Sr. Cost Accountant EQUITY!

High Country Search Group; Thornton (CO); Hybrid; USD 90,000 - 130,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Hybrid work schedule

Job summary

High Country Search Group is seeking an experienced accounting professional with a government contractor background to manage and analyze project and contract costs, ensure FAR/DCAA compliance, and drive cost accounting excellence across contracts. The role supports billing, audits, and financial reporting within a hybrid office structure.

The ideal candidate holds a related bachelor's degree and 4+ years of experience, with strong Excel skills and the ability to partner across programs,

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in Accounting, Finance, or related field.
• 4+ years of accounting experience, preferably including experience with a government contractor.
• Strong knowledge of cost accounting and project accounting.
• Working knowledge of FAR and DCAA accounting requirements; CAS experience preferred.
• Experience with indirect cost pools and rate calculations.
• Experience supporting government contracts including Cost Plus, T&M, and/or Fixed Price.
• Strong Excel skills with large datasets.
• Analytical, reconciliation, and problem-solving abilities.
• Ability to work cross-functionally with accounting and operations.
• Attention to detail with multiple contracts, projects, and deadlines.

Responsibilities

• Manage and analyze project and contract costs, including labor, materials, subcontractors, and indirect expenses.
• Maintain accurate cost accounting records by contract, project, task, and cost center.
• Perform monthly project cost reconciliations, accruals, journal entries, and account analysis.
• Monitor contract performance, budgets, actual costs, commitments, and EAC projections.
• Calculate, monitor, and analyze indirect cost rates, including fringe, overhead, and G&A.
• Support preparation of provisional billing rates, incurred cost submissions, and indirect rate reconciliations.
• Ensure accounting practices comply with FAR, CAS, and DCAA requirements.
• Partner with Program Managers and Finance leadership for budget-to-actual analysis, forecasting, and contract profitability reporting.
• Assist with government contract billing (cost-plus, T&M, fixed-price).
• Manage and reconcile inventory accounting, including valuation, allocations, cycle counts, reserves, and variance analysis.
• Support DCAA audits, external audits, and internal compliance reviews.
• Assist month-end and year-end close (reconciliations, accruals, revenue recognition, financial reporting).
• Identify opportunities to strengthen controls and cost-accounting procedures.
• Collaborate with Contracts, Program Management, Accounting, FP&A, and operations on financial and contractual matters.

Skills

Cost accounting

Project accounting

FAR knowledge

DCAA compliance

Indirect costs

Excel

Budget-to-actual

Forecasting

Audit support

Cross-functional

Education

Accounting degree

Tools

Deltek Costpoint

Unanet

JAMIS

Job description

This is a 50/50 hybrid work schedule, 3 days in office one week and 2 in office the next.

The ideal candidate will have experience working within a company who has billed the US government and a strong understanding of FAR, DCAA requirements, cost accounting, indirect rates, and inventory accounting

Responsibilities:

• Manage and analyze project and contract costs, including labor, materials, subcontractors, and indirect expenses.
• Maintain accurate cost accounting records by contract, project, task, and cost center.
• Perform monthly project cost reconciliations, accruals, journal entries, and account analysis.
• Monitor contract performance, budgets, actual costs, commitments, and estimate-at-completion (EAC) projections.
• Calculate, monitor, and analyze indirect cost rates, including fringe, overhead, and G&A.
• Support preparation of provisional billing rates, incurred cost submissions, and indirect rate reconciliations.
• Ensure accounting practices comply with applicable Federal Acquisition Regulation (FAR), Cost Accounting Standards (CAS), and DCAA requirements.
• Partner with Program Managers and Finance leadership to provide budget-to-actual analysis, forecasting, and contract profitability reporting.
• Assist with government contract billing, including cost-plus, time-and-materials (T&M), and fixed-price contracts.
• Manage and reconcile inventory accounting, including inventory valuation, cost allocations, cycle count adjustments, reserves, and analysis of inventory-related variances to ensure accurate financial reporting and compliance with applicable accounting policies.
• Support DCAA audits, external audits, and internal compliance reviews by preparing schedules and supporting documentation.
• Assist with month-end and year-end close, including reconciliations, accruals, revenue recognition, and financial reporting.
• Identify opportunities to strengthen accounting controls, reporting processes, and cost-accounting procedures.
• Collaborate with Contracts, Program Management, Accounting, FP&A, and operational teams on financial and contractual matters.

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in Accounting, Finance, or related field.
• 4+ years of accounting experience, preferably including experience with a government contractor.
• Strong knowledge of cost accounting and project accounting.
• Working knowledge of FAR and DCAA accounting requirements; CAS experience is strongly preferred.
• Experience with indirect cost pools and rate calculations.
• Experience supporting government contracts including Cost Plus, T&M, and/or Fixed Price contracts.
• Strong Excel skills, including experience working with large and complex financial datasets.
• Strong analytical, reconciliation, and problem-solving skills.
• Ability to work cross-functionally with both accounting and operational leadership.
• Strong attention to detail with the ability to manage multiple contracts, projects, and deadlines.

Preferred Qualifications

• Experience preparing or supporting Incurred Cost Submissions (ICS).
• Experience with Deltek Costpoint, Unanet, JAMIS, or another government contracting ERP/accounting system.
• CPA, CMA, or related professional certification.
• Previous experience within the defense, aerospace, engineering, technology, or professional services government contracting sectors.

Key Areas of Expertise

Government Contract Accounting | Cost Accounting | DCAA Compliance | FAR | CAS | Indirect Rates | Project Accounting | Contract Billing | EAC Forecasting | Revenue Recognition | Cost Allocation | Financial Analysis | Audit Support