Financial Controller

Financial Controller

Location: Arlington, VA (hybrid — 3 days on-site, 2 remote)

Compensation: $175,000–$220,000 base, plus equity participation

Reports To: Director of Finance

About the Client

A venture-backed, dual-use defense-technology company with meaningful federal revenue and an international expansion already underway. The business is scaling quickly and is entering a pivotal build year for its finance and accounting function. Client name disclosed upon mutual interest.

About the Role

This is the company's first real finance and accounting build. As Controller, you will take the company from a QuickBooks-based finance function to an audit-ready, multi-entity, ERP-native business within roughly twelve months. You will partner directly with the Director of Finance, taking book-close, project accounting, inventory, multi-entity reconciliation, and audit readiness off his plate so he can focus on FP&A and business operations. This is a hands-on builder's seat, not a steady-state controllership: the role exists to stand up durable processes that scale.

Responsibilities

• Stand up a modern ERP (NetSuite or similar) from a QuickBooks or comparable lightweight base.
• Own month-end close and shorten the close cycle from 10-plus days to 3 to 5 days.
• Set up and own project, contract, or program accounting that ties revenue, cost, and capitalized assets to specific deliverables.
• Own the accounting policy and process for moving hardware from procurement into inventory and from inventory into capitalized assets in service.
• Lead multi-entity reconciliation across U.S. and international entities in APAC and the Gulf.
• Drive audit readiness, including preparation for federal contract audits such as DCAA.
• Manage the relationship with an outsourced accounting consultancy and build an internal team to roughly four people within two years.
• Partner with the Director of Finance on book-to-forecast translation and with the CEO on audit readiness and federal contract posture.

Requirements

Must-Haves

• CPA.
• 8 to 14 years of total accounting and controllership experience; a mix of Big 4 or national firm plus industry is ideal.
• Hands-on ERP implementation experience: has personally stood up an ERP (NetSuite, Sage Intacct, Microsoft Dynamics, Workday Financials, or Deltek) from a QuickBooks or similar lightweight base, not just managed a consultant.
• Project-based accounting fluency: has set up project, contract, or program accounting where revenue, cost, and capitalized assets all tie to a specific delivery. Aerospace, defense, gov-services, construction, or engineering services are all valid pedigrees.
• Inventory and fixed-asset capitalization at scale.
• Government contracting exposure: has closed books for a company with meaningful federal revenue, knows the difference between fixed-price and cost-plus from the accounting side, and has at minimum participated in audit prep against a federal contract.
• U.S. citizen, eligible for federal work, and able to work the Arlington, VA hybrid schedule (3 days on-site).

Nice-to-Haves

• NetSuite implementation experience specifically.
• DCAA audit experience from the company side.
• Controller experience at an early- to growth-stage hardware or defense-tech startup.
• Multi-entity international reconciliation across APAC and the Gulf.
• A track record of shortening a monthly close cycle from 10-plus days to 3 to 5 days.
• Experience managing an outsourced accounting consultancy as part of a finance build.
• Veteran or service-academy alum; mission alignment is strong.

Compensation & Benefits

• $175,000 to $220,000 base salary.
• Equity and options participation.
• Arlington, VA hybrid schedule (3 days in office, 2 remote). No additional travel required.

Why This Role

• A Controller seat at a venture-backed defense-tech company with real federal revenue and an international expansion already underway.
• The first real finance and accounting build: stand up the ERP, set the project accounting policy, and build the team.
• Direct partnership with the Director of Finance on book-to-forecast translation and with the CEO on audit readiness and federal contract posture.
• A genuine builder's mandate during a pivotal growth year.