Change Manager

About the Positions

We’re seeking Change Managers to support large, complex heavy civil infrastructure programs, including highways, roads, bridges, transit (bus and rail), aviation (international airports), and water/wastewater projects delivered through both traditional and alternative delivery methods. You’ll support the change control process, develop the independent analysis that tests submitted entitlement, cost, and time, keep the scope, cost, schedule, and technical baselines accurate and traceable, and give program leadership a defensible position before money moves, on assignments ranging from a single contract package to a program-level change function.

This post 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

Note: We are seeking candidates of various skill levels, and the following responsibilities represent the core of these roles. Scope and complexity increase with experience level.

• Support the program’s change control process from early identification through entitlement determination, pricing, negotiation, and executed change order.
• Track every change notice and open change item in the log to a documented decision within the timeframes the contract allows.
• Evaluate change proposals, requests for equitable adjustment, and claims for contractual entitlement, and recommend a position supported by the contract language and the factual record.
• Develop and review independent cost estimates and time impact analyses that test contractor-submitted pricing and delay claims rather than accepting the submitted numbers.
• Coordinate with the estimators, schedulers, and analysts supporting change evaluation, and apply a consistent approach to how changes are analyzed, priced, and documented.
• Prepare change board packages that carry the recommendation, the independent analysis, the funding source, and the consequence of not acting, and present them to program decision-makers.
• Support negotiation of change order value and time extensions alongside the contracting officer or contract administrator, and document what was agreed and what was released.
• Process approved change orders through the contract, and confirm each one is reflected in the contract value, the baseline schedule, the budget, and the affected drawings and specifications.
• Coordinate change evaluation with the program’s engineering, inspection, right of way, and operations groups.
• Evaluate impacts to active operations and existing facilities before a change is approved.
• Analyze differing site conditions, design changes, and third-party-driven changes on bridges, underground work, and systems, and separate what the contract already covers from what it does not.
• Report change trends, open change exposure, and pending time extensions to executive program leadership so cost and schedule risk is visible before it lands.
• Maintain configuration control of the change record and the affected technical documentation, including version control, revision history, and audit trails.
• Keep entitlement decisions, pricing basis, and correspondence retrievable for internal and external audit, funding review, and dispute resolution.

Attributes

• Excellent written and verbal communication and interpersonal skills.
• Excellent multi-tasking and organizational skills.
• Collaborative mindset that fosters teamwork, trust, and positive relationships.
• Natural curiosity, problem-solving abilities, and a commitment to continuous improvement.

Minimum Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in construction management, civil engineering, construction engineering, or business administration, or related field, or equivalent combination of education and experience.
• 10+ years of construction change control, change order, or claims experience for large (>$500M), complex, heavy-civil infrastructure projects.
• Experience leading the change control process on a construction contract package, including change identification, entitlement determination, pricing, executed change order, and coordination of the estimators, schedulers, and analysts who support change evaluation.
• Experience evaluating change proposals, requests for equitable adjustment, or claims for entitlement, cost, and schedule impact, and recommending a position to the owner.
• Experience developing or reviewing independent cost estimates and time impact analyses that test contractor-submitted pricing and delay claims.
• Experience preparing change board or governance packages and presenting recommendations to owner decision-makers.
• Working knowledge of public works contract provisions governing changes, differing site conditions, delays, and notice and claim requirements.
• Experience with industry standard PMIS, document management, and CPM scheduling software (e.g., MS Project, Unifier, Kahua, e-Builder, Primavera P6, etc.).
• Proficiency with Microsoft Office Suite/Office 365 (e.g., Outlook, Teams, Word, PowerPoint, etc.).

Preferred Qualifications

• Master’s degree in construction management, civil engineering, construction engineering, or business administration.
• Active professional certifications such as CCM (CMAA), PMP (PMI), and/or CCP or CFCC (AACE).
• Experience managing a program-level change control function across multiple contract packages, including supervising change analysts and standardizing how packages are evaluated.
• Experience negotiating individual change orders exceeding $10M in value.
• Experience leading the owner’s position on a claim through a dispute resolution board, mediation, or a formal claims process.
• Experience analyzing delay and schedule impact on a CPM schedule, including concurrency and the difference between excusable and compensable delay.
• Experience with industry standard estimating, cost analysis, and document markup software (e.g., HCSS HeavyBid, RSMeans, Bluebeam Revu, ProjectWise, etc.).
• Proficiency with Microsoft Power BI, Oracle Cloud Analytics, or other dashboard KPI reporting software.

Expected Salary: $125k-$200k/year ($60-$96/hour). Luster provides the salary range that the company in good faith believes it might offer for this position based on the successful candidate’s level and years of experience, knowledge, skills, abilities, education, certifications, licenses, geographic location, etc. Luster reserves the right to ultimately pay more or less than the posted range depending on circumstances not related to any status protected by local, state, and/or federal law.

Just LOOK at the Benefits We Offer!

• Unlimited flexible time off
• Paid holidays
• Paid parental leave
• Health, dental, and vision insurance
• Flexible spending accounts (healthcare and dependent or elder care)
• Long-term disability insurance
• Short-term disability insurance
• Life insurance and accidental death and dismemberment
• 401(k) plan with guaranteed employer contribution
• Formal career planning and development program
• $2,500 annually toward professional development
• Wellness program with monthly wellness stipend
• Company cell phone or cell phone plan reimbursement
• Free personalized meal planning and nutrition support with a registered dietitian
• Free personal financial planning services
• Employee assistance program
• Employee referral bonus

Specific plan details and coverage for each benefit noted above will be provided upon offer.

Luster is committed to creating an inclusive work environment with a diverse workforce. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to criminal history, race, color, religion, gender, gender identity or expression, sexual orientation, national origin, genetics, disability, age, or veteran status. This employer participates in E-Verify. The employer will provide the Social Security Administration (SSA) and, if necessary, the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) with information from each new employee's I-9 to confirm work authorization.

All positions may be subject to a background check and drug test once a conditional offer of employment is made for any convictions directly related to its duties and responsibilities, in accordance with all applicable local, state, and/or federal regulations.

Luster does not provide employer sponsorship. This includes employer-filed petitions or other employer-filed government submissions related to employment authorization.