Proposal Analyst

Location: Broomfield, CO or Albuquerque, NM

About the role

As a Lead Proposal Analyst on the Analytics and Cost Estimating team within the Compute Platforms Group, you will own the design, delivery, and evolution of the proposal costing process for government and commercial business. This role serves as a trusted partner for business development, offering management, program management, engineering, finance, contracts, and leadership to ensure proposals are financially sound, compliant, and competitive. The ideal candidate combines deep proposal costing expertise with strong analytical skills, cross-functional leadership, and the ability to translate complex technical solutions into compelling and executable cost strategies. This position plays a critical role in helping the company win new business while protecting profitability and managing risk.

Responsibilities

• Proposal Cost Development
  • Lead development of complex cost proposals for our quantum platform across federal, state, and commercial opportunities.
  • Develop detailed labor, platform usage, material, subcontractor, travel, capital equipment, and indirect cost estimates.
  • Create and maintain proposal cost models, pricing analyses, and financial scenarios.
  • Review technical requirements and Statements of Work to ensure complete and accurate cost capture.
  • Develop compelling and defensible Bases of Estimate (BOEs) supported by historical data, market intelligence, and technical inputs.
• Pricing Strategy & Financial Analysis
  • Support bid and pursuit teams with pricing strategies that balance competitiveness, profitability, and risk.
  • Evaluate cost, schedule, and technical tradeoffs to support strategic decision-making.
  • Identify risks, assumptions, opportunities, and potential cost drivers during proposal development.
• Government Contract Compliance
  • Ensure proposal compliance with applicable federal requirements and company policies.
  • Support audits, fact-finding activities, and customer negotiations.
  • Maintain documentation supporting proposal traceability, accuracy, and audit readiness.
  • Collaborate with contracts and finance teams to ensure compliant proposal submissions.
• Cross-Functional Leadership
  • Lead proposal cost teams through all phases of proposal development.
  • Facilitate cost reviews, challenge assumptions, and drive timely completion of deliverables.
  • Serve as a key advisor to capture managers, proposal managers, and program leaders.
• Process Improvement
  • Improve estimating methodologies, forecasting models, and proposal development processes.
  • Establish standard templates, tools, and best practices to enhance quality and efficiency.
  • Develop reusable cost libraries, historical databases, and estimating benchmarks.

What You’ll Own

• End-to-end development of cost volumes for government and commercial proposals.
• Cost strategy development aligned with customer requirements, competitive positioning, and business objectives.
• Proposal financial modeling, margin analysis, and basis-of-estimate development.
• Coordination of cross-functional inputs from technical, supply chain, manufacturing, operations, finance, and program management teams.
• Compliance with government regulations, customer requirements, and company policies.
• Proposal review readiness, executive pricing reviews, and customer audit support.
• Continuous improvement of proposal processes, tools, templates, and estimating methodologies.

Requirements

• Bachelor's Degree (minimum).
• Minimum 8+ years of experience in proposal costing, pricing, estimating, financial analysis, or proposal management.
• Due to contractual requirements, must be a U.S. Person (defined as a U.S. citizen, permanent resident or green card holder, or worker granted asylum or refugee status).
• Due to national security requirements, candidates for this position must not be a People's Republic of China national or Russian national unless the candidate is also a U.S. citizen.

Qualifications

• Advanced degree in Finance, Business, Engineering, Economics, Accounting, or related field.
• Program Management certifications.
• Experience managing cost proposals for government and commercial engagements.
• Strong understanding of cost estimating methodologies, financial modeling, and proposal development processes.
• Advanced Excel and financial modeling skills.
• Experience presenting cost and pricing recommendations to executive leadership.
• Proven ability to influence cross-functional teams and manage multiple concurrent proposal efforts.
• Exceptional analytical, communication, and problem-solving skills.

Pay

The pay range for this role is $113,000 – $170,000 annually. Actual compensation within this range may vary based on the candidate’s skills, educational background, professional experience, and unique qualifications for the role. This range is inclusive of bonus target.

Benefits

• Flexible work schedule.
• Employer-subsidized health, dental, and vision insurance.
• 401(k) match for student loan repayment benefit.
• Equity, 401k retirement savings plan.
• 12 paid holidays and generous vacation + sick time.
• Paid parental leave.
• Employee discounts.