Cost Accountant

Powerus; Charlotte (NC); On-site; USD 90,000 - 130,000; Full time

Job summary

Powerus is seeking a Cost Accountant to develop and maintain government cost accounting structures, including indirect rate pools, forward pricing, and incurred cost submissions. This role reports to the Controller and is based in Charlotte, NC.

The candidate will work within FAR Part 31, CAS, and DCAA standards, partnering with contracts, pricing, and program management to ensure compliance and accurate cost reporting.

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in accounting/finance or related field.
• Experience in cost accounting for government contracts preferred.
• Familiarity with FAR Part 31 and DCAA requirements is a plus.

Responsibilities

• Maintain and reconcile indirect cost pools (fringe, overhead, G&A, material handling).
• Prepare forward pricing rate proposals and supporting docs for bids.
• Submit annual incurred cost submissions per FAR 52.216-7 and DCAA rules.
• Perform project cost analysis including labor and material costs.
• Support audits by DCAA and external financial reviewers.
• Reconcile job cost ledgers to GL monthly.
• Analyze cost variances and report to program/finance leadership.
• Maintain cost accounting system configuration for compliance.
• Prepare cost impact analyses for organizational changes and new contracts.
• Assist with annual budgets and indirect rate forecasts.
• Identify unallowable costs per FAR 31.205.
• Coordinate with contracts, pricing, and program management on cost deliverables.

Skills

Cost accounting

Government contracting

Deltek Costpoint

Excel

ERP systems

DCAA knowledge

Education

Bachelor's degree in Accounting, Finance, or related field

Tools

Deltek Costpoint

SAP

Job description

Powerus builds and scales unified autonomous systems architecture designed to move, protect, and sustain critical assets in high-risk environments. Headquartered in the United States, Powerus acquires demonstrated capabilities and unifies them under common systems architecture, with domestic manufacturing and strategic partnerships across defense and critical infrastructure sectors.

Mission

Powerus delivers hardware and systems architecture to help move, protect, and sustain critical assets in high-consequence environments. Our operating companies — Tandem Defense, Kaizen Aerospace, and Agile Autonomy — serve the U.S. military and allied nations across air, maritime, and ground domains.

Why Join Powerus

Powerus is building a finance organization that can support DCAA-auditable government contracts at scale. The cost accounting function is central to that — forward pricing rates, incurred cost submissions, and indirect rate structures all have to hold up under government audit. This is an early hire into a team that is standing up these systems rather than maintaining inherited ones. The role carries direct exposure to contract economics across multiple operating companies and reports into a finance leadership team that sits close to the business.

About the Role

The Cost Accountant supports the development and maintenance of the company's government cost accounting structure, including indirect rate pools, forward pricing rates, incurred cost submissions, and project cost analysis. The role operates within the requirements of FAR Part 31, CAS, and DCAA audit standards. It reports to Eric Van Lent, Controller, and is based in Charlotte, NC.

Responsibilities

• Maintain and reconcile indirect cost pools (fringe, overhead, G&A, material handling) and compute provisional and actual indirect rates
• Prepare forward pricing rate proposals and supporting documentation for government contract bids
• Compile and submit annual incurred cost submissions in accordance with FAR 52.216-7 and DCAA requirements
• Perform project cost analysis, including labor distribution, material cost accumulation, and subcontract cost tracking
• Support internal and external audits — DCAA, external financial, and government contract compliance reviews
• Reconcile job cost ledgers to the general ledger on a monthly basis
• Analyze cost variances against budgets and estimates at completion; report findings to program and finance leadership
• Maintain the cost accounting system configuration to ensure compliance with disclosed practices and applicable Cost Accounting Standards
• Prepare cost impact analyses for organizational changes, rate structure adjustments, and new contract types
• Support the preparation of annual operating budgets and indirect rate forecasts
• Assist with unallowable cost identification and segregation per FAR 31.205
• Coordinate with contracts, pricing, and program management on cost-related deliverables including CDRLs and cost-volume submissions

Qualifications

• Must be located in the United States, within commuting distance of Charlotte, NC, and able to work on-site
• Bachelor's degree in Accounting, Finance, or a related field
• 3+ years of experience in cost accounting, with at least 2 years in a government contracting environment
• Working knowledge of FAR Part 31 cost principles, Cost Accounting Standards, and DCAA audit requirements
• Experience preparing incurred cost submissions and forward pricing rate proposals
• Proficiency with job cost accounting systems and ERP platforms (Deltek Costpoint, SAP, or equivalent)
• Ability to reconcile indirect rate pools and compute provisional and actual rates
• Strong Excel skills including pivot tables, lookups, and financial modeling
• U.S. Person status required (U.S. citizen, lawful permanent resident, or protected individual under 8 U.S.C. 1324b(a)(3)); this role involves access to ITAR- and EAR-controlled technical data

Preferred Skills

• CPA, CMA, or CGFM certification
• Experience with Deltek Costpoint specifically
• Familiarity with DFARS business system rules (DFARS 252.242-7006) and contractor business system adequacy criteria
• Experience supporting proposals in a firm-fixed-price, cost-plus, and T&M contract mix
• Prior DCAA audit experience, either as a contractor or as a government auditor
• Experience in aerospace, defense, or UAS manufacturing environments
• Active or prior U.S. security clearance

Pay range and compensation package

[Pay range or salary or compensation]

Equal Opportunity Statement

Powerus is an Equal Opportunity Employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, disability, veteran status, or any other characteristic protected by applicable law.