Financial Director

Position Summary

The Finance Director is a hands-on financial leader responsible for overseeing financial planning, reporting, operational finance, and team leadership for a growing defense manufacturing organization. This role requires a highly analytical and detail-oriented professional who is comfortable working “in the weeds” while also communicating financial performance and business insights to executive leadership. The ideal candidate combines strong technical finance skills with operational partnership, leadership capability, and the ability to build and present meaningful reports that drive decision-making.

Key Responsibilities

• Lead all aspects of financial planning, forecasting, budgeting, and monthly close activities.
• Create, maintain, and analyze detailed financial and operational reports to support manufacturing and business performance.
• Develop and present financial reporting packages, KPIs, forecasts, and variance analyses to senior leadership.
• Partner closely with operations, supply chain, program management, and executive teams to improve profitability and operational efficiency.
• Drive reporting accuracy and improve financial processes, systems, and controls.
• Support government contracting and defense manufacturing compliance requirements, including cost accounting and audit readiness.
• Monitor manufacturing performance metrics including labor utilization, inventory, overhead absorption, margins, and program profitability.
• Lead and mentor finance team members, fostering accountability, collaboration, and professional development.
• Serve as a strategic business partner while remaining actively involved in day-to-day financial operations and reporting execution.
• Support ERP reporting, data analysis, and continuous improvement initiatives across finance and operations.

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in Finance, Accounting, or related field; CPA or MBA preferred.
• 8 years of progressive finance/accounting experience, preferably within manufacturing or defense environments.
• Strong understanding of manufacturing finance, cost accounting, and operational reporting.
• Experience supporting government contracts, defense programs, or regulated manufacturing environments preferred.
• Advanced Excel and financial modeling skills required; experience with ERP systems and reporting tools strongly preferred.
• Proven ability to build reports, analyze large datasets, and present findings clearly to leadership teams.
• Demonstrated people leadership experience with the ability to coach and develop high-performing teams.
• Strong communication skills with the ability to operate strategically while remaining highly detail-oriented and hands-on.

Preferred Traits

• Highly proactive and execution-oriented
• Comfortable working in fast-paced, evolving environments
• Strong business acumen and operational mindset
• Able to balance strategic thinking with tactical execution
• Collaborative leader with a willingness to dive into details and solve problems directly