Assistant Controller - Defense Search
OVERVIEW
Are you looking for a new career opportunity with an exciting Defense/Aerospace company?! Then we've got the right team for you! In this role, you're responsible for the duties listed below.
Immediate opening for an Assistant Controller in Brea, CA who possesses:
- Bachelor's degree in Accounting, Finance, or a related field
- 5+ years of cost accounting, accounting systems, and financial analysis experience within a manufacturing environment
- Experience working within a standard-cost manufacturing environment, preferably Aerospace or Defense
- Advanced Excel experience for financial analysis, modeling, and reporting
- Strong understanding of U.S. GAAP and hands-on experience operating within a SOX-compliant environment
- Full-cycle month-end, quarter-end, and year-end close ownership experience
- 2+ years of supervisory or accounting team leadership experience
FULL DESCRIPTION:We are seeking an Assistant Controller to serve as the day-to-day operating leader of the accounting function and a key partner to the Vice President of Finance. This hands-on leadership role will own the integrity of the close, standard cost accounting, financial and operational reporting, internal controls, financial analysis, budgeting, forecasting, inventory valuation, and team development within an Aerospace and Defense manufacturing environment. The ideal candidate will have strong manufacturing accounting experience, full-cycle close ownership, advanced cost accounting knowledge, SOX and U.S. GAAP expertise, and the ability to translate financial and operational data into meaningful business decisions.
The selected candidate will be responsible for:
- Owning the full-cycle month-end, quarter-end, and year-end close process
- Managing journal entries, reconciliations, accruals, and consolidated reporting packages
- Ensuring financial reporting is completed accurately and according to established timelines
- Preparing and reviewing internal management reporting
- Preparing variance analysis and corporate financial submissions
- Analyzing financial trends and providing clear explanations for significant variances
- Designing, documenting, and maintaining the internal control environment within a SOX-compliant public-company structure
- Maintaining appropriate segregation of duties and internal control documentation
- Supporting internal and external audits
- Serving as a primary point of contact for audit requests
- Resolving audit findings and remediating control deficiencies
- Owning standard cost setup and annual cost rolls
- Maintaining accurate costing across SKUs and Bills of Material
- Ensuring accurate inventory valuation and reserves
- Supporting cycle counts and physical inventory integrity
- Reconciling inventory balances to the General Ledger
- Analyzing purchase price variance
- Analyzing manufacturing, labor, and overhead variances
- Analyzing margins by product line and identifying actionable trends
- Partnering with Operations to understand cost drivers and identify productivity opportunities
- Providing financial and cost analysis to Operations and business unit leadership
- Supporting budgeting and forecasting activities
- Supporting pricing and proposal analysis
- Reviewing capital requests beyond traditional payback and ROI analysis
- Evaluating productivity and savings assumptions associated with capital investments
- Reviewing completed capital projects to confirm expected savings and productivity improvements were achieved
- Maintaining a thorough understanding of financial reporting and General Ledger structure
- Providing ad hoc financial analysis as required
- Supervising and developing Accounting and Finance team members
- Providing oversight to Accounting Management, Staff Accounting, and Cost Accounting functions
- Setting performance standards and holding team members accountable
- Coaching and developing employees to strengthen the Finance organization
- Training non-financial managers on relevant financial concepts
- Communicating financial information clearly to Operations and business leaders
- Identifying opportunities to improve reporting speed, accuracy, and usefulness
- Identifying opportunities to automate manual accounting and reporting processes
- Supporting implementation of process automation and AI tools to streamline close, analysis, and reporting activities
- Partnering cross-functionally with Finance, Operations, business unit leadership, and corporate teams
- Performing other duties as assigned
The selected candidate will also possess:
- Bachelor's degree in Accounting, Finance, or a related field required
- California CPA and/or MBA a plus
- 5+ years of cost accounting, accounting systems, and financial analysis experience required
- Manufacturing accounting experience required
- Standard-cost accounting experience required
- Aerospace or Defense manufacturing experience strongly preferred
- Automotive or another complex manufacturing environment may be considered
- Full-cycle month-end, quarter-end, and year-end close ownership experience required
- Strong technical U.S. GAAP foundation required
- Hands-on SOX compliance experience required
- Experience designing, documenting, and managing internal controls required
- Experience with inventory accounting and General Ledger reconciliation required
- Experience with standard cost setup and annual cost rolls preferred
- Experience analyzing PPV, labor, overhead, manufacturing, and margin variances required
- Advanced Microsoft Excel skills required
- Experience with financial modeling and management reporting required
- Strong Microsoft Office proficiency required
- 2+ years of supervisory or accounting leadership experience preferred
- Demonstrated ability to develop and coach employees preferred
- Public accounting experience a plus
- Experience supporting internal and external audits required
- Experience with FAR, DFARS, TINA, or CAS requirements preferred
- Government contracting accounting experience a plus
- Strong analytical and organizational skills required
- Exceptional attention to detail required
- Strong problem-solving and decision-making abilities required
- Ability to work effectively within a complex, matrixed organization
- Strong cross-functional business partnership skills required
- Excellent written, verbal, and interpersonal communication skills required
- Ability to translate complex financial concepts into clear business recommendations
- Ability to work onsite in Brea, CA
- Must be a U.S. Citizen or lawful permanent resident due to applicable ITAR requirements
- No sponsorship available
- Ability to successfully complete required post-offer background check, drug/alcohol screening, and pre-employment physical
Physical Requirements:
- Ability to sit and work at a computer for extended periods while reviewing financial reports, reconciliations, cost data, spreadsheets, ERP information, and accounting documentation
- Ability to communicate by phone, email, video meeting, and in person throughout the workday
- Ability to use hands and fingers for typing, data entry, financial modeling, report preparation, and standard office tasks
- Ability to review detailed financial statements, spreadsheets, audit documentation, cost reports, and computer screens for extended periods
- Ability to occasionally stand, walk, bend, reach, and move throughout office and manufacturing areas as needed
- Ability to interact regularly with Accounting, Finance, Operations, leadership, auditors, and corporate personnel
- Ability to maintain accuracy, confidentiality, sound judgment, and attention to detail while managing multiple accounting and reporting priorities
- Ability to wear required PPE and follow applicable manufacturing and safety procedures when entering production areas
Salary Range: $140,000 to $160,000/year plus discretionary bonus
More information can be found at www.defensesearchusa.com.
TalentZok was founded in 2008 and has been repeatedly recognized as one of San Diego County's fastest growing businesses. In 2025, we were named Business Journal's 'Best Places to Work'. Even as our competitors are scaling back and laying off staff, Simply Biotech is expanding to new markets and hiring additional staff in existing offices.
