Senior Program Control and Cost Estimating Specialist - NASA Goddard

Senior Program Control & Cost Estimating Specialist serves as the focal technical authority for Life Cycle Cost Estimating (LCCE), budget formulation, and cost baseline maintenance for major joint NASA/NOAA satellite flight missions, primarily the Geostationary Extended Observations (GeoXO) and Geostationary Operational Environmental Satellites (GOES)–R Series Programs
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This position leads cost modeling for federal budget cycles (Planning, Programming, Budget, and Execution - PPBE), facilitates Independent Cost Estimate (ICE) reconciliations with external evaluators, structures Work Breakdown Structure (WBS) dictionaries, and develops complex "what-if" trade studies for flight instruments, ground segment infrastructure, and mission life extensions.

• Budget Formulation & Execution:
  Lead multi-year Planning, Programming, Budget, and Execution (PPBE) cost phasing and defensibility to support NASA, NOAA NESDIS, DOC, OMB, and Congressional budget submissions.
• Parametric Modeling & Trade Studies:
  Develop high-fidelity LCCEs, Rough Order of Magnitude (ROM) estimates, and "what-if" scenario models for flight payloads (imagers, sounders, space weather instruments), ground systems, and mass-growth vectors.
• Audit & ICE Defense:
  Serve as the prime technical interface for Independent Cost Estimate (ICE) reviews with external audit entities (The Aerospace Corporation, DOC/OAM, GAO, NASA Standing Review Boards).
• CADRe & Baseline Governance:
  Author and maintain NASA Cost Analysis Data Requirement (CADRe Parts A, B, and
  
  C) documentation (NASA NPR 7120.5) and update the GeoXO Work Breakdown Structure (WBS) Dictionary.
• Contract Performance:
  Support Performance Evaluation Boards (PEB) by preparing cost event documentation and objective fee evaluations.

• Education:
  
  Bachelor’s Degree in Finance, Cost Analysis, Engineering, Mathematics, Operations Research, or a related quantitative field.
• Experience:
  
  10+ years of direct cost estimation and program control experience supporting NASA, NOAA, DoD, or major aerospace flight missions.
• Technical Expertise:
  Demonstrated experience with NASA PPBE cycles, LCCE/ROM formulation, CADRe authoring, WBS dictionary architecture, and ICE defense.
• Standards & Compliance:
  In-depth working knowledge of the GAO Cost Estimating and Assessment Guide, NASA NPR 7120.5, and FAR/DFARS cost principles.

• 12–15+ years supporting NASA GSFC Earth Science / NOAA NESDIS flight and ground programs.
• Experience modeling optical instruments, lightning mappers, or space weather suites.
• Completion of NASA OCFO Cost Analysis, Assessment and Control (CAAC) or PP&C Tool certifications.
• Active NASA badging or Secret security clearance.