Government Cost Accountant

Description

Elevate your career with Detroit Defense. Join a dynamic team dedicated to national security through cutting-edge technology. Detroit Defense has a long history of delivering advanced solutions to the Department of War (DOW). Dive into innovation in Systems Engineering, Combat Vehicle Integration, Digital Transformation, Cybersecurity, Data Analytics and Software Development. Your journey to impactful work and rapid growth starts now—Behind the Mission Beyond the Challenge!

Detroit Defense is seeking a Government Cost Accountant to provide integral, hands‑on support to the Controller and Director of FP&A across our cost accounting structure in Deltek Costpoint. The Chief Financial Officer (CFO) owns the company's indirect rate structure, cost allowability determinations, and incurred cost submission, with critical input of the Director of FP&A and the Controller; this role provides the analytical and execution support beneath that leadership team – supporting operational accounting as needed, and performing the reconciliations, data checks, and schedule preparation that let the CFO and their team make and defend those calls with confidence.

This position focuses on confirming that labor, cost, and organizational data are captured completely, accurately, and consistently as they flow through Costpoint.

The Government Cost Accountant reports directly to the Controller and works closely with FP&A, Program Finance, Contracts, and other departments to keep our cost structure compliant, reconcilable, and audit‑ready.

Essential Duties and Responsibilities:

Cost Pool & Indirect Rate Management (Deltek Costpoint) – Support Role

• Support the Controller/Director of FP&A in maintaining and reconciling the company's indirect cost pools (fringe, overhead, G&A) in Costpoint, ensuring pool cost accounts are mapped to the correct account/organization combinations at the lowest level costs are actually posted.
• Perform the monthly and year‑end calculation and reconciliation of actual indirect rates against provisional/billing rates; research variances and bring findings to the Controller/Director of FP&A for review and resolution.
• Provide supporting analysis and data for provisional billing rate development and annual rate budgets, which are set by the CFO with support from the Accounting Team.
• Help confirm the allocation base for each pool (e.g., direct labor dollars, total cost input, modified total direct costs) is applied consistently, flagging any inconsistency for leadership and/or third‑party review.

Deltek Costpoint Organization & Department Structure – Support Role

• Provide hands‑on support maintaining the Costpoint organization/department structure (home organizations, cost centers, org hierarchy) under the direction of the Controller/Director of FP&A, so that costs post to the correct pool and cost objective from the point of entry.
• Assist in evaluating the downstream cost pool and rate impact of any proposed organizational or account structure change, and raise findings to the Controller/Director of FP&A before a change is implemented.
• Maintain documentation of the current organization/department structure and its relationship to the indirect rate structure for leadership's reference.

Cost Allowability & Compliance – Support Role

• Apply FAR Part 31 cost principles – allowability (FAR 31.201‑2), reasonableness (FAR 31.201‑3), and allocability (FAR 31.201‑4) – to flag and document proposed cost treatment for review and final determination by the Accounting Team.
• Identify and segregate expressly unallowable costs per FAR 31.205 into designated unallowable cost accounts, escalating any ambiguous or edge‑case determinations to leadership.
• Apply Cost Accounting Standards (CAS 401, 402, 405, 406, 418)…