Cost Accountant

About the Role 

Chariot Defense is seeking a Cost Accountant to join our Finance team. Reporting to the Head of Operations, you will own the accuracy of product and program costs as we scale hardware production. You will sit at the intersection of Finance, Manufacturing, and Supply Chain—valuing inventory, tracking WIP, allocating overhead, and making sure every unit we build and every contract we deliver is costed correctly and in compliance with government contracting standards. We are looking for a hands-on, detail-driven accountant who is comfortable on the shop floor as well as in the ERP, and who wants to help build cost accounting processes from the ground up. 

Key Responsibilities 

• Product Costing: Build and maintain standard costs, bills of materials (BOM) costing, and routings for our power products; perform periodic standard cost roll-ups and revaluations. 
• Inventory & WIP: Own accounting for raw materials, WIP, and finished goods, including cycle count reconciliations, physical inventory support, and excess & obsolete (E&O) reserve analysis. 
• Month-End Close: Prepare cost-related journal entries, accruals, and reconciliations (inventory, COGS, WIP, overhead) to support a timely, accurate close under U.S. GAAP. 
• Variance Analysis: Analyze and explain purchase price, labor, material usage, and overhead variances; translate findings into actionable insights for Operations and leadership. 
• Overhead & Indirect Rates: Develop and maintain overhead allocation methodologies and indirect rate pools (fringe, overhead, G&A) consistent with FAR Part 31 and CAS requirements. 
• Program & Contract Costing: Track costs by program and contract, support estimates-at-completion (EACs), and provide cost data for pricing proposals and milestone-based revenue recognition (ASC 606). 
• Compliance & Audit Support: Maintain DCAA-compliant timekeeping and job-costing practices; prepare schedules and documentation for financial audits and DCAA/DCMA reviews. 
• Systems & Process: Improve cost accounting workflows in our ERP/MRP (e.g., NetSuite), including item costing, work orders, and assembly builds; identify opportunities to automate manual reporting. 
• Cross-Functional Partnership: Work closely with Manufacturing, Supply Chain, and Engineering to understand production flows, validate BOM accuracy, and support make-vs-buy and margin analyses. 

What We're Looking For 

• Extraordinary conscientiousness. You commit to what you're going to do and follow through without fail. 
• Precision with a builder's mindset. You care about getting the numbers right and about building the processes that keep them right. 
• Curious about how things are made. You'd rather walk the production floor than guess at a cost driver. 
• Collaborative by nature. You seek input from all stakeholders and explain cost findings clearly to non-finance partners. 
• Resilient and steady in a demanding, fast-paced work setting, making sound decisions with imperfect or incomplete information and adapting when priorities shift. 
• Transparent, diligent, and highly responsive in your communication with colleagues across the company. 

Qualifications 

• Bachelor's degree in Accounting (or Finance). 
• 2-5 years of cost or inventory accounting experience at a hardware, defense, aerospace, automotive, or industrial manufacturing company. 
• Solid understanding of U.S. GAAP, standard costing, inventory valuation, and overhead absorption. 
• Familiarity with government contracting cost principles (FAR Part 31, CAS, DCAA) and job/program costing. 
• Hands-on experience with an ERP/MRP system such as NetSuite (preferred), Costpoint, SAP, or similar. 
• Advanced Excel skills (lookups, pivot tables, building cost models). 
• Willingness to work onsite in our San Bruno, CA,  office 5 days per week, as well as extended and weekend hours when necessary (e.g., during close or physical inventory). 

Preferred: 

• CPA, CMA, or progress toward either. 
• Experience supporting indirect rate development, incurred cost submissions, or DCAA audits. 
• Exposure to ASC 606 revenue recognition on milestone-based hardware contracts. 
• Experience in an early-stage or high-growth company where you helped build processes from scratch. 

Role Requirements 

This position is an onsite role based in Chariot Defense's San Bruno, CA, office. 

A reasonable estimate of the current salary range is $100,000 - $135,000 annually. Compensation packages also include early-stage equity and access to company-sponsored benefit plans.