VP of FP&A

Cherry Bekaert Recruiting & Staffing Services; Arlington (VA); On-site; USD 230,000 - 250,000; Full time

Job summary

Cherry Bekaert Recruiting & Staffing Services is assisting a publicly traded aerospace/defense technology company in the Arlington, VA area to recruit a Vice President of Financial Planning & Analysis. This on-site, four-days-per-week leadership role reports to the CFO and will shape how planning, forecasting, and reporting are executed as the company scales.

You will establish the budget, long-range plan, and quarterly forecasts, standardize multi-entity reporting, and drive ERP/BI enablement

Qualifications

• Entrepreneurial, builder mindset—comfortable standing up a function in a fast-changing environment.
• 10–15+ years of progressive finance experience, including 5+ years in a senior FP&A leadership role.
• CPA preferred, public company experience desirable.

Responsibilities

• Build and lead a corporate FP&A function, starting with one direct report and growing the team as the company scales.
• Own the annual budget, quarterly forecasts, and long-range plan in partnership with business unit leaders.
• Standardize P&L structures and reporting across multiple entities, leading financial roll-ups and consolidations with accounting.
• Prepare the financial analysis supporting public-company reporting, board materials, and investor communications.
• Partner with program, operations, and accounting teams on contract profitability and forecasting.

Skills

Entrepreneurial mindset

Leadership

Strategic thinking

Stakeholder management

Education

CPA preferred

Tools

ERP systems

BI tools

Financial modeling

Job description

Location: Arlington, VA area (onsite, four (4) days/week)

Our client, a publicly traded, mid-sized, Aerospace, Defense & Technology company is hiring a Vice President of Financial Planning & Analysis to build and lead its corporate FP&A function from the ground up. Reporting directly to the CFO – while working closely with all executives and stakeholders – you’ll shape how the company plans, forecasts, and reports as it scales — with room to expand scope over time and a real path toward broader finance leadership.

Opportunity Impact

• Build and lead a corporate FP&A function, starting with one direct report and growing the team as the company scales
• Own the annual budget, quarterly forecasts, and long-range plan in partnership with business unit leaders
• Standardize P&L structures and reporting across multiple entities, and lead financial roll-ups and consolidations alongside accounting through close
• Prepare the financial analysis supporting public-company reporting, board materials, and investor communications
• Partner with program, operations, and accounting teams on contract profitability, POC revenue recognition, and EAC-driven forecasting
• Support the M&A process — target evaluation, valuation modeling, deal analysis, and post-close integration
• Build and maintain financial models to test scenarios, capital investments, and strategic initiatives
• Drive better use of ERP and BI tools, and find practical ways to apply automation and AI to FP&A

Desired Experience & Qualifications

• Entrepreneurial, builder mindset — comfortable standing up a function in a fast-changing environment
• 10–15+ years of progressive finance/accounting experience, including 5+ years in a senior FP&A leadership role
• Ideally, a CPA who started in public accounting before moving onto FP&A track
• Experience from large aerospace & defense, government contracting, or industrial company preferred
• Public company experience highly desired
• Hands-on experience with POC accounting, EACs, and contract profitability
• Advanced financial modeling skills — 3-statement, DCF, and scenario analysis
• Experience with multi-entity consolidations and standardized reporting
• M&A experience across the deal lifecycle
• Comfort with ERP and BI tools, plus genuine curiosity about applying AI to finance work
• Must qualify as a U.S. Person under ITAR (citizen or permanent resident)

Compensation

$230,000 – 250,000 base + 20% target bonus + future equity eligibility