Change Manager

Luster National•New York, NY

7d•$125,000 - $200,000

About The Position

Luster is building a talent pool of Change Managers for future roles supporting large, complex heavy-civil infrastructure programs. Projects may include highways, roads, bridges, transit, international airports, and water/wastewater, delivered using traditional or alternative methods. These roles support change control, independently assess entitlement, cost, and schedule, maintain accurate and traceable scope, cost, schedule, and technical baselines, and provide program leaders with defensible recommendations before funds are committed. Assignments may range from a single contract package to a program-level change function. This posting is for anticipated future hiring needs rather than a currently available specific opportunity; candidates selected for the talent pool will be notified first when a project need arises. The scope and complexity of responsibilities vary by experience level. Change Managers may lead or support change evaluation from initial identification through entitlement determination, pricing, negotiation, and execution of change orders. They coordinate with program teams and technical specialists, maintain change records and supporting documentation, assess operational and facility impacts, and report cost and schedule exposure to leadership. The position requires a bachelor’s degree in a related field or equivalent education and experience, along with at least 10 years of relevant experience on large, complex heavy-civil infrastructure projects. The expected salary range is $125,000–$200,000 per year ($60–$96 per hour), with compensation dependent on factors including experience, skills, education, certifications, and location.

Requirements

Bachelor’s degree in construction management, civil engineering, construction engineering, business administration, or a related field, or an equivalent combination of education and experience.
10 or more years of construction change control, change order, or claims experience on large (over $500 million), complex heavy-civil infrastructure projects.
Experience leading change control on a construction contract package, including change identification, entitlement determination, pricing, executed change orders, and coordination of supporting estimators, schedulers, and analysts.
Experience evaluating change proposals, requests for equitable adjustment, or claims for entitlement and cost and schedule impacts, and recommending a position to the owner.
Experience developing or reviewing independent cost estimates and time impact analyses that test contractor-submitted pricing and delay claims.
Experience preparing change board or governance packages and presenting recommendations to owner decision-makers.
Working knowledge of public works contract provisions for changes, differing site conditions, delays, and notice and claim requirements.
Experience with industry-standard PMIS, document management, and CPM scheduling software, such as MS Project, Unifier, Kahua, e-Builder, or Primavera P6.
Proficiency with Microsoft Office Suite/Office 365, including tools such as Outlook, Teams, Word, and PowerPoint.
Excellent written and verbal communication and interpersonal skills.
Excellent multitasking and organizational skills.
Collaborative mindset that fosters teamwork, trust, and positive relationships.
Curiosity, problem-solving ability, and commitment to continuous improvement.

Nice To Haves

Master’s degree in construction management, civil engineering, construction engineering, or business administration.
Active professional certifications such as CCM (CMAA), PMP (PMI), and/or CCP or CFCC (AACE).
Experience managing a program-level change control function across multiple contract packages, including supervising change analysts and standardizing package evaluations.
Experience negotiating individual change orders exceeding $10 million.
Experience leading the owner’s position on a claim through a dispute resolution board, mediation, or formal claims process.
Experience analyzing delay and schedule impact on a CPM schedule, including concurrency and distinctions between excusable and compensable delay.
Experience with industry-standard estimating, cost analysis, and document markup software, such as HCSS HeavyBid, RSMeans, Bluebeam Revu, or ProjectWise.
Proficiency with Microsoft Power BI, Oracle Cloud Analytics, or other dashboard KPI reporting software.

Responsibilities

Support the program’s change control process from early identification through entitlement determination, pricing, negotiation, and executed change order.
Track change notices and open change items to documented decisions within contract timeframes.
Evaluate change proposals, requests for equitable adjustment, and claims for contractual entitlement, and recommend a position based on contract language and the factual record.
Develop and review independent cost estimates and time impact analyses to evaluate contractor pricing and delay claims.
Coordinate estimators, schedulers, and analysts supporting change evaluation, and apply consistent methods for analysis, pricing, and documentation.
Prepare change board packages with recommendations, independent analysis, funding sources, and consequences of inaction, and present them to program decision-makers.
Support negotiation of change order value and time extensions with the contracting officer or contract administrator, and document agreements and releases.
Process approved change orders and verify that each is reflected in contract value, baseline schedule, budget, and affected drawings and specifications.
Coordinate change evaluation with engineering, inspection, right-of-way, and operations groups.
Evaluate impacts to active operations and existing facilities before changes are approved.
Analyze differing site conditions, design changes, and third-party-driven changes on bridges, underground work, and systems, distinguishing covered work from work not covered by the contract.
Report change trends, open change exposure, and pending time extensions to executive program leadership.
Maintain configuration control of change records and affected technical documentation, including version control, revision history, and audit trails.
Maintain retrievable entitlement decisions, pricing bases, and correspondence for audits, funding reviews, and dispute resolution.