Finance Program Control Manager

Allen Control Systems•Austin, TX

About The Position

Allen Control Systems (ACS) is a cutting-edge defense startup founded by two former Navy electrical engineers with a proven track record in robotics and software. We are developing an autonomous gun turret using advanced computer vision and control systems to precisely detect, track, and neutralize enemy drones. With an engineering-first culture, ACS values technical excellence and innovation. Backed by our founders’ successful exits from two previous ventures acquired for a combined $180M in 2022, we are committed to ensuring that the groundbreaking technologies we develop will have a real-world impact. ACS has active contracts across SOCOM, the U.S. Army, and numerous allied nations, spanning prototype OTAs, cost-reimbursable R&D programs, fixed-price hardware deliveries, and FMS agreements. The Finance Program Control Manager owns the financial health of that entire portfolio. This is a mid-level individual contributor role reporting to senior Finance leadership and working closely with program managers, operations, and the contracting team. You are the person who knows, at any given moment, what is funded, what has been invoiced, what is at risk, and when the next billing milestone is due.

Requirements

Direct experience in contract finance, program control, or project accounting at a government contracting or defense technology company; you understand how government contracts are structured and how money moves within them.
Fluency with government contract types including OTAs, FFP, cost-reimbursable, SBIRs, and FMS; you know the billing and compliance implications of each.
Experience with CLIN-level financial tracking: funding, obligations, invoicing, and option management.
Strong grasp of DCAA cost accounting requirements and what audit-ready documentation looks like; able to read a government contract and independently identify key financial obligations, milestones, and compliance requirements.
Detail-oriented and precise without being slow; government contract finance rewards accuracy but ACS moves fast and you need to keep up.
Strong communication skills; you will regularly deliver financial status to program managers and senior leadership who need clarity, not complexity.

Nice To Haves

Formal Earned Value Management experience (EVMS, ANSI 748), particularly relevant as our OTA portfolio grows.
Experience with Other Transaction Agreements and their unique financial reporting requirements.
Familiarity with FMS contract mechanics and international defense sales billing.
Experience building contract control systems from scratch rather than inheriting an established process.
Working knowledge of indirect cost rate structures and their application to contract pricing.

Responsibilities

Maintain the financial baseline for each active contract, including funded amounts, obligated CLINs, invoiced-to-date, remaining balance, and option exercise windows.
Track cost-to-complete on active programs; work with engineering and operations to project what it will cost to finish each contract and flag variances against the original estimate before they become problems.
Prepare and submit milestone-based invoices with the supporting documentation required by each contract; ensure invoices go out on time and are compliant with contract terms.
Monitor CLIN funding levels and alert the contracting team and Finance leadership when programs are approaching funding ceilings or option exercise deadlines.
Maintain contract-level P&L tracking revenue recognized, costs incurred, and margin by program; provide regular reporting to Finance leadership and program managers.
Support DCAA audit readiness; ensure costs are accumulated and allocated correctly by contract, documentation is current, and the team is prepared for incurred cost audits.
Partner with the program team on contract modifications and scope changes; model the cost and schedule implications before modifications are executed.
Build and maintain a contract status dashboard that gives leadership a real-time view of the full portfolio: funded, invoiced, at-risk, and upcoming milestones.
Support new contract proposals with historical cost data, rate buildups, and basis-of-estimate documentation.