Controller

Our client is a defense technology company at an inflection point — building hardware and software systems for government customers, with a near-term strategic shift toward a data-dominant revenue model. Contracts are fixed-price, customers are defense agencies, and the accounting infrastructure needs to mature fast to keep pace with the business. We're looking for a Controller to own that infrastructure: the system, the close, the compliance, and the financial data everything else depends on. A fractional CFO owns board strategy and an FP&A lead owns pricing and forecasting — this role owns the ground truth underneath both. What You'll Own Inventory & Cost of Goods Sold Oversee inventory accounting across raw materials, WIP, and finished goods Establish BOM costing methodology and maintain accuracy through engineering change processes Define and monitor COGS by segment — hardware margin and software/data margin must be visible independently Maintain capitalization policies for tooling, NRE, and internally developed software under ASC 350-40 ERP Migration & Scaling the Function Lead ERP selection and migration from QuickBooks (NetSuite is the leading candidate) — COA redesign, dimension architecture, data migration, parallel close, go-live Configure the system for multi-element revenue recognition, project accounting, inventory/WIP costing, and indirect rate tracking Build a chart of accounts and dimension structure that scales without GL code proliferation as the contract base grows Manage and grow a small accounting team (2-4), hiring as the business scales Own month-end, quarter-end, and year-end close, targeting 5-7 business days within 6 months DCAA Audit Readiness & Government Compliance Maintain an accounting system that meets DFARS adequacy standards at all times Segregate unallowable costs under FAR Part 31 within all indirect cost pools Define and maintain indirect rate pool structure (fringe, overhead, G&A) Own the annual Incurred Cost Submission and serve as primary point of contact for DCAA inquiries and audits Get the company DCAA audit-ready by summer 2027 What You Bring 8-14 years of progressive accounting experience, including 4+ years at Controller / Assistant Controller / Senior Accountant level Active CPA license Inventory and cost accounting experience — WIP, COGS, BOM costing — in a product-based business Experience leading an ERP migration with project-level accounting; comfort structuring cost accumulation by contract or project, not just GL codes ASC 606 experience with multi-element arrangements (hardware, software, or services) A track record of building or rebuilding accounting infrastructure without a mature playbook already in place Strongly Preferred NetSuite implementation or advanced configuration experience Exposure to defense, aerospace, or government IT services Stand-out candidates have Strong Inventory and have designed a chart of accounts from scratch, been through a DCAA audit and know how to prep for one proactively, and have lived through a company's scaling journey. So they know what breaks along the way and build for where the business is going, not just where it is. #J-18808-Ljbffr