JOHN PIZZO
Current position:
Lead, Finance
My name is John Pizzo and I am a member of the finance organization for the Integrated Mission Systems (IMS) Maritime Sector Center of Excellence (COE). The IMS Maritime Sector COE supports ten major sites scattered across the country. I have been in this role with increasing responsibility for 10 years and I have over 20 years of finance experience, specifically within the defense industry. I specialize as a cost and pricing lead for strategic and competitive proposals.
My typical day is far from routine, which is one of the aspects I love most about my role as it keeps me engaged and interested.
Some of my daily activities include:
- Analyzing pricing requirements in requests for proposals
- Using ProPricer estimating software to gather proposal costs and ensuring compliance, completeness and accuracy in basis of estimates
- Creating pricing review summaries to support management bid reviews
- Analyzing cash flow to maintain a favorable cash position
- Developing pricing models and narratives for formal proposal submissions and support post-submission activities such as audits, fact-finding and contract negotiations
At any given time, I may be working on one major pursuit with a 60- or 90-day turnaround or handling a few smaller or medium-sized proposals with much shorter turnarounds. When juggling multiple proposals, organization and time management are essential.
I enjoy the unique opportunities that come with my role, particularly the ability to shape our proposal responses and directly impact winning bids through pricing strategy recommendations. Collaborating on diverse, cross-functional teams has been a rewarding experience. Working on strategic proposals has also allowed me to collaborate with various sites across different sectors and segments worldwide, providing me with opportunities to travel to new places.
In one project, I collaborated with multiple sites across the country and traveled to Washington, D.C. to support initial proposal activities and strategy meetings. During this trip, I saw the Pentagon for the first time from the view of my hotel window!
Additionally, I attended the commissioning of Coast Guard Cutter Angela McShan, in Cape May, New Jersey, named after the first African American woman to attain the enlisted rank of master chief petty officer. I was able to tour the new vessel, which features a full suite of L3Harris electronics.
"Over the last decade, I’ve contributed to several franchise proposal wins that I am extremely proud of. Each came with a great sense of accomplishment because I know how critical our mission is to the warfighter."
– John Pizzo, Lead, Finance
Another project involved working with sites in various cities, including Lafayette, Louisiana. I had the opportunity to visit Baton Rouge, see the Louisiana State University Tiger Stadium and explore New Orleans during my downtime.
For an international project, I collaborated with sites in Italy, Canada and the United States, spanning multiple time zones, sectors and currencies. A particularly complex and demanding assignment that provided invaluable lessons and growth over several years.
L3Harris does an excellent job to ensure that I am fulfilled and on the right trajectory for my career desires. Regular meetings with my direct manager and upper management have been tremendously valuable for me to make sure my voice is heard, and specific goals are met. I am also encouraged to attend trainings and conferences to network and continuously develop my skills. I’ve had the opportunity to travel to Washington, D.C. and San Diego, California for ProPricer conferences to enhance my knowledge.
FINANCE
Use your financial expertise to help launch space missions. You’ll be part of a team that keeps our customers connected, successful and safe, even before the countdown to liftoff. Together, we’ll build unprecedented solutions for the final frontier.
Finance jobs include:
- Program Finance
- Accounting
- Government Compliance
- Cost Analysis
- Financial Planning and Analysis
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