Senior Program Finance Manager

Trident Systems, Inc.

$125K — $222K *
Aerospace & Defense
11 - 15 years of experience
Job Overview by Ladders

Qualifications

  • Bachelor's degree in Finance, Accounting, Business, or related field.
  • 12+ years of relevant finance experience in aerospace, defense, or project-based environments.
  • Strong experience in program financial management, forecasting, budgeting, and EAC development.
  • Knowledge of revenue recognition principles and their impact on program performance.
  • Experience with government contracts, especially fixed-price and cost-reimbursable types.
  • Proven ability to develop finance talent and enhance financial processes.
  • Strong analytical, Excel, and financial modeling skills.

Responsibilities

  • Develop program finance staff through mentorship and increased responsibility.
  • Serve as the primary finance partner to Program Managers throughout the program lifecycle.
  • Lead the development and review of Estimates at Completion (EACs) for various financial assumptions.
  • Own program-level forecasting of revenue, cost, margin, cash, and backlog, and provide variance explanations.
  • Partner with Accounting to ensure accurate revenue recognition and mitigate financial risks.
  • Analyze actual performance against budgets and forecasts to manage variances effectively.
  • Develop and implement standardized processes and tools for program finance scalability.

Benefits

  • Health benefits including medical, dental, and vision.
  • Paid time off and holidays.
  • 401(k) plan with company match.
  • Tuition reimbursement assistance.
  • Paid leaves, including parental and military.
  • Annual discretionary bonus opportunity for eligible roles.
Full Job Description
Position Title: Senior Program Finance Manager
Requisition ID: 1864
Position Location: Fairfax, VA
Position Reports To: Senior Director, Finance
Supervises Others: Yes

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.

Benefits

Hired applicants may be eligible for benefits including but not limited to:
  • Health benefits
    • Medical
    • Dental
    • 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)
  • Tuition reimbursement
  • 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.

Similar Jobs

More Jobs at Trident Systems, Inc.

More Aerospace & Defense Jobs

Find similar Senior Program Finance Manager jobs: