Program Analyst (Hybrid- Aberdeen, Maryland)
About The Position
Fairwinds is seeking a Program Performance & Controls Analyst to establish and operate the program data environment supporting multiple concurrent R&D and product development efforts. This role functions as the Program Manager’s analytical partner and owns the integration of schedule, cost, staffing, risk, and execution data into an actionable operational picture for leadership and customers. The position is not administrative reporting. It is responsible for building and maintaining an automated program performance reporting ecosystem using Microsoft 365 tools (Power BI, SharePoint, Power Automate, Planner, and Excel) The successful candidate will reduce manual status collection, create decision-quality metrics, and enable leadership to understand program health in near-real time. This role will report under the R&D Program Manager IV.
Requirements
- Bachelor’s degree (or master’s degree) in Engineering, Telecommunications, Operations Management, Logistics or related fields.
- Minimum 8+ years of experience in program management, project management, or operations coordination
- Experience supporting telecom, SATCOM, networked systems, or infrastructure programs
- Experience coordinating site deployments or field operations (not necessarily performing installations)
- Ability to manage multiple concurrent activities and stakeholders
- Strong communication and organizational skills
- Willingness to travel internationally
- Bachelor’s degree in engineering, Information Systems, Data Analytics, Operations, Business, or related discipline
- 4+ years supporting program management, PMO, project controls, or program analytics in a technical or engineering environment
- Demonstrated experience building dashboards in Power BI
- Experience working with structured datasets in Excel (pivot tables, lookups, data modeling)
- Ability to analyze and explain cost vs. schedule vs. staffing performance
- Experience working directly with Program Managers or engineering teams
- U.S. Citizenship and an active DoD Secret security clearance (or ability to obtain).
Nice To Haves
- Power Automate workflow development
- SharePoint / Microsoft Lists administration
- Exposure to EVM, CAM concepts, or program cost performance analysis
- Experience supporting DoD, SBIR, OTA, or R&D programs
- Familiarity with Integrated Master Schedules or milestone-driven programs
- Experience supporting engineering development or product development environments
Responsibilities
- Develop and maintain Power BI dashboards showing program health, burn rate, staffing utilization, and forecast vs. actual performance
- Integrate multiple data sources (engineering teams, schedules, financial tracking, and tasking tools) into a unified reporting structure
- Generate weekly and monthly executive program performance reports
- Establish measurable KPIs for technical R&D programs
- Track cost, schedule, and staffing performance across multiple programs
- Perform burn rate and labor utilization analysis (FTE forecasting)
- Support financial planning and program forecasting with the Business Program Analyst
- Identify performance variance and provide early warning indicators to Program Management
- Design automated workflows using Power Automate for status collection, approvals, and reporting distribution
- Maintain SharePoint / Microsoft Lists program databases (risk, materials, task tracking)
- Reduce manual data calls and status meetings by implementing automated reporting pipelines
- Create repeatable processes for portfolio-level program management
- Own program risk and opportunity registers and track mitigation actions
- Support Integrated Master Schedule alignment and milestone tracking
- Maintain lessons-learned repository and closeout documentation
- Support audits, customer reviews, and program reviews (PDR/CDR/PMR)
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What This Job Offers
Job Type
Full-time
Career Level
Mid Level
