret U.S. Government-issued Security Clearance (U.S. Citizenship required).
• Ability to work on-site a minimum of 4 days a week.

Skills

• Familiarity with software engineering best practices and agile DevOps processes (preferred).
• Experience with econometric/economic modeling and analysis (preferred).
• Strong working knowledge of federal budgeting and spending mechanics, processes, and data (preferred).
• Expertise in parametric cost estimating tools (PRICE, SEER SEM, SEERAi, etc.) and cost-related automated tools (e.g., ACEIT) (preferred).
• ICEAA or DAWIA certification (desired).
• Strong foundation in Python, SQL, and modern data processing tools (e.g., Pandas, Spark, Databricks, Airflow) (preferred).
• Proficiency in optimization-related coding (e.g., Python) (preferred).

Department Summary

The Acquisition Affordability and Business Analytics Department within the Acquisition Division solves sponsors’ problems by leveraging capabilities in cost estimation, investment economics, decision analysis, and strategic business analytics. The team operates in a dynamic, collaborative environment, tackling non-routine tasks with innovative approaches.

Salary Range: $138,800 - $208,200

Work Location: Onsite