Contracts and Claims Specialist

Luster National•Sacramento, CA

9d•$90,000 - $155,000

About The Position

Luster is building a talent pool for future Contracts and Claims Specialist roles supporting large, complex heavy-civil infrastructure programs, including highways, roads, bridges, transit, international airports, and water/wastewater projects. Work may involve traditional and alternative delivery methods. These positions focus on construction contract claims and disputes—not insurance adjusting—and assess entitlement and quantum, test claimed cost and time against contract terms and contemporaneous records, and develop positions for negotiation, dispute review boards, and subsequent proceedings. Contract administration is included, with a central focus on resolving disagreements between project parties. The posting is for future hiring needs rather than a currently available specific opportunity; selected candidates may be activated in Luster’s talent pool and notified first when a project need arises. Responsibilities and complexity vary by experience level.

Requirements

Bachelor’s degree in construction management, civil engineering, quantity surveying, finance, or a related field, or an equivalent combination of education and experience.
At least 5 years of contract administration and construction claims experience on large (over $500 million), complex heavy-civil infrastructure projects.
Experience analyzing or supporting claims, requests for equitable adjustment, or disputed change proposals for entitlement, cost, and schedule impact.
Working knowledge of standard construction contract terms and public agency contracting requirements, including notice, changes, differing site conditions, delay, and disputes provisions.
Ability to interpret construction contract documents, plans, specifications, and cost and schedule records, and build an entitlement narrative from the contemporaneous record.
Experience with industry-standard contract administration, document management, and CPM scheduling software, such as Unifier, Aconex, 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, quantity surveying, or finance.
Active professional certifications such as CPCM (NCMA), CCM (CMAA), and/or CCP or CFCC (AACE).
Experience serving as the owner’s lead analyst on a claim exceeding $10 million in disputed value.
Experience supporting contract administration and claims on a construction package exceeding $100 million in value.
Experience carrying a claim beyond the project level through a dispute review board, mediation, arbitration, or litigation, including document production and support to counsel.
Experience preparing or reviewing time impact analyses, as-planned versus as-built comparisons, or windows analyses for delay claims, including treatment of concurrent delay.
Proficiency with Microsoft Power BI, Oracle Cloud Analytics, or other dashboard KPI reporting software.

Responsibilities

Analyze claims, notices of potential claim, and lost productivity claims, evaluating entitlement under applicable contract provisions.
Evaluate requests for equitable adjustment and disputed change proposals for entitlement, merit, and cost reasonableness, and recommend a record-supported position.
Review claimed labor, equipment, materials, extended field and home office overhead, and markup against contract provisions, force account records, and cost backup; identify unsupported, duplicated, or misclassified amounts.
Coordinate with scheduling staff to evaluate time impact analyses and time extension requests against accepted baselines and contemporaneous progress schedules.
Assemble contemporaneous claim records, including daily reports, correspondence, requests for information, submittals, inspection records, and meeting minutes.
Verify that notices meet contractual timing and content requirements and track responses to meet contractual response periods and preserve program defenses.
Develop independent cost estimates and quantity checks for roadway, structures, and utility work to test contractor pricing on disputed changes and claims.
Prepare claim position papers, findings of fact, and recommendations for program decision-makers, dispute review boards, and mediation or arbitration panels.
Support negotiations and settlements by preparing entitlement and quantum summaries, cost comparisons, and documented settlement bases.
Evaluate claims arising in active operating environments, including restricted service windows, access limits, and facility shutdowns.
Coordinate with counsel, claims consultants, project controls, and finance staff on claim strategy, document production, and responses to formal demands.
Track open claims and disputed exposure by contract for program leadership.