Senior Program Finance Leader for Aerospace & Defense

If you are unable to complete this application due to a disability, contact this employer to ask for an accommodation or an alternative application process.

Senior Program Finance Manager

Accounting/Finance Full Time Employee Full-Time Fairfax, VA, US

30+ days ago Requisition ID: 1864

Salary Range: $125,000.00 To $222,000.00 Annually

Position Title: Senior Program Finance Manager
Requisition ID: 1864
Position Location: Fairfax, VA
Position Reports To: Senior Director, Finance
Supervises Others: Yes

At Trident Systems, we believe that strong engineering principles are fundamental to driving innovation and solving complex problems. We promote a culture characterized by rigorous engineering practices and a commitment to continuous improvement. This is achieved by leveraging our organization's collective expertise through collaborative development processes, which include thorough design and peer reviews. We can deliver innovative, high-performance solutions that meet our customers' evolving requirements by integrating our specialized knowledge in aerospace electronic systems with appropriately scaled development methodologies.

We are a mission partner supporting DoD, Intelligence Community, and Civil space customers. We develop complex, radiation effects mitigated, designs that balance competing requirements in modern space programs, delivering cutting-edge solutions that enable our customers to achieve more in space.

Position Summary

We are seeking a Senior Program Finance Manager to lead financial management and analysis across a portfolio of aerospace and defense programs. This role will partner closely with Program Management, FP&A, Accounting, Contracts, and Operations to provide visibility into program performance, maintain accurate forecasts, and support sound business decisions.

The ideal candidate has strong program finance fundamentals, understands the relationship between program performance and revenue recognition, and can translate detailed program information into a clear financial outlook for the broader business. This role will also play an important part in developing the program finance team and building processes that can scale as the business grows.

Duties and Responsibilities

• Develop program finance staff through coaching, mentorship, and increasing levels of ownership and responsibility.
• Serve as the primary finance partner to Program Managers, providing financial insight and support throughout the program lifecycle.
• Lead the development and review of Estimates at Completion (EACs), including cost, schedule, staffing, material, and margin assumptions.
• Own program-level forecasting of revenue, cost, margin, cash, and backlog, including monthly forecast submissions and variance explanations to FP&A.
• Partner with Accounting to support accurate revenue recognition, including assessment of program performance, EAC changes, and other inputs impacting revenue and profitability.
• Identify, quantify, and communicate program financial risks and opportunities and ensure they are appropriately reflected in forecasts.
• Analyze actual program performance against budget, forecast, and EAC and work with Program Management to understand and address significant variances.
• Support monthly close, annual operating plan, and long-range planning activities.
• Monitor contract funding, billing, backlog, and cash performance and support analysis of contract modifications and other program changes.
• Prepare and present program financial results and outlook to Program Management, Finance, and senior leadership.
• Develop and implement standardized program finance processes, tools, and reporting that improve financial visibility and can scale with the growth of the business.
• Ability to support travel or off-site work, as needed.
• Perform other duties as assigned.

Required Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in Finance, Accounting, Business, or a related field.
• 12+ years (OR 10+ years with a graduate degree) of relevant finance experience, preferably within aerospace, defense, government contracting, or another project-based environment.
• Strong experience with program financial management, forecasting, budgeting, and EAC development.
• Working knowledge of revenue recognition principles and the relationship between program performance, EACs, revenue, and margin.
• Experience with government contract types, including fixed-price and cost-reimbursable contracts.
• Demonstrated ability to develop finance talent and improve financial processes.
• Strong analytical, Excel, and financial modeling skills.
• Ability to communicate financial results and issues clearly to both financial and non-financial stakeholders.
• Experience supporting hardware development and/or manufacturing programs is strongly preferred, including familiarity with material procurement, production costs, inventory/WIP, and hardware program cost and schedule drivers.
• Experience with FAR/DFARS, EVM, ERP systems, or program finance systems is preferred.

Pay Information

Full-Time Salary Range: $125,000 - $222,000

Please Note: Actual compensation offered will be determined based on several factors including, but not limited to, relevant experience, skills, education, certifications, internal equity, business considerations, and geographic location where applicable.

Hired applicants may be eligible for benefits including but not limited to:

• Medical
• Vision
• Basic life with AD&D
• Short term disability
• Long term disability
• Ancillary (Voluntary life with AD&D, accident, critical illness, hospital, and pet)
• Spending accounts (HSA, FSA, and DCFSA)
• Paid time off
• Holidays
• 401(k) (including company match)
• Leaves (Parental, maternity, and military)
• Annual discretionary bonus (for eligible roles)

Trident Systems reserves the right to change or assign other duties to this position.

Trident Solutions is an affirmative action and equal opportunity employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, age, sex, national origin, disability status, genetics, protected veteran status, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, or any other characteristic protected by federal, state or local laws. To request reasonable accommodation to participate in the job application or interview process, please contact View email address on click.appcast.io .

Pay Transparency: The contractor will not discharge or in any other manner discriminate against employees or applicants because they have inquired about, discussed, or disclosed their own pay or the pay of another employee or applicant. However, employees who have access to the compensation information of other employees or applicants as a part of their essential job functions cannot disclose the pay of other employees or applicants to individuals who do not otherwise have access to compensation information, unless the disclosure is (a) in response to a formal complaint or charge, (b) in furtherance of an investigation, proceeding, hearing, or action, including an investigation conducted by the employer, or (c) consistent with the contractor’s legal duty to furnish information. 41 CFR 60-1.35(c)