Job Description & Details
This is a hands-on financial management role based out of the Herndon, VA headquarters for a CMMI Level 3 government contractor. You will own the full accounting cycle, keeping federal compliance, payroll, and AP tightly aligned while supporting both internal teams and external stakeholders.
What You'll Actually Be Doing
Expect to dive straight into the day-to-day mechanics of government contracting finance. You'll manage vendor invoice reviews, run payroll processing through ADP, handle complex bank and credit card reconciliations, and drive month-end and year-end closes. A major part of your bandwidth will be spent ensuring strict adherence to GAAP and government contracting regulations while coordinating employee inquiries regarding PTO, HSA, and 401(k) allocations.
The Core Tech Stack
Deltek Costpoint and ADP Payroll are non-negotiable for this position. You need deep, hands-on fluency in project-based accounting under federal contracts, along with advanced Excel skills for managing ledgers, reconciliations, and reporting. A solid grasp of GAAP, FAR (Federal Acquisition Regulations), and UI tax liabilities across multiple states will separate a passing candidate from a great one.
Interview Expectations
Be ready to walk the hiring manager through your exact process for reconciling complex government contract accounts under tight month-end deadlines. They'll want to see how you handle discrepancies in Deltek Costpoint and what steps you take to ensure strict compliance with FAR and GAAP. They are secretly testing whether you can operate independently without hand-holding while managing multiple high-stakes payroll and vendor cycles.
Application Advice
Your resume needs to make your government contracting accounting experience immediately obvious. Don't just list generic accounting duties; explicitly highlight your hands-on work with Deltek Costpoint, ADP, and federal contract compliance. Feature keywords like 'GAAP', 'FAR', 'Bank Reconciliations', and 'Month-End Close' prominently so your application easily clears their ATS screening.