Pricing Operations Specialist

Background:

NCS has been providing product-based IT solutions to Federal and military customers since our inception in 1996. These solutions center on a wide range of hardware from end user devices to rugged mobile computers for field operations, and networking, compute, and storage equipment for integration into military platforms. Over the years, NCS built up a substantial integration, manufacturing, quality, and logistics infrastructure.

At the same time, we also developed and refined robust business practices to compete effectively in the markets that we focus on; e.g., Federal civilian agencies, all three branches of the military, and the System Integrator community serving them. In October 2023, NCS moved into a state-of-the-art 108,000 square foot facility in Innovation Park @ Prince William, Manassas, Virginia. This facility magnifies the strengths that we have gathered over the years to position us well for future growth and diversification which have been defined in our Go-To Market strategy.

This strategy centers on IT product-based services formulated into a number of solutions targeted at different addressable markets and charts our development trajectory for the next five years.

The Pricing Operations Specialist will be a member of our Strategic Pricing & Analytics team. In this capacity, the individual will be responsible for the accuracy, maintenance, and auditing of all solutions and projects cost calculations, Special Pricing Authorizations (SPAs) from OEM partners, and historical pricing documentation. The individual will also have ownership of workflow tracking in the Quote Request Manager (QRM), bid/proposal handoffs, project transitions, backlog monitoring, and status reporting.

The Pricing Operations Specialist will report to the Strategic Pricing Manager.

• Work with OEMs, vendors, and partners to collect accurate cost data to build NCS solutions and make sure that they are consistent with the business agreement that they have entered into with the company for each specific opportunity via mechanisms such as Special Pricing Authorization, Partners Deal Registration, etc.
• Organize and maintain records of cost and selling price information for each solution as it evolves, relevant notes for each iteration, and back up cost documentation from third party vendors/partners and cognizant NCS functional groups. Keep them up to date, ready for review, audit, and competitive references, and stay in compliance with internal controls and documentation requirements.
• Act as the primary operational liaison between the Strategic Pricing & Analysis (SPA) and Proposal, Program, and Project Management, and Purchasing to develop accurate cost proposals and issue Purchase Orders with correct cost information after award.
• Continuously update and audit solution costs used in bids/proposals with new information gathered from project execution after as costs of certain items may change.
• Monitor bid/proposal hand-offs to Project Management and Purchasing to ensure all required pricing documentation, assumptions, and cost backups are complete and accurate.
• Review purchase orders issued to third parties and purchasing records to ensure acquisition costs are accurate and consistent with those accepted and approved for use in NCS bids/proposals including assumptions and expected gross margin targets. Support project teams by performing rapid analysis on unexpected pricing drifts, vendor cost fluctuations, or supply chain variances.
• Perform margin variance analysis between quoted pricing, awarded pricing, purchasing costs, and project execution costs to identify financial risks and escalation points.
• Manage the daily workflow queue in Quote Request Manager (QRM) for incoming pricing requests, bid/proposal updates, post-award revisions, and project transition activities.
• Generate recurring status reports on quote activity, backlog, and operational bottlenecks for SPA leadership.
• Perform first-pass review of all purchase requisitions coming from the Project/Program Management teams to identify any discrepancies in part numbers, quantities, and pricing before forwarding to relevant authority for final approval
• Identify process bottlenecks and support continuous improvement initiatives to improve workflow efficiency, reporting accuracy, and operational alignment.
• Over time as sufficient experience and knowledge of the business is acquired, gradually absorb the following duties:
• Rely on Excel to compile costs for NCS-developed solutions/projects that may include computer and networking hardware, software, engineering, integration, and manufacturing services from disparate sources including third parties and different functional groups within NCS.
• Work with other stakeholders to analyze perceived competition and develop winning prizes for NCS solutions in competitive bidding.

• Minimum of three (3) years of experience in sales operations, pricing coordination, procurement, or…