Job Description
About the Positions We're seeking Project Controls Analysts (Cost and Data Visualization) at multiple levels to support large, heavy-civil infrastructure programs, including highways, roads, bridges, transit (rail and bus), aviation (international airports), and water projects delivered through both traditional and alternative methods. These roles sit at the intersection of project controls and modern data analytics. Depending on level and experience, responsibilities may span cost control, financial tracking, and schedule awareness, combined with advanced data structuring and visualization capabilities. Across all levels, the focus is not just on building dashboards, but on working within active programs to help teams understand what the data is actually telling them and where performance is trending. Team members support cost and financial oversight across publicly funded programs (USDOT, FAA, FTA, and state DOTs), contributing across the full reporting lifecycle. This may include partnering with stakeholders to define reporting requirements, integrating and validating data from multiple systems, structuring datasets, and developing dashboards and reports that support project execution, program controls, and executive decision-making. At Luster, these are not passive reporting roles. Depending on level, individuals play a key part in shaping how project data is organized, governed, and communicated across complex, multi-stakeholder environments. The expectation across the team is an understanding of both the data and the project context behind it, with the ability to bridge the gap between technical outputs and real-world delivery. This posting is for future roles and not for a specific opportunity that is available right now. We accept applications and conduct interviews in advance of upcoming hiring needs. When a candidate is selected, their profile is activated in our talent pool for this specialty area. We notify our talent pool candidates first whenever we have a project need . Responsibilities may include, but are not limited to, the following: Project Controls and Program Analytics Develop dashboards and reports that support cost, schedule, forecast, progress, change, and performance analysis. Create reporting solutions for project teams, program leadership, and executive stakeholders. Support analytics related to: budget versus actuals; forecast trends; cost and schedule variance; cash flow and commitments; change management; portfolio and program performance; risk and exposure indicators. Help translate project controls data into practical, decision-ready outputs. Cost Control and Financial Oversight Monitor actual costs vs. budget and analyze variances across multiple funding sources. Implement cost control procedures in compliance with federal and state regulations. Prepare cost reports and documentation required by agencies such as the Federal Transit Administration (FTA), Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), and State DOTs. Collaborate with scheduling, procurement, and engineering teams to align cost data with project milestones. Support earned value management (EVM) and integrate cost and schedule performance metrics. Identify cost-related risks and support mitigation planning. Evaluate cost impacts of change orders and scope modifications. Interface with government clients, contractors, and internal teams to ensure transparency and accountability. Participate in audits, reviews, and funding agency meetings. Support reporting deliverables across multiple funding and delivery structures, including traditional and alternative methods. Data Integration and Management Extract, organize, and validate data from client and internal systems, including PMIS platforms, ERP systems, scheduling systems, and operational/financial source systems. Support the design and maintenance of data pipelines using SQL, APIs, and Python-based workflows. Prepare data for reporting through cleansing, transformation, and modeling. Contribute to scalable data structures that support repeatable reporting and analytics delivery. Dashboard and Report Development Design and build user-friendly dashboards, reports, and visual analytics primarily in Power BI. Develop views tailored to different audiences, including executive, management, and operational users. Use wireframes and prototypes to align reporting design with stakeholder needs. Incorporate best practices in layout, usability, filtering, navigation, and documentation. Support paginated and presentation-ready reporting where required.