Cost & Program Controls Manager

Location: Arlington, VA – Hybrid (2-3x)

The Role: Our client is hiring a Cost & Project Controls Manager to own the full financial picture of a portfolio of active government programs — both the accounting record of what's happened and the forward-looking forecast of where each project is heading. This role sits at the intersection of cost accounting and project controls: you'll close the books on project costs, and you'll also build and defend the EAC/ETC forecasts that tell Program Managers and Finance leadership whether a project is on track. You'll report to the Director of Finance and Accounting, and be trusted to run your portfolio independently after ramp-up. What You'll DoCost Accounting & Close Maintain project cost-accounting structures and financial master data across multiple concurrent government programs Reconcile project ledgers to the general ledger; investigate and resolve labor, AP, procurement, and billing discrepancies Prepare journal entries, accruals, and cost transfers as part of month-end close Support milestone-based billing and revenue recognition (ASC 606) by validating that billing support ties to documented project progress Project Controls & Forecasting Build and maintain Estimate at Completion (EAC) / Estimate to Complete (ETC) forecasts, integrating actual costs, open commitments, staffing plans, procurement timing, and schedule assumptions Partner directly with Program Managers to test forecast assumptions against real execution and reconcile the financial forecast to operational reality Analyze cost trends against budget; flag margin risk and cost-to-complete pressure early, with clear recommendations, not just variance reporting ReportingPresent financial results, forecasts, and risks to Finance leadership, Program Managers, and Program Controls stakeholders