Government Contract Accountant .

Mission Autonomy AI; Naugatuck (CT); On-site; USD 90,000 - 140,000; Full time

Job summary

Mission Autonomy AI is seeking an in-house accountant to own the books end to end and ensure DCAA compliance for government contracts. You will manage the general ledger, month-end close, AP/AR, and payroll, and run job cost accounting by contract and CLIN.

You will maintain the indirect rate structure and support incurred cost submissions for audits. This role will bill contracts through government systems and train the team on policy compliance.

Qualifications

• Government contract accounting experience under FAR, DFARS, and DCAA expectations.
• Hands-on with a job cost accounting system (Deltek Costpoint, Unanet, QuickBooks with compliance layer).
• Ability to explain indirect rate structures to non-specialists.
• Comfort being the sole accountant in the building and setting processes.

Responsibilities

• Own the general ledger, month-end close, AP/AR, and payroll.
• Run job cost accounting by contract and CLIN, reconcilable to the GL.
• Maintain indirect rate structure (fringe, overhead, G&A) and track provisional vs actual.
• Prepare incurred cost submissions and support audits (DCAA/DCMA).
• Invoice through government systems and keep billing current as contracts ramp.
• Keep timekeeping and expense policy compliant, and train the team daily.
• Provide founders with a straight read on cash, backlog, and rate health.

Job description

We're a defense R&D company with a growing contract base across the Department of War. Government work comes with an accounting standard attached: job cost by contract, indirect rates that hold up under audit, timekeeping that survives a floor check.

This is our in-house accounting seat. You'll own the books end to end and be the person who keeps us clean with DCAA — not one voice among five in a finance department.

What you'll do

• Own the general ledger, month-end close, AP/AR, and payroll.
• Run job cost accounting by contract and CLIN, and keep it reconcilable to the GL.
• Maintain the indirect rate structure — fringe, overhead, G&A — and track provisional versus actual.
• Prepare incurred cost submissions and support DCAA and DCMA audits and reviews.
• Invoice through government systems and keep billing current as contracts ramp.
• Keep timekeeping and expense policy compliant, and train the team on what that means day to day.
• Give the founders a straight read on cash, backlog, and rate health.

What we're looking for

• Government contract accounting experience under FAR, DFARS, and DCAA expectations.
• Hands-on with a job cost accounting system — Deltek Costpoint, Unanet, QuickBooks with a compliance layer, or equivalent.
• You've worked with indirect rate structures and can explain a rate to someone who doesn't do this for a living.
• Comfortable being the only accountant in the building — you'll set the process, not inherit it.

Nice to have

• CPA.
• Incurred cost submission experience start to finish.
• SBIR/STTR or other cost-reimbursable R&D contracts.
• You've stood up an accounting system at a company this size before.

U.S. citizenship required. Must be able to obtain and maintain a U.S. security clearance.