Controller

TalentSource360; Arlington (VA); On-site; USD 120,000 - 180,000; Full time

Job summary

TalentSource360 is seeking a Controller to own the financial infrastructure for a defense technology company serving government customers. You will manage inventory and COGS, lead an ERP migration, and ensure multi-element revenue recognition and project accounting.

You will drive month-end close, be DCAA audit-ready, and build scalable processes as the business grows. CPA required with 8–14 years in progressive accounting roles, including 4+ years at senior levels.

Qualifications

• 8–14 years of progressive accounting experience, including 4+ years at Controller/Assistant Controller level.
• Active CPA license.
• Inventory and cost accounting experience in a product-based business.
• Experience leading an ERP migration with project-level accounting.
• ASC 606 experience with multi-element arrangements.
• A track record building or rebuilding accounting infrastructure without a mature playbook.

Responsibilities

• Oversee inventory accounting across raw materials, WIP, and finished goods.
• Define BOM costing and maintain accuracy through engineering changes.
• Monitor COGS by segment to show hardware vs software margins.
• Lead ERP migration: COA design, data migration, and multi-element revenue recognition.
• Build scalable chart of accounts and dimension structure to prevent GL code proliferation.
• Manage a 2–4 person accounting team and own month-, quarter-, year-end closes.
• Maintain DFARS compliance and achieve DCAA readiness.

Skills

Inventory accounting

COGS management

ERP migration

Multi-element revenue recognition

DCAA/audit readiness

GAAP/ASC 606

CPA

Education

CPA certification

Tools

NetSuite

QuickBooks

Excel

Job description

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.