Ship Cost Estimator

NSS; Washington (District of Columbia); On-site; USD 90,000 - 140,000; Full time

Job summary

NSS is seeking Ship Cost Estimators at the Washington Navy Yard, DC on-site, to deliver independent cost estimations for naval ships and related systems, supporting program data analysis and budget baselines.

Candidates will collaborate with engineers and finance teams to develop program lifecycle cost estimates and budget baselines, leveraging OSCAM and VAMOSC databases, with active Secret clearance and US citizenship required.

Qualifications

• Active Secret clearance or clearable; US citizenship required.
• Bachelor's degree in Finance, Math, Economics, Engineering, or Naval Architecture.
• Exceptional numerical proficiency and advanced spreadsheet modeling.

Responsibilities

• Perform independent cost estimation, parametric tradeoff studies, and lifecycle cost analysis for naval ships, submarines, and related ship systems.

Skills

Numerical proficiency

Advanced spreadsheet modeling

Logical reasoning

Education

Bachelor's degree in Finance, Math, Economics, Engineering, or Naval Architecture

Job description

Job Title: Ship Cost Estimator (All Levels)
Location: Washington Navy Yard, DC (On-site)
Security Clearance: Active Secret

Join a premier defense consulting team at the forefront of naval readiness and strategic operations. We are seeking motivated Ship Cost Estimators across multiple experience tiers to provide critical programmatic support on-site at the historic Washington Navy Yard. In this role, you will collaborate with military leaders and technical experts to optimize acquisition strategies, manage sophisticated financial ecosystems, and deliver actionable data analysis. If you are a cleared professional ready to safeguard national security initiatives and drive operational excellence within the U.S. Navy's premier command systems, we want to hear from you.

Key Responsibilities:

• Perform independent cost estimation, parametric tradeoff studies, and lifecycle cost analysis for naval ships, submarines, and related ship systems.
• Assess program data, proposals, and operational requests to identify key cost drivers, financial risks, and optimization opportunities.
• Build, update, and manage sophisticated computational tools and spreadsheets to conduct highly structured Operations and Support (O&M) cost assessments.
• Collaborate with engineers, acquisition managers, and finance teams to develop program lifecycle cost estimates and budget baselines.

Required Qualifications:

• Education: Bachelor's degree in Finance, Math, Economics, Engineering, or Naval Architecture preferred.
• Security Clearance: Active Secret OR clearable (US Citizenship required).
• Technical Skills: Exceptional numerical proficiency, advanced spreadsheet modeling skills, and strong logical reasoning capabilities.

Experience & Career Tiering:

We are actively mapping candidates to the following corporate tiers based on experience:

• Associate Tier: Greater than 1 year (>1) of relevant professional experience assisting with cost tracking, data entry, or baseline financial analysis.
• Specialist Tier: Minimum of 4+ years of specialized experience in cost analysis or financial modeling.
• Senior/Principal Tier: 10–15+ years of advanced experience. Candidates must demonstrate deep mastery of the U.S. Navy's Visibility and Management of Operating Costs (VAMOSC) databases and the Operating and Support Cost Analysis Model (OSCAM), with a proven record of leading complex lifecycle costing studies for surface or submarine programs.