This is a hands-on seat, and a no-task-too-small one, from bookkeeping to controller functions; you'll enter invoices, process billing, and reconcile accounts personally, with AI agents doing the repetitive work under your supervision. You'll own and run these functions, not delegate them. If you know government-contract finance and you're genuinely excited to build, it's a rare ground-floor role reporting straight to the CEO and a path toward CFO.

WHO SUCCEEDS HERE

• Owns the answer. You work the problem first and bring a recommendation, not a consultant invoice.

• Technically deep and plainspoken. You can explain a G&A base change in a way that changes behavior.

• Comfortable being the only one. There is no team above you catching mistakes. That is the job, and it is why the seat is worth having.

• Disciplined about documentation. In govcon, the memo is the control.

• Builder mindset, and high integrity under pressure. Rates, timekeeping, and allowability are places where shortcuts create real liability. You do not take them.

GROWTH PATH

This role is deliberately scoped above a typical Accounting Manager. The near-term objective is a self-sufficient accounting function; the medium-term objective is a finance leader. For a person who performs, the progression is Accounting Manager to Controller to CFO. Advancement is based on demonstrated results, not tenure.

WHAT YOU'LL OWN

Accounting & Close

• Full accounting cycle: GL, AP, AR, accruals, prepaids, fixed assets, and intercompany.

• Month-end and year-end close on a disciplined calendar: journal entries, reconciliations, supporting schedules, and monthly financial statements, plus a combined view for ownership.

• Payroll, including Service Contract Act and certified payroll where applicable, and multi-state payroll tax.

• Cash management: bank reconciliations, treasury movement, and short-term cash forecasting.

Government Contract Accounting & Compliance

• Maintain an accounting system that satisfies DCAA pre-award criteria (SF 1408): segregation of direct and indirect costs, compliant timekeeping, and unallowable cost screening under FAR Part 31.

• Revenue recognition and billing across cost-plus, T&M, labor-hour, and firm-fixed-price contracts under ASC 606, including WAWF/PIEE invoicing and prime contractor portals, with billing reconciled to CLIN structure and funding every cycle.

• Unbilled receivables, retainage, fee withholding, and limitation of funds and cost tracking.

• Prepare the annual incurred cost submission (ICE model) and support the rate settlement.

• Support DCAA and prime contractor audits, floor checks, and accounting system reviews. Be the person in the room.

Indirect Rates & Cost Pools

• Own the rate structure: fringe, overhead, G&A, and any handling pools. Evaluate and redesign pool and base structure where warranted.

• Calculate and submit provisional billing rates, monitor actuals monthly, and prepare true-ups before they become a year-end surprise.

• Build forward pricing and bid rates, and support proposals with defensible rate build-ups.

Unanet Ownership

• Internal system owner and administrator for Unanet ERP GovCon project structure, labor categories, cost pools and allocation logic, billing and revenue formulas, workflows, and user roles.

• Own timekeeping and expense administration, including the audit trail required for compliance.

• Reduce, then govern, the use of outside Unanet consultants. You scope, direct, and review any retained support.

AI-Enabled Operations

• Run and supervise the AI agent workflows that handle data entry, reconciliations, invoice prep, and reporting. Certify every output before it ships. The automation does the typing; you own the result.

• Make the model repeatable so each newly acquired entity onboards onto the same systems and workflows.

Reporting & Data Support

• Deliver closed, reconciled monthly numbers on a reliable calendar. Ownership builds the forecasts and investor reporting; you make sure the data underneath never has to be questioned.

• Contract-level cost and margin data (EAC inputs), backlog and funding tracking, and AI-drafted variance schedules for ownership review.

REQUIRED

• Bachelor's degree in accounting, finance, or a related field.

• 5+ years of progressive accounting experience, with 2+ in government contracting.

• Hands-on Unanet experience as an operator or administrator, not just a report consumer.

• Demonstrated ownership or understanding of indirect rates: you have built or maintained fringe, overhead, and G&A pools, calculated provisional and actual rates, and can defend your pool and base decisions.

• Working command of FAR Part 31 cost principles and DCAA accounting system expectations.

• Experience across contract types, at minimum cost-plus and T&M.

• Full-cycle close ownership. You have closed a set of books yourself.

• Willingness to do the transactional work personally: AP entry, billing, reconciliations. There is no staff beneath this seat at hire.

• Real enthusiasm for AI tools, and the discipline to verify everything before you stand behind it.

• A record of owning compliance-critical work without errors slipping through, and discretion with sensitive financial and personnel data.

• Advanced Excel and comfort operating without a large finance department: you build the schedule, reconcile the account, and write the memo.

PREFERRED

• CPA or CMA, or progress toward one; FP&A exposure a plus.

• Incurred cost submission prepared end-to-end (ICE model); DCAA audit, floor check, or system review support.

• Unanet implementation or conversion experience; QuickBooks-to-Unanet migration a plus.

• Experience with private equity or family office reporting cadence.

• Proposal pricing and cost volume support; SCA health and welfare administration.

Tri-County Steel LLC (TCS) d.b.a TCS Govcon LLC, is a service-disabled veteran-owned small business located in Bedford, Indiana. We have been a trusted defense contractor supporting our industry and government partners for over 16 years, offering a wide variety of logistics, programmatic, and engineering support services.

We pride ourselves on a strong commitment to clients and a focus on quality and reliability in everything we do. Additionally, we are dedicated to the growth and development of our employees, providing opportunities for advancement and professional growth.