Finance Lead

AeroVironment•Princeton, CA

23h

About The Position

The Finance Lead provides strategic and operational financial support for program planning and financial operations, emphasizing sound financial plans, compliance, and controls. The role partners with Product Management, Engineering, Operations, Supply Chain, Sales, and Finance leadership to evaluate product profitability, manage budgets, analyze costs, and support business decisions across the product lifecycle. It provides financial guidance aligned with organizational goals and company policies, with a focus on hardware products, manufacturing economics, inventory, and cross-functional operations. The role supports a hardware product line through forecasting, variance reporting, financial reviews, program cost control, budgeting, schedule development, proposal and pricing activity, audit support, and oversight of compliance with internal procedures and government procurement regulations. It reviews estimates at completion and profitability, assesses cost and supply-chain variances, and translates operational changes into financial implications for plans, forecasts, margins, and program performance. The position also advises team members and makes timely business recommendations when information is incomplete or unreliable. AeroVironment describes itself as an autonomous systems company developing technologies across air, land, sea, space, and cyber. This role requires U.S. citizenship and the ability to hold or obtain a U.S. security clearance; it may occasionally require travel within the continental United States. The stated salary range is $111,000–$169,250. The position requires access to information subject to ITAR and/or EAR export-control requirements.

Requirements

Bachelor’s degree in Finance, Accounting, or Business Administration, or an equivalent combination of education, training, and experience.
At least 10 years of experience in relevant disciplines and at least 2 years in a leadership role.
Experience and knowledge in costing and pricing complex manufactured products and development contracts.
Experience with government cost accounting principles and the Federal Acquisition Regulation (FAR).
Experience and knowledge of ASC 606, Revenue from Contracts with Customers.
Current expertise in Microsoft Office, especially Excel, including VLOOKUPs, conditional formatting, and pivot tables; Hyperion; an ERP system such as Oracle EBS; and ProPricer.
Demonstrated awareness of and interest in business operations, including the ability to help create business strategies and objectives.
U.S. citizenship is required.
Must presently hold or be capable of obtaining a U.S. security clearance.
Must qualify as a U.S. person under ITAR/EAR requirements or be eligible for an export license, subject to the employer’s ability to obtain any required license.
Ability to work in an office environment.
Ability to sit and stand for long periods and to talk, hear, and use hands and fingers to operate a computer and telephone keyboard.

Nice To Haves

Experience supporting hardware, aerospace, defense, industrial, electronics, or manufacturing product lines.
An advanced degree.
Experience with MS Project or Fast Track is desirable.
Strong analytical, presentation, business-writing, and problem-solving skills.
Ability to communicate orally and in writing with customers, program management teams, and senior management.
Skill in managing multiple critical projects simultaneously and working in a dynamic, fast-paced environment.
Ability to think beyond immediate situations, explore multiple potential paths, and adapt decision-making to circumstances.
Ability to inspire, motivate, and empower people to deliver organizational goals while creating value for employees.
Ability to bring organizational values to life through personal strengths and a shared vision.
Ability to champion change, promote quick adaptation, and help others deal with the effects of change.
Ability to develop and maintain trusting, professional internal and external relationships.

Responsibilities

Provide monthly forecasting and variance reporting and prepare monthly financial information for senior management reviews of the hardware product line.
Ensure compliance with internal procedures and government procurement regulations.
Monitor implementation of financial policies, including revenue recognition, timekeeping, cost, inventory, and estimating-system compliance.
Provide day-to-day financial direction to product-line management.
Support internal and external audits.
Review and challenge program Estimates at Complete (EACs) and ensure appropriate profit margins are recognized.
Identify, analyze, and monitor issues affecting profitability, growth, and productivity.
Oversee program cost-control activities, including costs and schedules on contracts requiring a validated cost/schedule control system.
Oversee preparation of program budgets and schedules and financial analyses, including funding profiles, sales outlooks, and variance analyses.
Support indirect department budgeting, utilization reviews, and detailed variance analysis for assigned departments.
Support proposal activity for new captures, including negotiations, and work with the home-office proposal/costing team to develop compliant price and cost volumes.
Assist in developing detailed integrated master program schedules for on-contract work, internal research and development, and new captures.
Advise subordinates to help meet schedules and resolve technical problems.
Work with Cost Accounting to develop and maintain knowledge of bills of material (BOMs), product configuration, material content, quantities, and associated costs for financial analysis and product cost assessments.
Partner with subcontractors and Supply Chain to assess cost variances for key components and services, identify underlying drivers, and evaluate implications for product cost and profitability.
Translate product cost variances, supplier changes, and supply-chain constraints into financial and business impacts, including implications for business plans, forecasts, margins, and program performance.
Make business-impact assessments and recommendations using financial judgment, available data, and operational and commercial considerations when complete or reliable information is unavailable.
Perform other duties as assigned.