Job Description

Qwaltec is a Women-Owned Small Business (WOSB) that specializes in space systems operations. We provide expertise in operations and engineering, mission readiness, technical training, and systems engineering for satellite mission control centers. Our vision is to make a difference on and off the planet, by focusing as much on our customers and team members as we do on the mission. We strive for excellence and accountability, and we do everything we can to exceed expectations while acting with integrity and compassion. We invest in relationships, and we value openness, honesty, and fairness in all our endeavors. An Equal Opportunity/Affirmative Action Employer, Qwaltec is committed to hiring a diverse and talented workforce.

Qwaltec is in the business of ensuring mission control, ground segment, launch, and spacecraft operations are safe, efficient, and cost effective. We are an established woman-owned small business making a difference with our commitment to mission, our customers, and our team members. Qwaltec provides a great working environment for self-starters looking to learn, innovate, and grow with the company. Our core values of integrity, respect, excellence, teamwork, and agility guide our business practices.

Qwaltec has an immediate opening for a full-time Controller to lead the accounting function for a growing federal government contractor. Reporting to the CEO, the Controller will be accountable for accurate financial records, timely reporting, disciplined cash management, effective internal controls, and compliant accounting practices under GAAP, FAR, DFARS, and applicable contract requirements. Working in partnership with Finance who coordinates the company’s day-to-day compliance program, the Controller will provide financial oversight and subject-matter expertise for close, general ledger integrity, contract billing, revenue recognition, indirect rates, incurred cost submissions, audit readiness, and the accounting team.

The ideal candidate understands that a compliant government contracting accounting system must also produce useful business information. This individual will bring strong judgment, attention to detail, and practical experience managing accounting across multiple contract types and indirect-rate structures. The Controller owns accounting operations, financial statements, internal controls, billing, cost accounting, and the integrity of financial data. The role partners with Finance, who coordinates the day-to-day compliance program and may perform contract-specific tracking and analysis, and with Contracts, Operations, Program Management, Business Development, and Executive Leadership to support proposals, contract execution, and scalable financial infrastructure. As Qwaltec’s accounting and finance functions continue to grow, responsibilities may evolve based on business needs, individual strengths, and the controls required to maintain clear accountability.

· Lead monthly, quarterly, and year-end close activities, including journal entries, reconciliations, contract and project reviews, indirect-cost allocations, and supporting schedules.

· Maintain the integrity of the general ledger and oversee accounts payable, accounts receivable, payroll, cash activity, fixed assets, project accounting, and other core accounting operations.

· Prepare timely and accurate financial statements, management reports, cash forecasts, backlog and funding analyses, and project-level financial reporting.

· Own the design, operation, and documentation of accounting policies and internal controls that support accurate financial reporting, compliant timekeeping and labor distribution, cost segregation, transaction approval, and complete audit trails; partner with Finance on compliance monitoring, testing, and corrective-action tracking.

· Ensure that accounting policies, cost treatment, billings, financial submissions, and financial reporting comply with GAAP, FAR Part 31 cost principles, applicable Cost Accounting Standards and disclosure requirements, applicable DFARS requirements, contract terms, and company accounting policies, including consistent treatment of costs in estimating, accumulation, billing, and reporting and the identification and exclusion of unallowable costs.

· Own the accounting methodology, structure, and financial integrity of direct and indirect rates, including fringe, overhead, and general and administrative pools and allocation bases; review forecasts and variances prepared in coordination with Finance and approve accounting-related corrective actions.

· Prepare and support provisional billing rate submissions, final indirect-rate calculations, and annual incurred cost submissions, including schedules and reconciliations.

· Oversee compliant invoicing, billing, and revenue recognition for cost-reimbursable, time-and-materials, labor-hour, firm-fixed-price, fixed-price level-of-effort, IDIQ, task-order, prime contract, and subcontract arrangements, including required supporting documentation and customer billing portals.

· Oversee the accounting treatment, reconciliation, and financial reporting for funded and total contract value, ceiling limitations, unbilled and billed receivables, contract closeout, and cash collections; provide accounting support for limitation-of-cost, limitation-of-funds, and other required financial notifications while Finance and Program Management perform day-to-day contract tracking.

· Own the accounting and financial workstreams for DCAA, DCMA, customer, and independent audits and reviews, including accounting system, incurred cost, billing, and floor-check activities; provide reconciled records, schedules, and financial support while Finance coordinates the overall compliance and audit-response process.

· Provide executive leadership with reliable historical results, cash and working-capital projections, indirect-rate assumptions, accounting judgments, and variance explanations to support annual budgets, forecasts, financial risk management, and business decisions.

· Provide accounting inputs and financial review for proposal pricing, cost volumes, basis-of-estimate development, forward-pricing assumptions, make-or-buy considerations, and teaming and subcontract arrangements, including subcontractor cost and price analysis, invoice review, indirect-cost treatment, funding controls, and closeout support.

· Lead and develop the accounting team, establishing clear ownership, deadlines, review standards, cross-training, and accountability.

· Evaluate and improve the enterprise resource planning (ERP) environment, project and contract setup, work breakdown structures, charge codes, labor categories, billing terms, funding controls, workflows, reporting, documentation, and system interfaces to increase accuracy, compliance, efficiency, and scalability.

· Perform other duties as assigned.

· Bachelor’s degree in Accounting, Finance, Business Administration, or a related discipline.

· Minimum ten (10) years of progressively responsible accounting experience, including leadership of an accounting function or service in a Controller, Assistant Controller, or comparable role.

· At least five (5) years of substantive accounting experience with a federal government contractor.

· Demonstrated ownership of month-end and year-end close, general ledger integrity, account reconciliations, financial statements, cash management, and management reporting.

· Strong working knowledge of GAAP, FAR Part 31, applicable DFARS requirements, DCAA audit expectations, and the accounting-system controls expected of a government contractor.

· Hands-on experience establishing and monitoring indirect-rate pools and allocation bases, preparing provisional billing rates, and supporting or preparing incurred cost submissions.

· Experience with project accounting, contract billing, revenue recognition, funding and ceiling monitoring, and contract closeout across multiple government contract types.

· Experience owning accounting and financial workstreams for DCAA, DCMA, customer, or independent audits and reviews, including preparing reconciled schedules, transaction support, and defensible financial submissions while working within a coordinated compliance and audit-response process.

· Experience developing cash-flow projections, indirect-rate forecasts, accounting-based budget inputs, variance explanations, and financial reporting that enable executive leadership and Finance to perform planning, compliance monitoring, and business analysis.

· Experience supervising and developing accounting personnel and establishing clear standards, priorities, review procedures, and accountability.

· Advanced Excel skills and proficiency with a government contracting ERP or project-accounting system.

· Strong analytical judgment, attention to detail, organizational discipline, and the ability to meet firm reporting, billing, and compliance deadlines in a hands-on environment.

· Excellent written and verbal communication skills, including the ability to explain financial and compliance matters clearly to non-financial leaders.

· Ability to work collaboratively in the Tempe office and partner effectively across Contracts, Programs, Operations, Business Development, and Executive Leadership.

· Eligible to work in the United States and able to obtain and maintain a U.S. Government security clearance.

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