Accounting Manager III

Job Title:

Accounting Manager III - Revenue Recognition & Contract Accounting

Job Description

This onsite Accounting Manager III role in San Diego leads ASC 606 revenue recognition and contract accounting for a large portfolio of approximately 300 government and commercial contracts. You will own the interpretation of complex contract structures, determine appropriate revenue treatment across fixed-price, cost-plus, and hybrid agreements, and ensure full compliance with US GAAP and ASC 606 in a highly regulated, audit-ready environment.

The position combines deep hands-on technical accounting with leadership of a contract accounting team, extensive cross-functional partnership, and significant influence over financial reporting and forecasting.

Responsibilities

+ Own and lead the end-to-end ASC 606 revenue recognition process across a large portfolio of long-term government and commercial contracts.

+ Review and interpret complex contract language to determine accounting treatment, assess risk, and evaluate cash flow impacts for fixed-price, cost-plus, and hybrid agreements.

+ Determine appropriate revenue recognition methods, including point-in-time versus over-time and cost-to-cost/percentage-of-completion approaches.

+ Evaluate performance obligations, revenue timing, and contract-specific accounting treatment, particularly in gray or ambiguous areas.

+ Apply US GAAP and ASC 606 to diverse contract structures and ensure compliance with applicable government contracting requirements, including FAR, DFARS, and CAS where relevant.

+ Lead, develop, and mentor a contract accounting team of approximately five direct reports, balancing team leadership with individual technical ownership.

+ Support and oversee month-end close activities related to revenue, including reconciliations and preparation of financial reporting schedules.

+ Contribute to EAC (Estimate at Completion) forecasting, financial performance tracking, and other forecasting activities in partnership with Program Finance and FP&A.

+ Partner closely with FP&A, Program Finance, and Contracts teams to align contract terms, revenue treatment, and financial performance expectations.

+ Maintain robust, audit-ready documentation, controls, and support in a SOX-controlled environment.

+ Collaborate with external auditors and internal audit teams, providing clear explanations of revenue recognition judgments and contract accounting conclusions.

+ Support audits, including those by external firms and government-related audits, and ensure timely and accurate responses to audit requests.

+ Prepare or contribute to technical accounting white papers and internal technical memos to document complex revenue and contract accounting positions.

+ Demonstrate strong organizational, planning, scheduling, and workload coordination skills to meet established deadlines and milestones.

+ Serve as a subject matter expert and spokesperson on projects and programs related to revenue recognition and contract accounting.

+ Resolve complex management and finance/accounting issues, providing clear guidance and recommendations to leadership.

+ Work both independently and collaboratively, taking initiative to drive projects and improvements in processes and controls.

+ Travel and work extended hours as needed to meet critical deadlines and support key business and audit cycles.

Essential Skills

+ Extensive hands-on ASC 606 revenue recognition experience, including owning revenue recognition processes rather than only reviewing them.

+ Proven ability to clearly explain and apply point-in-time versus over-time revenue recognition and cost-to-cost/percentage-of-completion methods.

+ Deep contract accounting experience with direct responsibility for reading and interpreting government and commercial contracts.

+ Strong knowledge of and experience with fixed-price, cost-plus, and hybrid (fixed-price plus cost-plus) contract structures.

+ Understanding of allowable versus unallowable costs and core FAR concepts in a government contracting environment.

+ Demonstrated technical judgment in gray-area accounting situations, including hybrid revenue recognition decisions and contract-specific accounting treatments.

+ Experience drafting technical accounting white papers and internal technical memos to support complex judgments.

+ Leadership experience managing a team of approximately five direct reports in an accounting or finance function.

+ Experience working with external auditors and internal audit teams in a GAAP and ASC 606 compliant environment.

+ Strong Excel skills, including data manipulation and analysis to support revenue recognition and forecasting.

+ Experience in a commercial and government contractor environment, ideally within government or manufacturing contract accounting.

+ Ability to organize, plan, schedule, and coordinate workloads to meet established deadlines and milestones.

+ Strong communication, leadership, presentation, and interpersonal skills, with the ability to serve as a spokesperson on…