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Finance Manager

Huntington Beach, California

Karman Space & Defense is a leader in the rapid design, development, and production of critical, next-generation system solutions that align with the U.S. Department of War and its allies’ core mission priorities, and meet the accelerating demand for access to space. Building on nearly 50 years of success, we deliver Payload & Protection Systems, Aero/Hydrodynamic Interstage Systems, and Propulsion & Launch Systems to more than 80 prime contractors supporting over 130 space and defense programs.

As a Finance Manager, you will provide financial leadership and decision support for manufacturing operations by partnering with Operations, Supply Chain, Program Management, and Finance teams. This role helps drive informed business decisions through financial planning, cost analysis, forecasting, reporting, and process improvement initiatives that enhance operational performance and financial accountability.

Responsibilities

  • Manages site-level financial planning, budgeting, and forecasting for manufacturing expenses, labor, overhead, and capital expenditures.
  • Partners with Operations, Supply Chain, and site leadership to evaluate financial performance and identify cost improvement opportunities.
  • Analyzes manufacturing costs, including direct labor, materials, overhead, bills of materials (BOM), and production variances.
  • Develops and maintains financial reports, forecasts, and key performance indicators (KPIs) to support operational and leadership decision-making.
  • Supports manufacturing overhead rate development, cost allocation methodologies, and financial reporting activities in partnership with Accounting and Finance.
  • Evaluates purchasing costs, material spending, inventory trends, sourcing decisions, and related financial impacts.
  • Supports capital expenditure planning through financial justification, return on investment (ROI) analysis, and expenditure monitoring.
  • Collaborates with Financial Planning and Analysis (FP\&A), Accounting, and Program Finance to support accurate reporting and financial alignment.
  • Provides cost estimates and financial analysis to support pricing, proposals, capacity planning, and make-versus-buy decisions.
  • Ensures compliance with financial controls, company policies, applicable accounting requirements, Sarbanes-Oxley (SOX) requirements, and continuous improvement of financial processes and reporting.

Required Qualifications

  • Bachelor’s degree in Finance, Accounting, Business Administration, or a related field.
  • Minimum 5 years of experience in finance, financial planning and analysis, cost accounting, or manufacturing finance.
  • Experience supporting financial activities in manufacturing, production, or operations environments.
  • Strong understanding of manufacturing cost structures, including labor, material costs, overhead, inventory, and production variances.
  • Experience in budgeting, forecasting, financial reporting, and variance analysis.
  • Experience with Accounting Standards Codification (ASC) 606 percentage-of-completion (POC) revenue recognition.
  • Knowledge of financial controls, cost management, and capital expenditure planning.
  • Proficiency in Microsoft Excel for financial modeling, data analysis, and reporting.
  • Experience using enterprise resource planning (ERP) systems and financial reporting tools.
  • Strong analytical, organizational, communication, and problem-solving skills.
  • Ability to collaborate with cross-functional teams and communicate financial information to leadership.
  • Ability to manage multiple priorities and meet reporting deadlines.

Preferred Qualifications

  • Experience in aerospace, defense, or advanced manufacturing environments.
  • Experience supervising or leading finance personnel.
  • Familiarity with Federal Acquisition Regulation (FAR) and Cost Accounting Standards (CAS).
  • Master of Business Administration (MBA) or Certified Public Accountant (CPA).
  • Experience with standard costing, inventory valuation, and manufacturing cost accounting.
  • Experience supporting month-end close, cost of goods sold (COGS), and inventory reserve analysis.
  • Experience with manufacturing enterprise resource planning (ERP) systems and business intelligence (BI) tools.
  • Experience supporting financial operations in a growing or evolving manufacturing environment.
  • Familiarity with program-based financial reporting and cost analysis.

This position requires U.S. person status under U.S. export control laws, including U.S. citizens and nationals, lawful permanent residents, refugees, and asylees.

Benefits

  • Medical, dental, and vision insurance
  • 401(k) with company match
  • Paid time off
  • Health Savings Account (HSA) with company contribution
  • Flexible Spending Accounts (FSA)
  • Company‑paid life and AD\&D insurance
  • Short‑ and long‑term disability coverage
  • Tuition reimbursement

Salary Range

$130,000 - $150,000 USD

Karman Space and Defense is an Equal Opportunity Employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, national origin, age, disability, protected veteran status, or any other status protected by applicable federal, state, or local law.

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