Senior Program Analyst, Manufacturing and Supply Chain

Position title:

Senior Program Analyst, Manufacturing and Supply Chain Appointment terms:
Regular, fulltime, onsite (Arlington, VA); project-related travel required

Reports to:

Senior Vice President, Workforce Development Work unit:
Workforce Development

Salary grade: 9 Funding:
Grant (Cornerstone 1; JAMWG; Man Tech M-EWD)

FLSA Status, EEOC Class:
Exempt;
Professional Applications Due:
October 15, 2027 (rolling basis)

About Us

The Center for Regional Economic Competitiveness (CREC) is a 501(c)(3) research nonprofit founded in 2000. We help U.S. regions compete by putting data about regional economies and labor markets to work in economic and workforce development decisions. Our current portfolio includes a multi-year cooperative agreement with the Department of Defense Manufacturing Technology (Man Tech) Program and analytical support to the Industrial Base Analysis and Sustainment (IBAS) Program: data-heavy studies of the defense manufacturing base and its supply chains.

CREC also manages membership associations of economic and workforce researchers and data users, including the Council for Community and Economic Research (C2ER), the LMI Institute, the State Economic Development Executives, the University Economic Development Association, the Development District Association of Appalachia, and the Projections Managing Partnership, along with partners with Federal, State, and local clients nationwide.

Position Summary & Essential Functions

The Senior Program Analyst conducts and coordinates applied research and technical assistance projects, with a concentration in manufacturing, supply chains, and the defense industrial base. The Analyst takes responsibility for defined research components, selects and applies appropriate analytical methods, interprets findings, and produces client-ready reports, presentations, and data products. Working with senior project leaders, the Analyst coordinates assigned work, contributes directly to client discussions, and helps ensure that project deliverables meet CREC’s standards for quality, timeliness, and relevance.

The Analyst works across CREC’s portfolio, including multi-year Federal defense industrial base projects, and sees that work published. No security clearance is required. Because the position supports Department of Defense projects that may involve export-controlled information, the Analyst must be a U.S. person (a U.S. citizen or lawful permanent resident).

Essential functions:

• Design and conduct defined components of applied research and technical assistance projects.
• Select data sources, research methods, and analytical tools in consultation with project leaders.
• Collect, clean, integrate, and analyze regional economic, labor market, industry, firm, and supply chain data, including Federal statistical sources such as the Bureau of Labor Statistics, the Census Bureau, and the Bureau of Economic Analysis.
• Apply quantitative and qualitative methods to supplier identification, industry mapping, demand and supply analysis, and assessments of manufacturing capacity and workforce needs.
• Use tools such as Excel, R, Python, SQL, GIS, Tableau, or Power BI to produce reproducible analyses and client-ready charts, tables, and maps.
• Interpret findings, identify implications, and develop evidence-based conclusions and recommendations.
• Draft substantial sections of research reports, technical memoranda, presentations, and technical assistance materials, and coordinate the preparation of deliverables across multiple contributors.
• Plan and conduct interviews, focus groups, and other primary research.
• Present findings and contribute to project team and client discussions.
• Coordinate defined project components,…