You are a strategic pricing professional who thrives in fast-paced, highly collaborative environments where accuracy, compliance, and business impact matter. This is not simply a proposal support role—it’s about shaping competitive pricing strategies that directly influence critical defense programs and long-term business growth.
As a Lead Pricing Analyst, you will independently lead cost and price proposal development for government and commercial opportunities of varying size and complexity. You will partner cross-functionally across Finance, Contracts, Engineering, Program Management, Supply Chain, and Business Development to develop compliant, data-driven pricing strategies that balance competitiveness, profitability, and execution risk.
What you'll do:
- Lead development of compliant cost and price proposals for government RFPs and Direct Commercial Sales (DCS) opportunities.
- Build detailed pricing models, labor estimates, BOM analyses, and supporting cost narratives.
- Perform margin analysis and profitability assessments aligned to organizational targets and pricing strategy.
- Develop and maintain cost volumes and supporting documentation for internal reviews and customer submissions.
- Ensure pricing submissions comply with FAR, DFARS, CAS, and internal financial policies.
- Support pricing reviews, fact-finding activities, and audit readiness as required.
- Partner cross-functionally with Business Development, Contracts, Engineering, Supply Chain, Program Management, Accounting, and FP&A to gather inputs and align proposal assumptions.
- Identify pricing risks, opportunities, assumptions, and mitigation strategies throughout the proposal lifecycle.
- Support competitive positioning strategies, labor planning, indirect rate considerations, and cost realism analysis.
- Contribute to continuous improvement initiatives that streamline pricing workflows, templates, and financial modeling tools.
- Help shape scalable pricing processes that improve proposal quality, speed, and operational efficiency.
- Your work directly supports mission-critical autonomous systems used by U.S. and allied defense organizations worldwide. You will influence high-visibility proposals, help shape strategic pricing decisions, and improve the financial rigor behind major business opportunities across Shield AI.
Lead & Deliver
Strategize & Collaborate
Impact
Required qualifications:
- Bachelor’s degree in Finance, Accounting, Economics, Business, or a related field; equivalent professional experience may be considered.
- 5–9 years of relevant experience in pricing, finance, government contracting, or proposal analysis.
- Minimum 2+ years of direct experience supporting government contract pricing and proposal development.
- Strong understanding of FAR, DFARS, CAS, and government contracting compliance requirements.
- Experience supporting Fixed Price, Cost Reimbursable, and Time & Materials (T&M) contract types.
- Advanced Excel and financial modeling skills with strong attention to detail and analytical rigor.
- Ability to independently manage multiple priorities and deadlines in a dynamic environment.
- Strong communication and collaboration skills with the ability to influence cross-functional stakeholders.
- Demonstrated initiative, sound judgment, and a continuous improvement mindset.
Preferred qualifications:
- Experience with Deltek Costpoint or similar ERP/project accounting systems.
- Experience supporting DoD, aerospace, or defense proposal environments.
- Knowledge of indirect rate structures, including overhead, G&A, and fringe calculations.
- Experience supporting both sole-source and competitive proposal strategies.
- Familiarity with proposal management tools and integrated project planning processes.
- Active U.S. security clearance or ability to obtain one.
Who you are:
- Self-starter who operates effectively with limited oversight.
- Calm, collaborative, and solutions-oriented under pressure.
- Highly organized with exceptional attention to detail and ownership mentality.
- Strategic thinker who balances compliance, competitiveness, and business objectives.
- Comfortable navigating ambiguity and shifting priorities in high-growth environments.
- Committed to teamwork, integrity, accountability, and continuous learning.
Tools you'll use:
- Microsoft Excel (advanced financial modeling and pricing analysis)
- Deltek Costpoint or equivalent ERP/project accounting systems
- Proposal pricing templates and cost modeling tools
- Government compliance frameworks (FAR, DFARS, CAS)
- Cross-functional planning and collaboration tools
Why join us:
- Support cutting-edge autonomous defense technology programs with real-world mission impact.
- Influence strategic pricing decisions tied to high-value growth opportunities.
- Collaborate with highly driven, mission-focused teams across the organization.
- Help shape and improve pricing operations within a rapidly scaling defense technology company.
Skills Required
- Bachelor's degree in Finance, Accounting, Economics, Business, or related field (or equivalent experience)
- 5-9 years relevant experience in pricing, finance, government contracting, or proposal analysis
- Minimum 2+ years direct experience supporting government contract pricing and proposal development
- Strong understanding of FAR, DFARS, CAS, and government contracting compliance
- Experience supporting Fixed Price, Cost Reimbursable, and Time & Materials contract types
- Advanced Excel and financial modeling skills
- Ability to independently manage multiple priorities and deadlines
- Strong communication and collaboration skills with ability to influence stakeholders
- Demonstrated initiative, sound judgment, and continuous improvement mindset
- Experience with Deltek Costpoint or similar ERP/project accounting systems
- Experience supporting DoD, aerospace, or defense proposal environments
- Knowledge of indirect rate structures including overhead, G&A, and fringe calculations
- Experience supporting sole-source and competitive proposal strategies
- Familiarity with proposal management tools and integrated project planning
- Active U.S. security clearance or ability to obtain one
What the Team is Saying
Shield AI Compensation & Benefits Highlights
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Healthcare Strength — Healthcare coverage includes medical, dental, vision, and mental-health support, with company materials describing excellent coverage. Feedback suggests these offerings are comprehensive and consistently highlighted across official and third-party benefit lists.
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Equity Value & Accessibility — Equity is granted to all full-time hires, with RSU structures and tools like Carta Tax intended to improve understanding and tax timing. Feedback suggests this broad-based ownership approach is a notable component of total rewards.
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Parental & Family Support — Benefits include paid parental leave, fertility support, childcare benefits, family medical leave, and onsite resources such as a Mother's Room. Feedback suggests the family-oriented offerings are more expansive than basic coverage.
Shield AI Insights
What We Do
At Shield AI, you won't wait years to see your work reach the field. You'll build hardware and software that operates in the real world right now, in the hands of the people who depend on it. Hivemind, our AI pilot, has been flying since 2018. It has flown more than 30 platforms, including an F-16, and it now sits under a U.S. Air Force production contract for Collaborative Combat Aircraft. When you write code or shape a system here, you contribute to technology with a proven flight record and a clear production future. V-BAT flies intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance missions with an operational record that stretches from Ukraine to the Indo-Pacific. It delivers eyes where they matter most, in the most demanding conditions on earth. The teams behind it watch their work get tested where the stakes are real. X-BAT takes its first flight this year. It's an AI-piloted fighter that needs no runway, built to operate where traditional aircraft can't. Join now and you help shape a program at its earliest, most formative stage. That's the kind of ground-floor work that defines a career. Do the most impactful work of your life, on problems that matter. Autonomy at this level asks a lot of you. You'll take on problems in perception, planning, and control that few teams anywhere are equipped to solve. You'll work across disciplines, from aerospace and robotics to machine learning and systems engineering, alongside people who hold themselves to an exacting standard and expect the same from you. Our mission is clear: protect service members and civilians with intelligent systems. That purpose runs through every decision, every design review, and every deployment. It's why the work here carries a weight you can feel. Ready to join our mission? Explore our open roles and find where you fit.
Why Work With Us
Founded in 2015 by a former Navy SEAL, Shield AI builds AI pilots and uncrewed aircraft. Veterans aren't an afterthought here, they're at every level. It's why the work carries weight: AI pilots and uncrewed aircraft flying real missions, from Ukraine to the Indo-Pacific, protecting service members and civilians.
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Hybrid Workspace
Employees engage in a combination of remote and on-site work.
