Senior Cost accountant/Gov't accountant

Job Summary

Why You’ll Love This Role

If you’re energized by digging into the details behind product costs, understanding how manufacturing performance drives financial results, and owning the integrity of cost data from shop floor to financial statements, this role is for you.

As a Senior Cost Accountant, you’ll be at the center of cost visibility and control—ensuring accurate product costing, maintaining disciplined cost structures, analyzing variances, and delivering actionable insights that improve operational performance. Your work will directly influence pricing, profitability, forecasting, and strategic decision-making across complex aerospace manufacturing programs.

This is not a transactional role. You’ll own cost accounting processes end-to-end, collaborate closely with operations and program teams, and serve as a key steward of financial accuracy in a highly regulated manufacturing environment.

What You’ll Do

Own and Manage the Cost Accounting Structure

• Oversee the accurate accumulation, classification, and allocation of direct and indirect costs
• Maintain and continuously improve cost pools (labor, overhead, G&A) and allocation methodologies
• Lead annual and interim indirect rate development, forecasting, and monitoring
• Ensure consistency and integrity in cost flow from subledger to general ledger
• Maintain standard cost structures and ensure alignment with operational realities

• Month-end close related activities
• Ensure compliance with FAR, CAS, and U.S. Government accounting requirements across active aerospace programs
• Support CAS-covered contracts, maintaining consistent and compliant cost accumulation, allocation, and reporting practices
• Monitor and document compliance with key CAS standards
• Identify and manage unallowable costs in accordance with FAR Part 31

Job Responsibilities

Drive Manufacturing Cost Control & Analysis

• Perform detailed analysis of labor, material, overhead, and subcontract costs
• Analyze manufacturing variances (labor efficiency, material usage, overhead absorption, purchase price variance) and partner with operations to identify root causes
• Monitor inventory valuation, WIP balances, and cost of goods sold
• Support standard cost updates, annual cost roll processes, and BOM reviews
• Evaluate cost trends and identify opportunities for efficiency and margin improvement

Lead Government Cost Compliance Within the Cost Framework

• Ensure cost accumulation practices comply with FAR, CAS, and government contract requirements
• Support CAS-covered contracts with consistent cost allocation methodologies
• Identify, monitor, and segregate unallowable costs

• Prepare and support forward pricing rate proposals (FPRPs), and government submissions
• Serve as a key contributor during DCAA and DCMA audits, helping tell the story behind the numbers

Strengthen Financial Controls & Reporting

• Maintain documentation supporting cost methodologies and internal controls
• Support month-end and year-end close processes related to inventory, reserves, and cost adjustments
• Develop clear, decision-useful reporting for leadership
• Ensure audit readiness through disciplined process ownership and documentation

Leverage Financial Systems & Tools

• Utilize SAP to manage cost accounting structures, standard costs, and reporting
• Support consolidation and reporting through OneStream
• Build advanced cost models, variance analysis, and dashboards using Excel, MS Office tools, and Qlik

Job Qualifications

What You Bring

• US Citizen.
• Bachelor’s degree in Accounting or Finance
• 5+ years of progressive experience in cost accounting within a manufacturing environment (aerospace preferred)
• Strong understanding of standard costing, variance analysis, and indirect rate structures
• Experience with cost roll processes in complex BOM environments
• Advanced Excel skills, experience with ERP systems (SAP preferred), and financial reporting software (OneStream preferred)
• Strong analytical mindset with the ability to translate cost data into operational insight
• Hands-on experience supporting audits and government rate submissions
• Working knowledge of FAR and CAS in a government contracting environment
• Direct experience preparing forward pricing rate proposals (FPRP)
• DCAA/DCMA audit support experience

Nice to Have

• CPA or CMA certification