Principal/Senior Principal Independent Cost Evaluation Analyst

At Northrop Grumman, our employees have incredible opportunities to work on revolutionary systems that impact people's lives around the world today, and for generations to come. Our pioneering and inventive spirit has enabled us to be at the forefront of many technological advancements in our nation's history - from the first flight across the Atlantic Ocean, to stealth bombers, to landing on the moon.

We look for people who have bold new ideas, courage and a pioneering spirit to join forces to invent the future, and have fun along the way. Our culture thrives on intellectual curiosity, cognitive diversity and bringing your whole self to work — and we have an insatiable drive to do what others think is impossible. Our employees are not only part of history, they're making history.

Northrop Grumman is seeking a Principal/Senior Principal Cost Estimating Analyst for our Corporate Office, located in Falls Church, Virginia. Due to the position's requirement for significant travel (up to 35%) to proposal work locations, the candidate may work remotely or from any Northrop Grumman site within the U.S., offering flexibility on work location.

The Independent Cost Evaluation (ICE) Analyst plays a critical role in collecting, analyzing, and synthesizing data to support independent cost assessments of proposal reviews. This role focuses on building credible data foundations, cost models, and uncertainty ranges to enable effective and accurate independent assessments of proposals.

The ICE Analyst will work to establish consistent processes and tools across sectors, ensuring the organization has a standardized and scalable approach to independent cost evaluation activities. This is a highly collaborative role that involves coordination across multiple functions, leveraging external industry data, internal program performance metrics, and historical information to improve cost evaluation methodologies and future proposal review quality.

• Collect, analyze, and validate data from internal program performance, external industry sources, and historical actuals to create foundational datasets for future proposal reviews.
• Develop and maintain repositories of historical cost data and modeling inputs, ensuring data quality, accuracy, and accessibility for independent cost evaluations.
• Design, refine, and document standardized tools, frameworks, and methodologies for independent cost and risk assessment that are scalable and consistent across various sectors.
• Support independent reviews by supplying validated datasets and performing analyses that establish independent ranges of cost uncertainty.
• Perform statistical analysis on cost and performance data, developing predictive models to support robust and defensible independent evaluations.
• Contributes to the identification of key cost drivers and risk factors, ensuring these are integrated into standardized evaluation frameworks.
• Collaborate with data owners to gather relevant information and ensure alignment of shared objectives.
• Assist in the refinement of the evaluation process, identifying areas for improvement and contributing to the development of best practices for cost evaluations.
• Communicate data-driven insights, trends, and recommendations effectively in both written reports and presentations for use by review teams, management, and external stakeholders.

• Demonstrates expertise in independent cost estimating, cost modeling, and financial risk assessment methodologies.
• Familiarity with external data sources, industry benchmarks, and internal program performance metrics for cost assessment purposes.
• Demonstrates a high level of expertise in data collection, statistical analysis, and cost model development, with a focus on supporting independent cost evaluations.
• Proficient in building, maintaining, and improving cost data repositories and modeling inputs.
• Strong analytical skills with the ability to identify critical cost drivers, risk factors, and trends across large datasets.
• Demonstrates innovative thinking and an ability to develop methodologies, tools, and processes that ensure the consistency and efficiency of independent cost evaluations across sectors.
• Skilled in interpreting and visually representing complex cost data to support decision-making and independent reviews.
• Strong communication and presentation skills, with the ability to effectively articulate technical findings and data analysis in a clear and concise manner.

The Independent Cost Evaluation Analyst plays a crucial role in supporting the broader ICE community’s ability to assess and evaluate proposal positions. Accurate and thorough independent cost estimates significantly influence resource allocation, competitive positioning, customer satisfaction, and the long-term success of the company.

This role can be filled at a Principal or Senior Principal level, depending on the years of experience candidates bring to our screening and evaluation process.

Basic Qualifications for a Principal Independent Cost Evaluation Analyst

• BS Degree in Business, Engineering or a similar field and a minimum of 5 years of relevant experience. (Masters degree and 3 years of relevant experience. )

Basic Qualifications for a Senior Principal Independent Cost Evaluation Analyst

• BS Degree in Business, Engineering or a similar field and a minimum of 8 years of relevant experience. (Master's degree and 5 years of relevant experience.)

• Demonstrated experience in business management cost modeling and government contracts.
• Ability to travel up to 35% of the time to required sites for reviews.
• An active DoD Secret Clearance, with the ability to obtain and maintain a Top Secret/SCI Clearance within a reasonable amount of time following hire.

• Master's degree in Business, Engineering or similar field from an accredited institution.
• Cross-sector experience is highly desirable.
• Experience in the aerospace industry.
• Active or transferable Top Secret/SCI security clearance.

The above salary range represents a general guideline; however, Northrop Grumman considers a number of factors when determining base salary offers such as the scope and responsibilities of the position and the candidate's experience, education, skills and current market conditions.

Depending on the position, employees may be eligible for overtime, shift differential, and a discretionary bonus in addition to base pay. Annual bonuses are designed to reward individual contributions as well as allow employees to share in company results. Employees in Vice President or Director positions may be eligible for Long Term Incentives.

In addition, Northrop Grumman provides a variety of benefits including health insurance coverage, life and disability insurance, savings plan, Company paid holidays and paid time off (PTO) for vacation and/or personal business.

The application period for the job is estimated to be 20 days from the job posting date. However, this timeline may be shortened or extended depending on business needs and the availability of qualified candidates.

Northrop Grumman is an Equal Opportunity Employer, making decisions without regard to race, color, religion, creed, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, marital status, national origin, age, veteran status, disability, or any other protected class. For our complete EEO and pay transparency statement, please visit http://www.northropgrumman.com/EEO.

U.S. Citizenship is required for all positions with a government clearance and certain other restricted positions.