Lead Pricing Specialist

Kapsch TrafficCo•Secaucus, NJ

About The Position

The Lead Pricing Specialist leads pricing strategy, cost model development, commercial analysis, and pricing governance for complex public-sector pursuits across North America, particularly state government contracts. The role calls for substantial experience with state procurement processes, government RFPs, compliant cost proposals, and public-sector contracting requirements. Working with Business Development, Engineering, Project Management, Finance, Contracts, Solution Centers, and executive leadership, the specialist develops competitive, compliant, and financially sound pricing strategies. The role spans the government procurement lifecycle, from solicitation review and proposal development through bid submission, customer negotiations, contract award, and transition to project delivery teams. It also includes developing pricing tools and methodologies, strengthening pricing governance, and mentoring junior team members.

Requirements

Bachelor's degree in Business, Finance, Accounting, Engineering, Economics, or a related discipline.
10+ years of experience in pricing, proposal development, cost analysis, financial modeling, or commercial management, including substantial experience supporting state and local government contracts.
Demonstrated experience leading pricing efforts for state government RFPs, including compliant cost proposals, pricing schedules, cost narratives, and supporting documentation.
Strong understanding of state government procurement processes, public-sector contracting requirements, solicitation structures, and government proposal evaluation methodologies.
Ability to interpret complex government RFP requirements and translate them into detailed, compliant cost and pricing structures.
Experience developing pricing strategies for large-scale, multi-year government contracts, including fixed-price, time-and-materials, cost-based, and other public-sector contract structures.
Advanced Microsoft Excel skills, including development and maintenance of complex pricing models, formulas, cost breakdowns, and comparative analyses.
Strong analytical and financial modeling capabilities, including scenario analysis, sensitivity analysis, and reconciliation of inputs from multiple functions and systems.
Ability to lead cross-functional pricing discussions and present pricing recommendations, financial analyses, and risk assessments to executive leadership.
Strong communication and collaboration skills, including ability to work directly with government customers, procurement representatives, and internal stakeholders.
Working rights in the United States.
Ability to pass a background check.

Nice To Haves

Experience leading pricing efforts for large, complex state government contracts involving multiple stakeholders, subcontractors, technology solutions, infrastructure, and ongoing service requirements.
Experience supporting state Departments of Transportation, transportation authorities, tolling agencies, or other state-level government entities.
Experience in Electronic Tolling, Intelligent Transportation Systems, transportation technology, infrastructure, or related industries.
Experience with government contract pricing methodologies, including lifecycle cost modeling, escalation assumptions, and long-term operational and maintenance cost structures.
Experience with Enterprise Resource Planning systems and Salesforce.
Experience mentoring junior pricing professionals and improving pricing processes, templates, governance, and review practices.

Responsibilities

Lead pricing strategy for complex state and local government pursuits, including target pricing, margin recommendations, cost assumptions, and pricing scenarios.
Lead development of detailed cost proposals responding to state government RFPs, RFIs, and other public-sector solicitations, ensuring compliance with instructions, formats, evaluation criteria, and submission requirements.
Interpret solicitation documents, pricing schedules, cost proposal requirements, contract terms, and evaluation methodologies to identify pricing obligations, risks, and opportunities.
Partner with Engineering, Project Management, Solution Centers, and subject matter experts to develop cost models for complex technology, infrastructure, and service-based government contracts.
Review, validate, and consolidate cost information to ensure accuracy, consistency, traceability, and alignment with solicitation requirements.
Develop competitive pricing analyses, price-to-win strategies, and scenario models balancing competitiveness, profitability, and customer requirements.
Ensure proposals address public-sector contracting considerations, including pricing structures, payment milestones, deliverables, acceptance criteria, escalation provisions, options, renewals, and extensions.
Prepare executive pricing summaries, management reports, cost justifications, and commercial analyses for bid/no-bid decisions, pricing approvals, and executive reviews.
Own pricing assumptions, basis-of-estimate documentation, cost narratives, exclusions, clarifications, and risk assessments for each pursuit.
Lead post-submission pricing activities, including clarifications, Best and Final Offers, revised cost proposals, contract negotiations, and final pricing alignment.
Develop, maintain, and enhance government proposal pricing templates, cost models, historical benchmarks, and standard pricing methodologies.
Mentor and support junior pricing and proposal team members and promote pricing governance, compliance, and continuous improvement.