Senior Program Analyst

Brandes Associates Inc.; Northern (KY); Hybrid; USD 110,000 - 130,000; Full time

Job summary

Brandes Associates Inc. seeks a Senior Program Analyst with 10+ years of DoD program management experience to support Navy mission planning and readiness programs at Point Mugu/China Lake, CA.

The role emphasizes PPBE, budgeting, scheduling, and investment analysis for RTOIL initiatives. Responsibilities include coordinating program data, delivering actionable financial and schedule insights, and presenting to senior leadership.

Qualifications

• 10+ years of progressive program and technical management experience in DoD test/lab or acquisition environments.
• Experience leading large-scale defense technology integration, budget management, IPTs, and contract oversight.
• Proven stakeholder engagement with DoD executives and government leads.
• Strong process and quality management skills, including configuration management and cross-functional coordination.
• Expertise in risk assessment, schedule management, lifecycle planning, and COTS integration.
• Excellent verbal and written communication and leadership abilities.
• Mastery of MS Office Suite, MS Project, and project management software.
• Ability to work independently in high-visibility environments.

Responsibilities

• Provide analytical support to the Government RTOIL Financial Investment Manager and the M&R Budgeting Principal for PPBE activities across the RTOIL portfolio.
• Analyze and report funds status for each program, ensuring adherence to controls and funding ceilings.
• Develop recurring financial and execution reports showing obligations, expenditures, variances, trends, and risks.
• Coordinate data calls and ensure timely, complete submissions from program managers.
• Monitor progress against milestone plans; assess impacts to funding profiles.
• Support investment requests, spend plans, and execution strategies with risk perspectives.
• Prepare presentations and briefing papers for RTOIL leadership with clear recommendations.
• Establish reporting timelines and follow up to drive on-time submissions.
• Review incoming reports for consistency and quality; resolve discrepancies before leadership review.
• Contribute to SOPs, templates, and business rules for financial reporting and budgeting.
• Collaborate with Government financial managers, BFMs, logisticians, engineers, and PMs to ensure data integrity.
• Assist in responses to HQ or external data calls related to funding and maintenance investments.
• Support ad hoc analyses and studies under tight timelines with accuracy.

Skills

Program management

Stakeholder engagement

Risk assessment

Schedule management

Technical leadership

Communication

Education

Bachelor’s degree (Technical or Business)

Substitution: 6 years experience for a bachelor’s degree

Substitution: 4 years with an associate degree

Tools

MS Office Suite

MS Project

Project management software

Job description

Overview

BAI, a defense contractor, is seeking a Senior Program Analyst, with 10+ years of experience to join our expanding workforce supporting the operations team on current and evolving Navy mission planning and readiness programs at Point Mugu/China Lake, CA. Opportunities for career advancement, excellent benefits, and long‑term stability are some of the advantages of our growing, employee‑focused company. The Senior Program Analyst will provide direct support to the Government RTOIL Financial Investment Manager and the Maintenance & Repair (M&R) Budgeting Principal. This position is responsible for support in analyzing, tracking, and reporting the execution of funds allocated to RTOIL programs and projects; coordinating reporting inputs from program managers executing within stakeholder controls; and developing clear, actionable products that inform investment decisions and program execution. The successful candidate will combine strong analytical skills, financial and schedule acumen, and clear communication with a solid understanding of complex technical programs in a Navy/DoD environment.Travel from Point Mugu to China Lake for direct service support is anticipated (10%).

Salary

The typical annual salary range for this position is $110,000.00 USD to $130,000.00 USD. Salary will be based on current qualifications, directly related experience, geographic location, and possible contractual requirements which could fall outside of this range.

Responsibilities

• Provide direct, day‑to‑day analytical support to the Government RTOIL Financial Investment Manager and the M&R Budgeting Principal for planning, programming, budgeting, and execution (PPBE) activities across the RTOIL portfolio
• Support the PM’s execution and tracking of milestone completion, analyze, and report the status of funds allocated to each RTOIL program/project, ensuring expenditures remain aligned with established controls, funding ceilings, and execution guidance
• Develop and maintain service support to recurring financial and execution reports (e.g., weekly, monthly, quarterly) that show obligations, expenditures, variances, trends, and Risk/Opportunity management at the program/project level, with clear roll‑ups to portfolio leadership
• Coordinate data calls and reporting inputs for delivery to the RTOIL Investment Manager from RTOIL program and project managers; ensure timeliness, completeness, and accuracy of submitted financial and execution data
• Monitor program and project progress against approved milestone plans; identify schedule or performance deviations and assess impacts to funding profiles and investment strategies
• Support the development, review, and refinement of investment requests, spend plans, reprogramming options, and execution strategies; provide analytical justification and risk/benefit perspectives to inform Government decision‑making
• Apply technical acumen to understand the operational and technical significance of proposed investments, capability upgrades, and sustainment activities, and to relate those to financial and schedule implications
• Support the development and delivery of presentations, briefings, and decision papers for RTOIL leadership that communicate financial status, execution performance, risks, and recommended courses of action in a clear, concise manner suitable for senior audiences
• Establish and maintain reporting timelines, calendars, and checklists; communicate expectations and suspense dates to program managers and other stakeholders; actively follow up to drive on‑time submissions
• Review incoming reports from program managers for consistency, accuracy, and alignment with approved formats and content requirements; work with contributors to resolve discrepancies or gaps prior to leadership review
• Support development and continuous improvement of standard operating procedures (SOPs), templates, and business rules governing RTOIL financial reporting, investment analysis, and M&R budgeting processes
• Collaborate closely with Government financial managers, business/financial managers (BFMs), logisticians, engineers, and program managers to ensure financial, technical, and schedule data are integrated and mutually consistent
• Assist in preparing responses to higher‑headquarters or external stakeholder data calls related to RTOIL funding, execution, and maintenance & repair investments
• Support ad hoc analyses and special studies as directed by the RTOIL Financial Investment Manager and M&R Budgeting Principal, often under tight timelines, while maintaining accuracy and clarity

Qualifications

• Minimum 10 years’ progressive program and technical management experience in DoD test/lab or acquisition environments
• Demonstratable recent (within the last 3 years) experience leading large‑scale defense technology integration objectives, management of resource/program budgets, senior technical leadership of IPTs, and oversight of contract execution
• Proven stakeholder engagement with government/DoD executives, test and evaluation technical leads, and support contractors
• Extensive process and quality management skillset, including understanding of configuration management, technical documentation, and cross‑functional team coordination/collaboration
• Expertise with risk assessment, schedule management, lifecycle planning, and COTS integration for advanced defense programs
• Outstanding verbal and written communication, team leadership, and technical mentorship abilities
• Mastery of MS Office Suite, MS Project, and project management software
• Ability to work independently and proactively in high‑visibility environments

Desired Experience

• Direct experience planning, overseeing, and evaluating multi‑functional technical teams executing developmental test events, development of digital product artifacts, and logistics management functions supporting system lifecycle validation/qualification
• Working knowledge of configuration management, deficiency report processing, and performance assessment of mission‑critical operational systems
• Direct experience with requirements development, traceability, and technical change management/engineering change processes
• Experience with process improvement, COTS assessment, and lifecycle sustainment of laboratory assets

EDUCATION

Degree: Bachelor’s degree (Technical or Business), plus extensive equivalent relevant experience

Allowable Substitution:

• An additional 6 years of relevant work experience may be substituted for a bachelor’s degree (6+3=9 years)

• An additional 4 years of work experience with a relevant associate degree (4+3=7 years)

CLEARANCE –

Condition of Employment: Applicant must have an active DoD Secret Clearance. The applicants selected will be subject to a security investigation and must meet eligibility requirements for access to classified information

CITIZENSHIP

The applicant must have US citizenship at the time of application.

BAI is an Equal Opportunity Employer. All qualified applicants receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, national origin, disability, veteran status, or any other non‑merit based factors made unlawful by federal, state or local laws.