We’re looking for a highly motivated Lead Program Financial Analyst to join our growing Hivemind Program Finance organization. This is a high-impact leadership role supporting one of the company's largest and most strategic programs, where you'll influence financial strategy, enable informed decision-making, and help define the future of Program Finance.
As the lead finance partner for a strategic program, you'll partner across cross-functional teams and executive leadership to drive financial performance, improve program execution, and deliver actionable business insights. Beyond supporting program financial performance, you'll help mature the Program Finance organization by developing scalable processes, building reporting tools and dashboards, mentoring team members, and championing industry best practices.
The ideal candidate is an analytical problem solver with strong business acumen who enjoys building processes from the ground up, improving how teams operate, and mentoring others in a fast-paced, high-growth environment.
What you'll do:
- Serve as the lead finance partner supporting a strategic program throughout its lifecycle.
- Partner cross-functionally with Program Management, Engineering, Contracts, and other stakeholders to support financial execution and business decision-making.
- Lead program forecasting, Estimate at Completion (EAC), financial planning, and variance analysis while identifying risks and opportunities.
- Develop financial models, dashboards, and reporting tools that improve visibility into program performance and support data-driven decisions.
- Drive continuous improvement initiatives across the Hivemind Program Finance organization by standardizing processes, improving reporting, and implementing scalable financial tools.
- Introduce and implement industry best practices to improve program financial management and organizational effectiveness.
- Mentor junior Program Finance team members by providing technical guidance, coaching, and support for their professional development.
- Partner with finance leadership on strategic initiatives, process transformations, and special projects that strengthen the Program Finance function.
- Prepare executive-level reporting and communicate financial performance, risks, and recommendations to program and business leadership.
- Support program startup activities, contract execution, and financial planning for new program efforts as needed.
Required qualifications:
- Active U.S. security clearance.
- Bachelor's degree in Finance, Accounting, Business, Economics, or a related field.
- 7+ years of progressive finance experience at a U.S. government contractor in Program Finance, Project Finance, FP&A, or a related financial role.
- Experience supporting complex government contracts and understanding contract structures such as FFP, CPFF, T&M, and Cost Reimbursable.
- Demonstrated experience leading Estimate at Completion (EAC) processes, forecasting, and financial planning.
- Strong financial modeling, analytical, and problem-solving skills.
- Advanced Microsoft Excel skills and experience developing financial reporting solutions.
- Ability to influence cross-functional teams and communicate effectively with both technical and business stakeholders.
- Proven ability to improve financial processes and drive operational excellence in a dynamic environment.
- Experience supporting aerospace, defense, autonomous systems, or other complex technology development programs.
- Experience designing financial reporting solutions, dashboards, or process automation.
- Knowledge of FAR, CAS, and revenue recognition principles.
Preferred qualifications:
- MBA or Master’s degree in a related discipline
- Exposure to Microsoft Fabric, Power Query, DAX, or other data transformation and modeling tools
- Familiarity with ERP systems (e.g., Costpoint) and planning tools (e.g., Vena, Anaplan)
- Experience mentoring or developing junior finance professionals.
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Skills Required
- Active U.S. security clearance
- Bachelor's degree in Finance, Accounting, Business, Economics, or related field
- 7+ years progressive finance experience at a U.S. government contractor in Program Finance, Project Finance, FP&A, or related role
- Experience supporting complex government contracts and understanding contract types (FFP, CPFF, T&M, Cost Reimbursable)
- Demonstrated experience leading Estimate at Completion (EAC), forecasting, and financial planning
- Strong financial modeling, analytical, and problem-solving skills
- Advanced Microsoft Excel skills and experience developing financial reporting solutions
- Ability to influence cross-functional teams and communicate with technical and business stakeholders
- Proven ability to improve financial processes and drive operational excellence
- Experience supporting aerospace, defense, autonomous systems, or other complex technology development programs
- Experience designing financial reporting solutions, dashboards, or process automation
- Knowledge of FAR, CAS, and revenue recognition principles
- MBA or Master's degree in a related discipline
- Exposure to Microsoft Fabric, Power Query, DAX, or other data transformation and modeling tools
- Familiarity with ERP systems (e.g., Costpoint) and planning tools (e.g., Vena, Anaplan)
- Experience mentoring or developing junior finance professionals
What the Team is Saying
Shield AI Compensation & Benefits Highlights
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Healthcare Strength — Healthcare coverage includes medical, dental, vision, and mental-health support, with company materials describing excellent coverage. Feedback suggests these offerings are comprehensive and consistently highlighted across official and third-party benefit lists.
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Equity Value & Accessibility — Equity is granted to all full-time hires, with RSU structures and tools like Carta Tax intended to improve understanding and tax timing. Feedback suggests this broad-based ownership approach is a notable component of total rewards.
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Parental & Family Support — Benefits include paid parental leave, fertility support, childcare benefits, family medical leave, and onsite resources such as a Mother's Room. Feedback suggests the family-oriented offerings are more expansive than basic coverage.
Shield AI Insights
What We Do
At Shield AI, you won't wait years to see your work reach the field. You'll build hardware and software that operates in the real world right now, in the hands of the people who depend on it. Hivemind, our AI pilot, has been flying since 2018. It has flown more than 30 platforms, including an F-16, and it now sits under a U.S. Air Force production contract for Collaborative Combat Aircraft. When you write code or shape a system here, you contribute to technology with a proven flight record and a clear production future. V-BAT flies intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance missions with an operational record that stretches from Ukraine to the Indo-Pacific. It delivers eyes where they matter most, in the most demanding conditions on earth. The teams behind it watch their work get tested where the stakes are real. X-BAT takes its first flight this year. It's an AI-piloted fighter that needs no runway, built to operate where traditional aircraft can't. Join now and you help shape a program at its earliest, most formative stage. That's the kind of ground-floor work that defines a career. Do the most impactful work of your life, on problems that matter. Autonomy at this level asks a lot of you. You'll take on problems in perception, planning, and control that few teams anywhere are equipped to solve. You'll work across disciplines, from aerospace and robotics to machine learning and systems engineering, alongside people who hold themselves to an exacting standard and expect the same from you. Our mission is clear: protect service members and civilians with intelligent systems. That purpose runs through every decision, every design review, and every deployment. It's why the work here carries a weight you can feel. Ready to join our mission? Explore our open roles and find where you fit.
Why Work With Us
Founded in 2015 by a former Navy SEAL, Shield AI builds AI pilots and uncrewed aircraft. Veterans aren't an afterthought here, they're at every level. It's why the work carries weight: AI pilots and uncrewed aircraft flying real missions, from Ukraine to the Indo-Pacific, protecting service members and civilians.
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