Finance Director

Aston Carter; Auburn Hills (MI); On-site; USD 85,000 - 120,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Health Insurance

401(k)

Job summary

Aston Carter is hiring a Director of Finance in Auburn Hills, MI, for a hands-on finance lead during a growth phase. You will own FP&A, budgeting, forecasting, and monthly close, while building scalable processes and partnering with leadership.

The role requires 5–10 years of finance experience in a high-growth environment; strong Excel and QuickBooks skills are preferred. Onsite Mon-Fri, with expansion plans and benefits including health insurance and 401(k).

Qualifications

• Approximately 5–10 years of finance and accounting experience, ideally with exposure to a smaller company, high-growth environment, manufacturing, hardware, technology, or project-based business.
• Strong hands-on accounting ability, including comfort working directly in the general ledger and reviewing journal entries.
• Ability to own budgets, forecasts, cash models, and management reporting that leadership can use to run the business.
• Strong Excel and financial modeling skills, with the ability to build practical, driver-based models from scratch.
• Comfort operating as a one-person finance function initially, while also having the ability to grow into a leadership role as the company scales.
• Clear communication style and ability to translate financial information into practical business insight for non-finance leaders.
• QuickBooks experience strongly preferred; ERP implementation or process‑improvement experience is a plus.

Responsibilities

• Own FP&A, budgeting, forecasting, and financial reporting for a fast-growing defense drone business.
• Maintain cash planning and forecasting, including runway visibility, working-capital needs, upcoming payments, and risks.
• Support the CFO with cash flow planning, capital needs, equity fundraising, investor reporting, and business decision support.
• Run and improve the monthly close process, including hands-on accounting work, journal entries, reconciliations, and general ledger review.
• Own and improve QuickBooks processes, chart of accounts, accounting workflows, and financial controls that can scale with the business.
• Build and maintain financial models for headcount planning, contract delivery, capital equipment, pricing, margin, and fundraising scenarios.
• Track program-level cost, burn, margin, and contract performance against project expectations and delivery timelines.
• Partner with the CFO, CEO, program leads, engineering, production, and procurement to provide clear financial visibility across the business.
• Manage AP, AR, payroll-related finance workflows, vendor payments, and other day-to-day finance operations as needed.
• Coordinate with outside accountants and advisors on tax, compliance, and reporting needs.
• Help establish the foundation for a broader finance and accounting team as volume and complexity increase.

Skills

Finance

Accounting

Budgeting

Forecasting

Tools

QuickBooks

ERP Systems

Excel

Job description

Director of Finance

Job Description

We are seeking a Director of Finance to lead and scale the finance function during a major growth period. Reporting directly to the CFO, this role involves being the hands-on finance lead for the business. Initially, the position will focus on tactical responsibilities such as FP&A, budgeting, forecasting, accounting, reporting, QuickBooks, journal entries, and day-to-day finance operations. As the company continues to grow, there will be opportunities to expand the finance function and possibly add junior finance or accounting support.

Responsibilities

• Own FP&A, budgeting, forecasting, and financial reporting for a fast-growing defense drone business.

• Maintain cash planning and forecasting, including runway visibility, working-capital needs, upcoming payments, and risks.

• Support the CFO with cash flow planning, capital needs, equity fundraising, investor reporting, and business decision support.

• Run and improve the monthly close process, including hands-on accounting work, journal entries, reconciliations, and general ledger review.

• Own and improve QuickBooks processes, chart of accounts, accounting workflows, and financial controls that can scale with the business.

• Build and maintain financial models for headcount planning, contract delivery, capital equipment, pricing, margin, and fundraising scenarios.

• Track program-level cost, burn, margin, and contract performance against project expectations and delivery timelines.

• Partner with the CFO, CEO, program leads, engineering, production, and procurement to provide clear financial visibility across the business.

• Manage AP, AR, payroll-related finance workflows, vendor payments, and other day-to-day finance operations as needed.

• Coordinate with outside accountants and advisors on tax, compliance, and reporting needs.

• Help establish the foundation for a broader finance and accounting team as volume and complexity increase.

Essential Skills

• Approximately 5–10 years of finance and accounting experience, ideally with exposure to a smaller company, high-growth environment, manufacturing, hardware, technology, or project-based business.

• Strong hands-on accounting ability, including comfort working directly in the general ledger and reviewing journal entries.

• Ability to own budgets, forecasts, cash models, and management reporting that leadership can use to run the business.

• Strong Excel and financial modeling skills, with the ability to build practical, driver-based models from scratch.

• Comfort operating as a one-person finance function initially, while also having the ability to grow into a leadership role as the company scales.

• Clear communication style and ability to translate financial information into practical business insight for non-finance leaders.

• QuickBooks experience strongly preferred; ERP implementation or process‑improvement experience is a plus.

Additional Skills & Qualifications

• CPA, MBA, defense, manufacturing, inventory, cost accounting, or government contract exposure is helpful but not required.

Work Environment

The position requires onsite work from Monday to Friday, 8 AM to 5 PM. During the first 3-6 months, overtime may be necessary as the company progresses through a major expansion.

Job Type & Location

This is a Permanent position based out of Auburn Hills, MI.

Pay and Benefits

The pay range for this position is $85000.00 - $120000.00/yr.

Individual compensation offered for this position within this range will depend on many factors, including qualifications, skills, relevant experience, job knowledge, geographic location, internal equity, and other pertinent job-related factors.

• Health Insurance: We cover 100% of health insurance premiums for our employees.
• 401(k): Company retirement plan with employer match.

Workplace Type

This is a fully onsite position in Auburn Hills,MI.

Application Deadline

This position is anticipated to close on Oct 7, 2026.

The company is an equal opportunity employer and will consider all applications without regard to race, sex, age, color, religion, national origin, veteran status, disability, sexual orientation, gender identity, genetic information or any characteristic protected by law.

If you would like to request a reasonable accommodation, such as the modification or adjustment of the job application process or interviewing process due to a disability, please email [e-mail] ([e-mail]) for other accommodation options.

San Francisco Fair Chance Ordinance: Pursuant to the San Francisco Fair Chance Ordinance, for all positions located in the city and county of San Francisco, we will consider for employment qualified applicants with arrest and conviction records.

Massachusetts Lie Detector: It is unlawful in Massachusetts to require or administer a lie detector test as a condition of employment or continued employment. An employer who violates this law shall be subject to criminal penalties and civil liability.

Use of Artificial Intelligence (AI): We may use Artificial Intelligence (AI) to support parts of our hiring process, including sourcing, screening, and evaluating candidates. AI helps assess applications and qualifications, but final decisions are made by our hiring team. By applying, you acknowledge and agree that your application may be reviewed using AI tools.