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Key Responsibilities and Required Skills for Earned Value Specialist

💰 $85,000 - $135,000

Project ManagementFinanceData AnalysisAerospace & DefenseConstruction

🎯 Role Definition

This role requires a meticulous and analytical Earned Value Specialist to join our program management office. In this pivotal role, you will be the engine driving our project performance measurement, responsible for implementing and maintaining a compliant Earned Value Management System (EVMS). You will collaborate closely with Program Managers, Control Account Managers (CAMs), Schedulers, and Financial Analysts to integrate cost, schedule, and technical scope. Your expertise will provide the critical data-driven insights needed to identify performance trends, forecast project outcomes, and develop effective corrective action plans. This is a unique opportunity to be at the heart of our most complex projects, ensuring they are delivered on time and within budget while upholding the highest standards of compliance and reporting.

📈 Career Progression

Typical Career Path

Entry Point From:

  • Project Coordinator
  • Cost Analyst
  • Junior Scheduler / Planner
  • Financial Analyst

Advancement To:

  • Senior Earned Value Specialist / Lead EVM Analyst
  • Project Controls Manager
  • Program Manager
  • EVM Systems Manager

Lateral Moves:

  • Senior Scheduler / Master Scheduler
  • Senior Cost Analyst
  • Program Financial Manager
  • Risk Analyst

Core Responsibilities

Primary Functions

  • EVMS Implementation and Maintenance: Establish, implement, and rigorously maintain the project's Earned Value Management System (EVMS) to ensure full compliance with the EIA-748 standard and contractual requirements.
  • Baseline Management: Develop and manage the Performance Measurement Baseline (PMB), including facilitating Integrated Baseline Reviews (IBRs) and processing baseline change requests (BCRs) through a formal change control process.
  • Data Integration and Analysis: Integrate budget, actual costs, and schedule data from various sources (e.g., ERP, scheduling tools) to accurately calculate earned value metrics, including CV, SV, CPI, SPI, and TCPI.
  • Variance Analysis and Reporting: Prepare, analyze, and deliver detailed monthly variance analyses, identifying root causes for cost and schedule variances and narrating performance impacts in formats like the Integrated Program Management Report (IPMR) / Contract Performance Report (CPR).
  • Forecasting and Estimates at Completion (EAC): Develop, substantiate, and present time-phased Estimates at Completion (EAC) by collaborating with CAMs to generate realistic forecasts based on performance trends, risks, and opportunities.
  • Control Account Management Support: Provide direct guidance and training to Control Account Managers (CAMs) on EVM principles, processes, and tools to ensure they can effectively manage their scope, schedule, and budget.
  • WBS and OBS Development: Assist in the development and maintenance of the Work Breakdown Structure (WBS), OBS (Organizational Breakdown Structure), and the WBS dictionary to ensure proper project structuring and cost accumulation.
  • Schedule and Cost Integration: Ensure the project's cost and schedule are fully integrated and that the schedule logic and status directly drive the earned value calculations within the EVMS toolset.
  • Compliance and Audits: Act as a key point of contact during internal, customer, and government (e.g., DCMA) surveillance audits and reviews, providing necessary documentation and defending the integrity of the EVMS.
  • Process Improvement: Proactively identify and recommend improvements to EVM processes, tools, and reporting templates to enhance efficiency, accuracy, and understanding across the program team.
  • Risk and Opportunity Integration: Collaborate with the risk management team to quantify the potential cost and schedule impacts of identified risks and opportunities on the project's EAC.
  • Subcontractor EVM Oversight: Review and analyze subcontractor EVM data and reports to ensure compliance and accurate integration into the prime contractor's overall project performance picture.
  • Corrective Action Planning: Facilitate the development of meaningful corrective action plans with CAMs in response to significant performance variances and track them to completion.
  • System Administration: Perform administrative functions within EVM software (like Deltek Cobra), including rate setup, status cycling, and data validation to ensure system integrity.
  • Monthly Business Rhythm: Drive the monthly EVM business rhythm, including data cutoffs, status collection, analysis, and reporting, ensuring timely delivery of performance data to all stakeholders.
  • Data Validation: Conduct thorough data integrity checks between the cost, schedule, and EVM systems to troubleshoot discrepancies and ensure a single source of truth for project data.
  • Stakeholder Communication: Clearly and concisely communicate complex EVM performance data, trends, and issues to diverse audiences, from technical team members to executive leadership.
  • Resource Planning: Analyze resource-loaded schedules and cost plans to identify potential resource conflicts and budgetary shortfalls in advance.
  • Change Management: Evaluate the cost and schedule impacts of proposed engineering changes or other scope modifications to provide a comprehensive assessment for the change control board.
  • Formal Reporting: Generate and ensure the quality of all formal EVM deliverables required by the customer, including the IPMR formats 1-7 and associated electronic data submissions.

Secondary Functions

  • Support ad-hoc data requests and exploratory data analysis for program leadership.
  • Contribute to the organization's data strategy and project controls roadmap.
  • Collaborate with business units to translate data needs into engineering requirements.
  • Participate in sprint planning and agile ceremonies within the data engineering team.

Required Skills & Competencies

Hard Skills (Technical)

  • EVMS Software Proficiency: Expert-level knowledge of Deltek Cobra is essential. Experience with similar tools like Deltek MPM, forProject, or Oracle Primavera Cost Manager is a plus.
  • Scheduling Software: Strong proficiency with scheduling tools such as Oracle Primavera P6 and/or Microsoft Project Server, including experience with resource-loaded schedules.
  • EIA-748 Expertise: Deep, practical understanding of all 32 guidelines within the EIA-748 Standard for Earned Value Management Systems.
  • Data Analysis & ERP Systems: Advanced proficiency in Microsoft Excel (VLOOKUPs, pivot tables, complex formulas) and experience working with data from ERP systems like SAP or Oracle.
  • Reporting Formats: Comprehensive knowledge of government reporting requirements, including the Integrated Program Management Report (IPMR) and its predecessor, the Contract Performance Report (CPR).
  • Integrated Baseline Reviews (IBR): Proven experience preparing for and successfully participating in formal Integrated Baseline Reviews.
  • Schedule & Risk Analysis Tools: Familiarity with tools like Deltek Acumen Fuse for schedule diagnostics and Acumen Risk or @Risk for Monte Carlo risk analysis.
  • Work Breakdown Structure (WBS): Solid understanding of WBS principles and its role in decomposing project scope for effective planning and control.

Soft Skills

  • Analytical & Critical Thinking: Ability to dissect complex problems, interpret data trends, and draw logical, data-driven conclusions.
  • Meticulous Attention to Detail: Exceptional accuracy in data analysis, report generation, and compliance checking is non-negotiable.
  • Communication & Interpersonal Skills: Superb ability to communicate complex quantitative information clearly and concisely to both technical and non-technical audiences, both verbally and in writing.
  • Problem-Solving: Proactive in identifying issues, performing root cause analysis, and collaborating to develop effective solutions.
  • Collaboration and Influence: A team player who can effectively work with and influence cross-functional team members (engineers, managers, finance) to adhere to EVM processes.
  • Time Management and Organization: Ability to manage multiple priorities and meet tight deadlines within a structured monthly business rhythm.

Education & Experience

Educational Background

Minimum Education:

  • Bachelor's Degree from an accredited university or college.

Preferred Education:

  • Master's Degree (MBA, M.S. in Project Management, Finance, or a related field).
  • Professional certifications such as PMP (Project Management Professional) or EVP (Earned Value Professional).

Relevant Fields of Study:

  • Business Administration
  • Finance / Accounting
  • Engineering
  • Project Management
  • Economics
  • Data Science

Experience Requirements

Typical Experience Range:

  • 3-7 years of direct, hands-on experience in a project controls environment with a primary focus on Earned Value Management (EVM).

Preferred:

  • Experience implementing and managing EVMS on large-scale government contracts (e.g., Department of Defense, Department of Energy).
  • Direct experience with DCMA Joint Surveillance Reviews (JSRs) and other government compliance audits.
  • A current or ability to obtain a government security clearance is often highly desirable.
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