Operations Specialist – Finance & Government Contracts

Operations Specialist – Finance & Government Contracts

REMOTE

Full-Time

Position Overview

We are seeking a detail-oriented Operations Specialist with a strong financial and contract management background to support our public sector portfolio. This role sits at the intersection of operations and finance, ensuring that government contracts are executed efficiently, compliantly, and profitably.

The Operations Specialist will support the Operations/Finance Director and Executive team by managing day-to-day operational and financial activities across multiple contract types. This role requires hands‑on experience with government contract financial management, billing, reporting, and internal controls. The ideal candidate acts as a key liaison between project management, finance, contracts, and internal stakeholders to ensure accurate tracking, reporting, and compliance throughout the contract lifecycle.

Key Responsibilities

Operations & Financial Management

• Support set up of States for bidding, monthly/quarterly reporting, and employee tax reporting purposes.
• Support operational and financial management for multiple contracts, including fixed-price and time and materials (T&M) structures.
• Assist with project setup, execution, and closeout, ensuring financial and operational processes are followed correctly.
• Develop and maintain project budgets, forecasts, and financial models aligned with contract requirements.
• Monitor contract funding, obligations, revenue, and expenses to prevent overruns and ensure alignment with signed contract values.
• Conduct variance analysis comparing actual costs against budgets and forecasts; support earned value metrics where applicable.
• Track direct and indirect costs, ensuring proper allocation and compliance.
• Support payroll processing for bi‑weekly and monthly cycles for US-based resources.
• Perform PMO‑related operational tasks and assist with day‑to‑day contract administration activities.
• Create and maintain vendors, clients, and project records within Quick Books and other internal systems.
• Review and validate project and firm expenses, ensuring compliance with expense policies and guidelines.

• Prepare, review, and submit accurate invoices through Quick Books in accordance with contract terms.
• Ensure billing compliance related to bill rates, deliverable acceptance, period of performance, and government billing requirements.
• Manage the end‑to‑end billing cycle, including unbilled receivables, invoice tracking, and payment follow‑up.
• Track expenditures and support receivables and collections activities.
• Coordinate with project managers and contracts teams to resolve billing discrepancies and customer inquiries.
• Support proposal and bid development by assisting with pricing models, cost estimates, and margin analysis.
• Analyze historical cost data to support competitive and compliant pricing strategies.
• Assist in interpreting RFPs and preparing required cost and pricing data.
• Support calculations of fully burdened labor rates, including fringe, overhead, and G&A allocations.

• Prepare and analyze operational and financial reports covering revenue, service costs, overhead, and backlog.
• Generate ad‑hoc analyses to support business decisions, contract modifications, and leadership requests.
• Maintain accurate project documentation and financial records in line with retention and audit requirements.
• Organize and manage project and firm data on designated shared drives, adhering to data storage standards.
• Create presentation materials for monthly or quarterly business reviews with senior leadership and stakeholders.

Education & Experience

• Bachelor’s or Master’s degree in Finance, Accounting, Business Administration, Operations, or a related field.
• 2–3 years of experience in operations, financial analysis, or contract support roles.
• Hands‑on experience with multiple contract types (FFP, T&M, etc.).
• Experience supporting contract modifications, funding changes, and contract closeouts.

• Strong proficiency in Microsoft Office, particularly Excel and PowerPoint.
• Experience with ERP or financial systems such as Deltek…