Cost Accountant

Company Overview

Allen Control Systems (ACS) is a cutting-edge defense startup founded by two former Navy electrical engineers with a proven track record in robotics and software. We are developing an autonomous gun turret using advanced computer vision and control systems to precisely detect, track, and neutralize enemy drones.

With an engineering-first culture, ACS values technical excellence and innovation. Backed by our founders’ successful exits from two previous ventures acquired for a combined $180M in 2022, we are committed to ensuring that the groundbreaking technologies we develop will have a real-world impact.

About The Role

ACS is ramping production of Bullfrog, our autonomous counter-drone weapon station, from initial units to hundreds of systems per year. We are seeking a Cost Accountant to build the cost accounting infrastructure from the ground up: standard costs, variance analysis, inventory valuation, and the manufacturing costing module of our ERP. This is a mid-to-senior individual contributor role reporting to the Corporate Controller. You will be embedded in the financial heartbeat of the factory, working directly with operations, supply chain, and engineering to ensure we understand the true cost of every unit we build and every contract we price.

What You’ll Do

• Build and maintain standard costs for Bullfrog and future product lines: BOM costing at the component level, direct labor rates by operation, and overhead allocation methodology.

• Own variance analysis across material price, purchase price, labor efficiency, and overhead absorption; deliver clear explanations to operations and leadership.

• Lead the manufacturing and costing module implementation within the ERP; define costing structure, work centers, routings, and cost rollups.

• Maintain inventory costing and valuation across raw materials, WIP, and finished goods; ensure accuracy of physical inventory counts and cycle counts.

• Partner with supply chain on component cost changes and their P&L impact; flag BOM and engineering change orders with cost implications before they hit the books.

• Support DCAA indirect cost rate development across fringe, manufacturing overhead, and G&A; ensure cost pools are structured correctly for government contract compliance.

• Provide cost buildups for new contract proposals and pricing decisions; model cost-to-produce at various volume scenarios as production scales.

• Support month-end close including inventory reconciliation, WIP roll-forward, COGS recognition, and manufacturing variance journals; build reporting that gives operations real-time visibility into cost performance.

What You’ll Need

• Hands-on experience building or running cost accounting at a company that physically manufactures hardware; not software COGS, not services.

• Proficiency with standard costing systems: setting standards, running cost rolls, analyzing variances, and explaining them to non-finance audiences.

• Direct experience implementing or heavily using the manufacturing/costing module of an ERP system such as NetSuite, SAP, Epicor, or similar.

• Solid understanding of inventory accounting across raw materials, WIP, and finished goods, including the journal entries that move between them.

• Background at a scaled, engineering-driven manufacturer in defense, aerospace, robotics, industrial hardware, or an adjacent field; someone who has seen production ramp and understands what that does to unit economics.

• Able to work cross-functionally with engineering and operations; you are a partner to the people building the product, not a back-office function.

• On-site in Austin, TX.

You’ll Stand Out

• Experience with government progress payments and the inventory and billing mechanics that accompany them.

• Familiarity with DCAA audit processes and incurred cost submissions.

• Has worked through a significant production ramp from LRIP to full-rate production and understands how cost structures shift at scale.

• Experience with multi-level BOM costing for electromechanical assemblies.

What We Offer

• Competitive salary

• ACS Equity Package

• Health, Dental, Vision Insurance

• Paid Time Off

Allen Control Systems is an Equal Opportunity Employer, providing equal employment opportunities to all employees and applicants for employment. Allen Control Systems prohibits discrimination and harassment of any type without regard to race, color, religion, age, sex, national origin, disability status, genetics, protected veteran status, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, or any other characteristic protected by federal, state or local laws.