Controller, Accounting, Financial Compliance

$150000 - $200000 per year | Austin, TX | Hybrid | Permanent

Our client is a veteran-founded, venture-backed defense technology company building software that lets unmanned and autonomous systems work together in complex, mission-critical environments. Its platform is vendor-agnostic: it connects systems from many manufacturers so defense customers can run coordinated, multi-asset operations in real time. Backed by top-tier venture investors and strategic defense partners, the company recently closed its Series A and is scaling quickly to support U.S. and allied national security customers.

The team is based in Austin, TX and works hybrid on-site.

Build it from the ground up. This is the company’s first dedicated Controller. You’ll design the accounting function, choose and implement the systems, and set the processes the company will scale on.

A clear path to the top. As the company grows, the role has a direct path to VP of Finance or CFO, or to building a broader accounting and FP&A team.

Equity in a high-growth company. Fresh Series A funding and growing government programs mean meaningful upside at an early stage.

Mission that matters. Your work directly supports national security customers and the people who rely on this technology in the field.

Strategic seat at the table. You’ll partner closely with founders and leadership. Your work is what makes the company fundable, auditable and ready to win larger government contracts.

Veteran-led culture. The company is built by people who’ve served, with a focus on ownership, urgency and solving hard problems.

Austin, hybrid. A thriving tech and defense hub, no state income tax, and a flexible on-site schedule.

The Opportunity

We’re hiring a Controller to build the company’s accounting and compliance infrastructure from scratch. You’ll own the books, the close, government contract compliance, audit readiness and finance systems as the company moves through its next stages of growth. This role suits someone with a public accounting foundation and hands‑on government contracting experience who wants to build rather than maintain.

• Run all core accounting: general ledger, payables, receivables, payroll integration and the monthly close
• Design the chart of accounts, cost structure and indirect rate pools needed to operate as a federal contractor
• Implement a DCAA-compliant accounting environment, including timekeeping, labor distribution and cost allocation
• Prepare billing rates, incurred cost submissions and forward pricing proposals
• Maintain compliance with FAR, DFARS and CAS , and support government audits and pre‑award system reviews
• Partner with contracts and program teams on billing and revenue recognition across cost‑plus, fixed‑price, OTA and SBIR contracts
• Deliver monthly and quarterly financials for leadership and the board
• Lead the company’s first financial statement audit and set ASC 606 revenue policies
• Build internal controls with a long‑term view toward public‑company readiness
• Select and implement accounting, billing, expense and payroll systems, and connect them to project and contract data
• Write policies, procedures and documentation as the finance team grows
• Manage outside auditors, tax advisors, banks and outsourced accounting partners, then transition that work in‑house

• Public accounting experience, ideally Big 4 audit
• Controller or Assistant Controller experience in government contracting, preferably at a venture‑backed defense or tech company
• Hands‑on DCAA, indirect rate and incurred cost experience
• Experience selecting and implementing finance systems at an early‑stage company
• U.S. citizenship and the ability to obtain a…