Accounting and Operations Associate

Position Summary
VetPowered is seeking an experienced Accountant and Operations Associate to support the Company's accounting, purchasing, manufacturing operations, government-contract, and quality-system activities.

This position is responsible for maintaining accurate, complete, and timely accounting records while providing hands-on support for day-to-day business operations. The position works closely with Accounting, Operations, Purchasing, Manufacturing, Quality, Human Resources, and Management to ensure financial transactions, purchase orders, supplier records, job costs, operational records, and supporting documentation are accurate, complete, and properly maintained.

The position is well suited for an accounting professional who enjoys working in a manufacturing environment and wants exposure to the intersection of accounting, manufacturing operations, aerospace quality requirements, and government contracting.
The successful candidate will be highly organized, detail-oriented, dependable, and capable of independently managing competing priorities in a fast-paced environment.

Primary Objective
Maintain the accuracy and integrity of the Company's accounting records while providing reliable financial, purchasing, operational, government-contract, and AS9100D recordkeeping support.
The position is expected to independently evaluate routine business issues, identify discrepancies and risks, determine appropriate courses of action within established authority, and escalate matters requiring management attention.

Essential Responsibilities
Accounting & Finance

• Process and maintain accurate accounting transactions, including accounts payable, accounts receivable, expenses, purchasing transactions, and general ledger activity.
• Review vendor invoices against purchase orders, receiving records, quotations, and other supporting documentation.
• Investigate and resolve discrepancies between purchase orders, invoices, receipts, receiving records, and accounting records.
• Assist with monthly, quarterly, and year-end financial close activities.
• Perform account reconciliations and research unusual or unresolved transactions.
• Maintain accurate work-in-process (WIP), inventory, and job-costing records.
• Support customer invoicing and accounts receivable follow-up.
• Review employee expense reports and company credit-card transactions for accuracy, appropriate business purpose, and required supporting documentation.
• Maintain accurate vendor and customer master records.
• Prepare financial reports, schedules, reconciliations, and management reports as assigned.
• Maintain organized, complete, and audit-ready accounting documentation.
• Identify accounting errors, data-entry discrepancies, and process weaknesses and coordinate corrective action.
• Maintain the confidentiality and security of financial, employee, customer, and Company information.

Purchasing & Supplier Coordination

• Prepare, issue, and maintain purchase orders in accordance with Company procedures and applicable customer or contractual requirements.
• Coordinate with suppliers regarding quotations, purchase orders, delivery commitments, invoices, certifications, and other required documentation.
• Monitor open purchase orders and supplier commitments and communicate potential delays or issues to affected personnel.
• Follow up with suppliers regarding overdue materials, outside processing, special processes, and other purchased services.
• Investigate and resolve supplier pricing, quantity, delivery, and documentation discrepancies.
• Maintain accurate purchasing and supplier records.
• Coordinate with Manufacturing and Operations regarding material and outside-processing requirements.
• Track supplier-related costs, commitments, and outstanding requirements associated with customer jobs.
• Evaluate purchasing and supplier issues, recommend practical solutions, and escalate significant issues when appropriate.

Manufacturing & Operations Support

• Provide financial and administrative support to Manufacturing and Operations personnel.
• Track material purchases, outside processing, subcontracted services, and other job-related costs.
• Maintain accurate job, work-order, production, receiving, and related administrative records.
• Review operational documentation for completeness and consistency with accounting and purchasing records.
• Support receiving, shipping, and inventory documentation as needed.
• Monitor operational deadlines and outstanding administrative requirements.
• Maintain accurate information within the Company's ERP, accounting, and business-management systems.
• Investigate discrepancies between accounting, purchasing, inventory, production, receiving, and job records and coordinate resolution.
• Prepare operational reports and data summaries for management.
• Identify opportunities to improve administrative and information-flow processes.

Government Contract & Aerospace Customer Support

• Maintain records associated with U.S. Government and prime-contractor purchase orders.
• Review purchase orders and supporting documentation for applicable contractual requirements, customer requirements, and flow-downs.
• Track government-contract documentation, customer requirements, and related administrative obligations.
• Maintain accurate and traceable records supporting government and aerospace customer transactions.
• Maintain documentation associated with DPAS-rated orders when applicable.
• Support internal recordkeeping related to government contracting and customer-specific requirements.
• Identify and escalate potential contractual, purchasing, documentation, or compliance issues to management.

AS9100D & Quality Recordkeeping

• Maintain and organize records supporting the Company's AS9100D Quality Management System.
• Ensure assigned quality records are complete, accurate, legible, properly controlled, and readily retrievable.
• Maintain records in accordance with applicable document-control and record-retention requirements.
• Maintain objective evidence related to purchasing, supplier controls, production, inspection, and other applicable processes.
• Maintain purchasing and supplier documentation necessary to demonstrate conformity with applicable quality requirements.
• Support internal, customer, and third-party audits by locating, organizing, and providing required records.
• Support Quality and Operations personnel with records associated with corrective actions, supplier performance, purchasing, and other quality-system activities.
• Protect the integrity, traceability, and confidentiality of controlled and customer-sensitive records.

Additional Duties and Responsibilities

• Provide administrative support for Human Resources activities, including employee records and related documentation.
• Support administration of the Company's vehicle fleet, including registrations, insurance documentation, renewals, and vehicle issuance/return records.
• Support administration of the Company's commercial insurance and workers' compensation programs, including recordkeeping, renewal preparation, and insurance-audit documentation.
• Serve as a backup to the Service Dispatcher as needed, including customer communication, service scheduling, recordkeeping, and invoicing support.
• Perform other duties and responsibilities as assigned in support of departmental and Company objectives.

Qualifications
Required

• Minimum of five (5) years of relevant professional experience in accounting, finance, purchasing, operations, or a related business function.
• Demonstrated experience processing and maintaining accounting transactions.
• Working knowledge of fundamental accounting principles and practices.
• Strong Microsoft Excel skills, including the ability to organize, analyze, reconcile, and present financial and operational data.
• Experience using accounting software, preferably QuickBooks Online, and/or ERP, MRP, or other business-management systems.
• Strong attention to detail and demonstrated commitment to accuracy.
• Strong organizational and time-management skills.
• Ability to independently manage multiple priorities and meet deadlines.
• Strong written and verbal communication skills.
• Demonstrated ability to investigate discrepancies, identify root causes, evaluate options, and follow issues through resolution.
• Ability to exercise sound judgment and appropriately escalate matters requiring management involvement.
• Ability to maintain confidentiality of sensitive financial, employee, customer, government, and Company information.
• High school diploma or equivalent.

Preferred

• Bachelor's degree in Accounting, Finance, Business Administration, Operations, or a related field.
• Experience in aerospace, defense, machining, manufacturing, or another highly regulated industry.
• Manufacturing accounting experience, including WIP, inventory, job costing, or production-related accounting.
• Experience with ERP/MRP systems used in a manufacturing environment.
• Experience supporting U.S. Government contracts or government customers.
• Familiarity with AS9100D or ISO 9001 Quality Management Systems.
• Experience with supplier management and outside processing.
• Familiarity with purchase-order flow-downs and DPAS requirements.
• Experience supporting customer, internal, or third-party audits.
• Experience working with controlled, proprietary, export-controlled, or customer-sensitive information.

Core Competencies
Accounting Accuracy
Maintains a high level of accuracy and completeness in all financial transactions and supporting documentation.
Attention to Detail
Identifies discrepancies, missing information, and inconsistencies before they create downstream problems.
Organization & Follow-Through
Effectively manages multiple responsibilities and follows tasks through to completion.
Problem Solving
Investigates discrepancies and develops practical solutions rather than simply identifying problems.
Accountability
Takes ownership of assigned responsibilities and communicates promptly when issues may affect deadlines or deliverables.
Communication
Communicates clearly and professionally with employees, suppliers, customers, and management.
Cross-Functional Collaboration
Works effectively with Accounting, Operations, Manufacturing, Purchasing, Quality, and Management.
Confidentiality & Integrity
Handles financial, employee, customer, government, and company information with discretion and professionalism.
Work Environment
This position works primarily in a professional office environment within an aerospace manufacturing facility and regularly interacts with personnel throughout the organization.

The employee may periodically enter manufacturing, warehouse, receiving, or inspection areas and must comply with all applicable safety requirements.

The position requires the ability to work effectively in a fast-paced environment where priorities may change based on customer requirements, production schedules, supplier performance, and business needs.

The employee may encounter environmental hazards associated with manufacturing operations, including chemical, electrical, flammable, or mechanical hazards, and must follow all applicable safety procedures.

Physical Requirements

• Ability to sit and work at a computer for extended periods.
• Ability to communicate effectively in person, by telephone, and electronically.
• Ability to walk through office, manufacturing, warehouse, and receiving areas.
• Ability to occasionally lift and move office or document materials.
• Ability to comply with applicable facility safety requirements.

What Success Looks Like
Within this role, success means:

• Accounting records are accurate, complete, and maintained on schedule.
• AP, AR, purchasing, and expense transactions are properly documented and processed.
• Accounting and purchasing discrepancies are identified and resolved promptly.
• WIP, inventory, and job-costing records are accurate and current.
• Open purchase orders and supplier commitments are actively tracked.
• Supplier issues are identified early and communicated appropriately.
• Manufacturing and Operations receive timely administrative and financial support.
• Government and aerospace customer documentation is complete, accurate, and traceable.
• AS9100D records within the position's area of responsibility are organized, current, controlled, and audit-ready.
• Issues are identified proactively rather than after they become larger problems.
• Business systems contain accurate and reliable information.
• The employee independently manages routine responsibilities and exercises sound judgment while appropriately escalating matters requiring management attention.
• Opportunities to improve processes, accuracy, efficiency, and information flow are identified and communicated to management.