Principal Analyst - Technical Project, Material Services

Role Overview

The Technical Project Principal Analyst, National Reimbursement is a principal-level technical leadership, analyst oversight, and hands-on review role within the Material Services responsible for leading complex technical project assessments, guiding Senior Analysts, and helping establish the processes, frameworks, tools, and standards used to evaluate reimbursement-funded projects across California and emerging EPR states.

Reporting to the National Reimbursement Senior Manager, this role serves as a senior technical reviewer for higher-risk, higher-value, novel, precedent-setting, or technically complex reimbursement requests while also supporting day-to-day execution of technical reviews. This is a position in the Material Services department of Program Planning and Operations (PPO), which also includes Compliance & Regulatory Affairs (CRA), Data & Analytics (D&A) and Emerging States.

The Principal Analyst provides technical direction, quality review, coaching, and escalation support to Senior Analysts performing reimbursement project reviews. This role helps ensure that analyst findings, documentation, questions, and recommendations are consistent, well-supported, regulatorily defensible, operationally practical, and aligned with CAA’s strategic priorities. While the position includes leadership and oversight responsibilities, it remains an execution-oriented role that requires direct hands-on review of complex applications, funding requests, technical documentation, implementation plans, cost assumptions, operational impacts, performance expectations, and claimed alignment with regulatory and program requirements.

The role works closely with Legal, Data & Analytics, Materials, Compliance & Regulatory Affairs, Finance, state teams, and other CAA functional groups to obtain subject matter input, resolve review questions, support consistent application of eligibility and covered-cost criteria, and improve the review lifecycle. The Principal Analyst prepares and reviews clear findings, questions, recommendations, escalation materials, and decision-support documents for the National Reimbursement Senior Manager and other internal stakeholders.

The position requires advanced technical judgment, regulatory comprehension, analytical discipline, practical project review experience, leadership maturity, and the ability to build scalable review processes while continuing to identify risks, gaps, unsupported assumptions, and opportunities to improve project value before reimbursement decisions are made.

Key Responsibilities

• Technical Leadership, Analyst Oversight & Review Framework Development:Lead, guide, and support Senior Analysts performing technical review of reimbursement applications, proposed projects, and supporting documentation.
• Complex Technical Feasibility Review:Lead hands-on technical review ofcomplex proposed reimbursement projects to assess feasibility, practicality, implementation readiness, risk profile, and alignment with statedobjectives.
• Regulatory & Program Alignment Review:Lead review of funding requests for alignment with applicable EPR laws, regulations, program plan requirements, covered-cost criteria, and CAA reimbursement policies.
• Strategic Priority Assessment:Assess whether proposed projects advance CAA’s strategic priorities, including regulatory compliance, improved recycling outcomes, operational effectiveness,equitableservice delivery, system modernization, and measurable program value.
• Application Review,Technical Due Diligence& Escalation:Review complex reimbursement applications and supporting materials todeterminewhether the proposed project is sufficiently defined for technical assessment and reimbursement consideration.
• AssessmentofFunding Requests:Assess reimbursement applications todeterminewhether requested funding is technically justified, adequately documented, and connected to eligible program outcomes.
• Cross-Functional Collaboration:Work collaboratively across internal teams—includingLegal, Data & Analytics, Materials, Finance, Planning,Compliance & Regulatory Affairs,andstate teams—to obtain inputs needed for technical, regulatory, operational, and financial review.

Additional Responsibilities

• Conduct technical, regulatory, operational, and economic research needed to evaluate proposed projects and reimbursement requests.
• Document review rationale, assumptions, unresolved issues, and recommendation basis in a clear and audit-ready manner.
• Operate effectively in ambiguous, evolving environments by applying sound judgment, escalating material concerns, and distinguishing feasibility issues from documentation gaps.
• Perform other related duties as assigned.

Skills & Competencies

• Advanced technical judgment and ability to assess project feasibility, implementation readiness, operational dependencies, practical constraints, and broader program implications.
• Ability to lead, coach, guide, and review the work of Senior Analysts whilemaintaininga hands-on role in complex technical reviews.
• Ability to interpret regulatory, program, and reimbursement requirements and translate them into practical review criteria, decision tools, documentation standards, and repeatable processes.
• Experience reviewing complex technical project scopes, cost assumptions, documentation packages, implementation plans, operational dependencies, and performance expectations.
• Ability toidentifyunsupported assumptions, gaps, risks, inconsistencies, potential precedent-setting issues, and misalignment with strategic or regulatoryobjectives.
• Strong analytical and written communication skills, including the ability to prepare and review clear findings, recommendations, questions, escalation materials, and decision-support documents.
• Attention to detail and commitment to documentation quality, traceability, audit readiness, consistency, and defensibility across analyst work products.
• Ability to work with operational, financial, performance, and project data to evaluate reasonableness and supportability of funding requests.
• Ability tooperateeffectively in a fast-paced, ambiguous, evolving environment with flexibility to pivot as needed and sound judgment to escalate material issues.
• Familiarity with recycling operations, infrastructure projects, municipal programs, environmental policy, EPR programs, regulated funding programs, or application-based reimbursement processes preferred.

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degreerequiredin engineering, environmental science, environmental studies, public administration, economics, data analytics, project management, or a related field.
• MBA,CPAorMasters inengineering, environmental science, environmental studies, public administration, economics, data analytics, project management, or a related fieldhighly preferred.
• 13+ years of relevant professional experience in technical project review, infrastructure or operations assessment, recycling or solid waste programs, regulated funding programs, reimbursement review, project analysis,analyst oversight, process development, or similar fields.
• Experience evaluatingcomplexproject scopes, costs, feasibility, regulatory alignment, implementation plans, technical documentation, and analyst work productspreferred.

• Experience with EPR programs, recycling systems, municipal operations, public-sector funding programs, regulated programs, or application-based reimbursement processes preferred.

Compensation & Other Information

• Location:Remote from the United States of America, with some travel for meetings andinterestholder interactions.
• Pay Rate: Based on a variety of factorsin accordance withapplicable law including the successful candidate’s relevant experience, skills,knowledgeand experience.
• Reports To: National Reimbursement Senior Manager

Circular Action Alliance is an equal employment opportunity employer. All qualified applicants for employment will be considered without regard to race, color, religion, sex (including pregnancy, childbirth, lactation, and related medical conditions), national origin, military or veteran status, sexual orientation, gender identity, age or any other category protected by applicable federal, state, or local law. If you require accommodation as part of the application process, please contact careers@circularaction.org.