Controller; Aerospace

Position: Controller (Aerospace)
Job Description

This role offers a clear career path into an executive position and is designed for a financial leader who is ready to move beyond traditional accounting responsibilities. The controller will serve as a strategic financial leader, ensuring rigorous financial compliance, reporting integrity, and strong internal controls while acting as a key partner to leadership. Within 2-3 years, the successful candidate is expected to transition into a Vice President of Finance role within the broader organization.

The position combines hands-on financial management with strategic planning, government contracting compliance, and continuous process improvement in a highly innovative aviation-focused environment.

Responsibilities

+ Direct the month-end close process and ensure the timely and accurate delivery of all financial reporting.

+ Design, implement, and maintain robust internal financial controls to safeguard company assets and ensure compliance.

+ Manage the preparation of financial forecasts, the annual operating plan, and strategic financial models to support long-term planning.

+ Serve as the primary financial subject matter expert for the business, providing high-level presentations and performance analytics to Business Unit Managers and leadership.

+ Provide expert guidance on pricing and proposal initiatives, ensuring strict adherence to government contracting requirements, including FAR, DFAR, TINA, and CAS.

+ Collaborate with cross-functional leaders to ensure compliance with all applicable federal, state, and local financial and regulatory requirements.

+ Lead value engineering and cost-reduction initiatives to drive continuous improvement and operational efficiency.

+ Partner with IT to automate financial workflows and adopt new technologies, with a specific focus on data warehousing and business intelligence tools to enhance financial visibility.

+ Perform detailed variance analysis, including budget-to-actual and year-over-year comparisons, to support data-driven decision-making.

+ Lead, mentor, and develop a high-performing finance team, fostering a culture of professional growth, accountability, and ownership.

+ Act as a change agent by driving process improvements and leveraging modern technologies to optimize financial operations.

+ Support strategic planning activities by providing accurate financial insights, scenario analysis, and recommendations to leadership.

+ Ensure financial practices align with generally accepted accounting principles (GAAP) and internal policies.

+ Coordinate closely with various departments across the organization to align financial objectives with operational goals.

Essential Skills

+ Bachelor's degree in Accounting, Finance, or Business.

+ At least 10 years of progressive experience in finance roles, with significant exposure to the manufacturing or aerospace sectors.

+ Expertise in GAAP and technical accounting.

+ Proven experience in government contract accounting, including FAR, DFAR, TINA, and CAS.

+ Demonstrated ability to perform detailed variance analysis, including budget-to-actual and year-over-year comparisons.

+ Advanced proficiency in Microsoft Excel.

+

Experience with data warehousing or Power BI.

+ Demonstrated experience in month-end close processes and financial reporting.

+ Strong experience in forecasting, budgeting, and financial modeling.

+ Track record of successfully managing cross-functional teams and complex projects.

+ Experience leading large-scale operational change and process improvement initiatives.

+ Ability to lead, mentor, and develop finance teams.

+ Strong communication skills with the ability to present financial information clearly to leadership.

Additional

Skills & Qualifications

+ MBA or a professional certification, such as CPA or CMA is highly desired.

+ Experience in the manufacturing or aerospace industry, particularly in environments focused on aviation and cockpit control systems.

+ Familiarity with business intelligence tools and data visualization, including Power BI.

+ Experience partnering with IT to implement financial systems and automation.

+ value engineering and cost-reduction initiatives.

+ Ability to act as a…