Senior Program Planning & Scheduling Analyst / Master Scheduler

Location: Plymouth, MN / MinneapolisSt. Paul Region

Work Arrangement: Primarily Remote, with occasional onsite support in Plymouth, MN as needed

Pay Rate: $80.00$85.00/hour

Contract: 12-month contract with intent to convert to direct employment

Schedule: 9/80 schedule, with every other Friday off

Security Clearance: Not required

Position Overview

A leading defense and aerospace company is seeking an experienced Senior Program Planning & Scheduling Analyst / Master Scheduler to support complex programs based out of its Plymouth, MN operation.

This is a Senior-level scheduling and program controls position responsible for developing, maintaining, and analyzing Integrated Master Schedules (IMS) across multiple programs and contracts. The Scheduler will work closely with Program Management, Engineering, Manufacturing, Supply Chain, Finance, and other functional teams to ensure program activities are properly integrated, milestones are achievable, and schedule risks are identified before they impact program commitments.

Bottom line: This person will be responsible for understanding how all pieces of a complex defense program come together, from engineering and procurement through manufacturing, testing, and delivery, and translating those activities into an accurate, executable master schedule. They will monitor schedule performance, identify critical-path issues and risks, and provide program leadership with the information needed to keep programs on track.

Responsibilities

Develop, maintain, and coordinate detailed Integrated Master Schedules (IMS) for multiple programs and contracts.
Integrate schedules across Engineering, Procurement, Supply Chain, Manufacturing, Testing, Finance, and other program functions.
Perform detailed schedule, resource, work, and cost analysis.
Analyze schedules for critical path, schedule risk, performance trends, logic issues, and potential milestone delays.
Perform Schedule Risk Analysis (SRA) and schedule health assessments.
Apply scheduling and program controls best practices, including DCMA 14-Point assessments and Earned Value Management System (EVMS) principles.
Monitor program progress and provide weekly schedule status, metrics, and reporting.
Work directly with Program and Project Managers to identify scheduling problems and develop recommendations for corrective action.
Support Integrated Baseline Reviews (IBR) and Joint Surveillance Reviews (JSR).
Prepare schedule analysis and presentations for program leadership.
Maintain horizontal and vertical integration of program schedules to ensure dependencies and milestones are accurately represented.

Required Qualifications

Bachelor's degree and 5+ years of professional program/project planning and scheduling experience, or a Master's degree and 3+ years of relevant experience.
An additional 4 years of directly related experience may be considered in lieu of a bachelor's degree.
Hands-on experience developing, maintaining, or analyzing complex program/project schedules.
Experience working with Integrated Master Schedules (IMS).
Experience with professional scheduling tools such as Microsoft Project, SSI Tools, or comparable scheduling software.
Strong understanding of schedule dependencies, milestones, critical path, and schedule performance.
Strong Microsoft Office skills, particularly Excel and PowerPoint.
Ability to work across multiple functional organizations and communicate schedule status and risks to program leadership.

Preferred Qualifications

Aerospace, defense, government contracting, or similarly complex program environment experience.
Experience working within an EVMS environment.
Experience performing Critical Path Analysis, Schedule Risk Analysis, and DCMA 14-Point schedule assessments.
Experience with Deltek Open Plan Professional (OPP).
Experience with Deltek Acumen Fuse, PM Compass, and/or Cobra reporting.
Advanced Excel experience, including PivotTables, VLOOKUP/INDEX MATCH, and macros.
Experience supporting IBR or JSR reviews/audits.
PMP certification.

Ideal Candidate

The strongest candidate will be an experienced Program Scheduler, Master Scheduler, Integrated Master Scheduler, Program Planner, Project Controls Scheduler, or Program Planning & Scheduling Analyst who has personally owned or maintained complex Integrated Master Schedules.

This role is best suited for someone who can go beyond simply updating dates. The ideal candidate understands schedule logic, dependencies, critical path, EVMS, schedule health, and risk, and can work directly with program leadership to determine what is driving a schedule problem and what needs to happen to keep the program on track.

Candidates located in or around Plymouth, Minneapolis, St. Paul, or the greater Twin Cities area are strongly preferred due to occasional onsite requirements.

Job Type & Location

This is a Contract to Hire position based out of Plymouth, MN.

Pay and Benefits

The pay range for this position is $80.00 - $85.00/hr.

Individual compensation offered for this position within this range will depend on many factors, including qualifications, skills, relevant experience, job knowledge, geographic location, internal equity, and other pertinent job-related factors.

Eligibility requirements apply to some benefits and may depend on your job classification and length of employment. Benefits are subject to change and may be subject to specific elections, plan, or program terms. If eligible, the benefits available for this temporary role may include the following: Medical, dental & vision Critical Illness, Accident, and Hospital 401(k) Retirement Plan Pre-tax and Roth post-tax contributions available Life Insurance (Voluntary Life & AD&D for the employee and dependents) Short and long-term disability Health Spending Account (HSA) Transportation benefits Employee Assistance Program Time Off/Leave (PTO, Vacation or Sick Leave)

Workplace Type

This is a fully remote position.

Application Deadline

This position is anticipated to close on Oct 19, 2026.

About Actalent

Actalent is a global leader in engineering and sciences services and talent solutions. We help visionary companies advance their engineering and science initiatives through access to specialized experts who drive scale, innovation and speed to market. With a network of almost 20,000 consultants and 5,000 clients across the U.S., Canada, Asia and Europe, Actalent serves many of the Fortune 500. We are proud to be an Engineering News-Record (ENR) Top 500 Design Firm for our engineering design services and a ClearlyRated Best of Staffing® winner for both client and talent service.

The company is an equal opportunity employer and will consider all applications without regard to race, sex, age, color, religion, national origin, veteran status, disability, sexual orientation, gender identity, genetic information or any characteristic protected by law.

If you would like to request a reasonable accommodation, such as the modification or adjustment of the job application process or interviewing process due to a disability, please email actalentaccommodation@actalentservices.com for other accommodation options.

San Francisco Fair Chance Ordinance: Pursuant to the San Francisco Fair Chance Ordinance, for all positions located in the city and county of San Francisco, we will consider for employment qualified applicants with arrest and conviction records.

Massachusetts Lie Detector: It is unlawful in Massachusetts to require or administer a lie detector test as a condition of employment or continued employment. An employer who violates this law shall be subject to criminal penalties and civil liability.

Use of Artificial Intelligence (AI): We may use Artificial Intelligence (AI) to support parts of our hiring process, including sourcing, screening, and evaluating candidates. AI helps assess applications and qualifications, but final decisions are made by our hiring team. By applying, you acknowledge and agree that your application may be reviewed using AI tools.

Senior Program Planning & Scheduling Analyst & Master Scheduler