We are seeking a highly motivated Lead Program Financial Analyst to join our dynamic finance team supporting the Aircraft business unit. This is a high-impact role designed for an analytical and results-driven individual who thrives in a fast-paced, ever-evolving environment. You will play a critical part in driving financial insights, optimizing performance, and shaping the financial strategy of one of our fastest-growing business units.
As a strategic partner to cross-functional teams, you'll leverage your analytical skills, business acumen, and financial expertise to drive clarity and decision-making. The ideal candidate will have a strong foundation in financial modeling, data analysis, and operational finance, along with an understanding of US GAAP as it relates to government contracting and hardware-centric business.
What you'll do:
- Build, maintain, and scale financial models used for forecasting, budgeting, and long-term planning
- Analyze data trends to develop business insights and deliver actionable recommendations to leadership
- Partner closely with Program Management and Aircraft Ops teams to provide financial support on program health, spend trends, and headcount planning
- Develop reporting cadences and dashboards to track KPIs and business performance using tools like Power BI and Excel
- Participate in the month-end and quarter-end close process, including variance analysis and executive reporting
- Assist with financial operational planning cycles, business reviews, and investment decision-making processes
- Support data transformation initiatives and basic modeling efforts in collaboration with analytics or data engineering teams
- Drive continuous process improvement by identifying automation and efficiency opportunities within financial reporting and analysis
- Partner with inventory and supply chain teams to monitor material movement, usage, and cost trends
- Collaborate with program managers to monitor actuals vs. plan, flag risks/opportunities, and support EAC (Estimate at Completion) updates
- Ensure financial alignment of day-to-day operations with long-term strategic goals through regular operational reviews and ad hoc analysis
Required qualifications:
- Bachelor’s degree in Finance, Accounting, Business, Economics, or a related field
- 5+ years of progressive experience in financial analysis, corporate finance, or FP&A
- Advanced proficiency in Excel, financial modeling, and data analysis
- Strong understanding of US GAAP, with practical experience applying accounting principles in a government contracting or manufacturing environment
- Familiarity with cost accounting concepts and government contract structures (e.g., T&M, CPFF, FFP)
- Strong working knowledge of Power BI and comfort with data visualization tools
- Solid understanding of financial statements and business metrics
- Demonstrated ability to work independently and collaborate cross-functionally in a fast-moving environment
- Excellent communication skills with the ability to present complex financial data to non-financial stakeholders
Preferred qualifications:
- MBA or Master’s degree in a related discipline
- Experience supporting operations or customer-facing teams in a manufacturing, aerospace, or tech environment
- 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)
- Track record of being a high performer with a bias for action, intellectual curiosity, and attention to detail
- Passion for using data to tell a story and drive strategic decisions
Top Skills
What We Do
Founded in 2015, Shield AI is a venture-backed deep-tech company with the mission of protecting service members and civilians with intelligent systems. Its products include the V-BAT and X-BAT aircraft, Hivemind Enterprise, and the Hivemind Vision product lines. With offices and facilities across the U.S., Europe, the Middle East, and the Asia-Pacific, Shield AI’s technology actively supports operations worldwide.
Why Work With Us
What makes Shield AI special is our people. We unlock the power of autonomy, and in the face of overwhelming odds and challenges, we find ways to win and make a difference for our customers. We bring together software, AI, and aerospace engineering disciplines to deploy the most intelligent aviation capabilities in the world.
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