Senior Cost Accounting Manager

K2 Space; Los Angeles (CA); On-site; USD 140,000 - 190,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Medical, dental, and vision coverage

Paid time off

Life insurance

Paid parental leave

Job summary

K2 Space is seeking a Senior Cost Accounting Manager in Los Angeles, CA, to provide financial leadership to manufacturing operations. This role requires 7+ years of financial analysis experience and a bachelor’s degree in finance or a related field. The candidate will manage product costing, analyze manufacturing variances, and support operational decisions. K2 Space offers a salary range of $140,000–$190,000 and comprehensive benefits, fostering a diverse and inclusive workplace.

Qualifications

• 7+ years of progressive experience in financial analysis and modeling.
• Proven ability to perform complex account reconciliations and journal entries.
• Supervisory or managerial experience is a plus.

Responsibilities

• Serve as primary finance partner to manufacturing operations.
• Support operational leadership with financial analysis related to production.
• Own the product costing process and manage manufacturing overhead pools.

Skills

Financial analysis

Financial modeling

Forecasting

GAAP accounting knowledge

Exceptional communication

Leadership skills

Attention to detail

Education

Bachelor’s degree in finance, accounting, economics, or related field

Job description

K2 is building the largest and highest‑power satellites ever flown, unlocking performance levels previously out of reach across every orbit. Backed by $450M from leading investors including Altimeter Capital, Redpoint Ventures, T. Rowe Price, Lightspeed Venture Partners, Alpine Space Ventures, and others – with an additional $500M in signed contracts across commercial and US government customers – we’re mass‑producing the highest‑power satellite platforms ever built for missions from LEO to deep space.

The rise of heavy‑lift launch vehicles is shifting the industry from an era of mass constraint to one of mass abundance, and we believe this new era demands a fundamentally different class of spacecraft. Engineered to survive the harshest radiation environments and to fully capitalize on today’s and tomorrow’s massive rockets, K2 satellites deliver unmatched capability at constellation scale and across multiple orbits.

With multiple launches planned through 2026 and 2027, we're Building Bigger to develop the solar system and become a Kardashev Type II (K2) civilization. If you are a motivated individual who thrives in a fast‑paced environment and you're excited about contributing to the success of a groundbreaking Series C space startup, we’d love for you to apply.

The Role

The Senior Cost Accounting Manager is responsible for financial leadership across manufacturing operations, with a strong focus on manufacturing processes, product costing, and overhead pool management. This role partners closely with Operations, Engineering, Supply Chain, and Product Management to ensure accurate cost visibility, disciplined financial controls, and data‑driven decision‑making in a complex manufacturing environment. This role will report to the Head of Finance & Accounting.

Responsibilities

• Serve as the primary finance partner to manufacturing operations, providing insight and guidance on cost performance, efficiency, and profitability.
• Support operational leadership with financial analysis related to production volume, capacity utilization, labor efficiency, and make/buy decisions.
• Own the product costing process, including bills of material, labor standards, overhead application, and variance analysis.
• Analyze and explain manufacturing variances (labor, material, overhead, yield) and drive corrective actions with the operations teams.
• Manage manufacturing overhead pools, allocation bases, and rates to ensure accuracy, transparency, and compliance.
• Lead annual and periodic overhead rate setting, monitoring, and true‑up processes.
• Lead manufacturing budgets, forecasts, and long‑range plans, including volume assumptions and cost drivers.
• Prepare detailed cost models to support new product introductions, pricing decisions, and program bids.

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in finance, accounting, economics, or a related field.
• 7+ years of progressive experience in financial analysis, financial modeling, and forecasting.
• Knowledge of GAAP accounting rules and their impact on financial modeling and reporting.
• Exceptional communication skills to interact with cross‑functional teams and ability to articulate complex financial concepts in a simple manner.
• Proven ability to perform complex account reconciliations, journal entries, and financial analysis.
• Strong leadership skills with a collaborative, roll‑up‑your‑sleeves mentality.
• Excellent attention to detail, organizational skills, and ability to manage multiple priorities in a fast‑paced environment.

Nice to Have

• MBA or relevant professional certification (CPA, CFA).
• Supervisory or managerial experience.
• Space industry or aerospace experience.

Compensation and Benefits

• Base salary range for this role is $140,000–$190,000 and equity in the company.
• Salary will be based on several factors including, but not limited to, knowledge and skills, education, and experience level.
• Comprehensive benefits package including paid time off, medical/dental/vision coverage, life insurance, paid parental leave, and many other perks.

If you don’t meet 100% of the preferred skills and experience, we encourage you to still apply. Building a spacecraft unlike any other requires a team unlike any other and non‑traditional career twists and turns are encouraged!

If you need a reasonable accommodation as part of your application for employment or interviews with us, please let us know.

The person hired for this role will have access to information and items controlled by US export control regulations, including the export control regulations outlined in the International Traffic in Arms Regulation (ITAR). The person hired for this role must therefore either be a U.S. Person as defined by 22 C.F.R. § 120.15 or otherwise eligible for a federally issued export control license.

K2 Space is an Equal Opportunity Employer; employment with K2 Space is governed on the basis of merit, competence and qualifications and will not be influenced in any manner by race, color, religion, gender, national origin/ethnicity, veteran status, disability status, age, sexual orientation, gender identity, marital status, mental or physical disability or any other legally protected status.