[Hiring] Director of Finance @XSTAR Aviation

Role Description

The Director of Finance is XSTAR's senior financial planning, analysis, and compliance leader, responsible for translating operational performance into financial insight and ensuring XSTAR maintains a strong government contract compliance posture. This role bridges enterprise strategy and day-to-day accounting, operating with a 1–3 year planning horizon and partnering directly with both the CFO and the Controller/Company Accountant.

Key Responsibilities

• Financial Planning & Forecasting
  • Own XSTAR's annual budgeting process and maintain a rolling 24–36 month financial outlook.
  • Build and maintain a 13-week rolling cash forecast, incorporating incremental ALIN funding timelines, WAWF payment receipt tracking, and subcontractor payment obligations.
  • Monitor liquidity and proactively identify cash flow risks, escalating to the CFO as needed.
  • Support the CFO with financial modeling inputs for capital raises, aircraft financing, and lender reporting.
• Operational & Program Finance
  • Own financial performance tracking across active programs, including ALIN/ASLIN burn rates, indirect rate performance, and variance against contract assumptions.
  • Develop and maintain executive dashboards covering:
    • Sortie production vs. plan.
    • Aircraft utilization and cost per flight hour.
    • Contribution margin per flight hour (phased build-out tied to aircraft delivery and sortie operations commencement).
    • Subcontractor spend tracking against budget (i3, HACI, FSI, and others).
  • Identify variances early and provide clear root-cause analysis to leadership.
• Aircraft & Asset Economics
  • Monitor financial performance at the aircraft level, including utilization, cost per hour, and debt service coverage.
  • Support analysis for fleet growth, staffing decisions, and operational scaling.
  • Partner with Operations to ensure financial models reflect actual execution patterns.
• Government Contract Compliance & Audit Oversight
  • Own compliance coordination across all XSTAR DoD contracts, including OTAs, FAR-based contracts, and any hybrid vehicles.
  • Manage FAR/CAS compliance requirements and ensure consistent application across the full contract portfolio.
  • Prepare and maintain CAS Disclosure Statements as required upon crossing applicable thresholds.
  • Own XSTAR's posture on DCAA audit readiness, including coordination of incurred cost submissions and forward pricing rate proposals with the CFO.
  • Manage DCMA contract administration compliance obligations, including required reporting and corrective action responses.
  • Coordinate with the Controller/Company Accountant on accounting documentation, audit response packages, and compliance recordkeeping.
  • Ensure program-level financial practices align with applicable regulatory requirements across all contract types.
• Decision Support & Financial Leadership
  • Provide clear, data-driven recommendations to executive leadership on:
    • Hiring and staffing levels.
    • Aircraft acquisition timing.
    • Operational scaling decisions.
    • Contract execution risks and capital exposure.
  • Challenge assumptions and surface risks proactively - this role functions as a candid advisor, not a reporting function.
• Cross-Functional Integration
  • Partner with Operations, Program Management, and the Controller/Company Accountant to ensure alignment between operational performance, financial forecasts, and accounting outputs.
  • Serve as the financial interface between program execution and executive decision-making.
  • Maintain working familiarity with Deltek Costpoint sufficient to interpret outputs, validate program cost data, and identify discrepancies - system administration and data entry remain with the Controller.
• Corporate CFO Coordination
  • Support the CFO with business unit-level financial modeling and reporting.
  • Provide inputs for capital planning, enterprise-level decisions, and investor or lender materials.
  • Operate as the CFO's primary analytical resource for operational finance questions.

Location

Remote - U.S.-based. Occasional travel may be required for program reviews, site visits, or government meetings.

Compensation

Base salary range: $130,000 – $165,000, commensurate with experience. Compensation reflects the national market for defense/government contracting finance professionals with required Costpoint and DCAA/DCMA expertise.

Qualifications

• 7+ years of experience in finance, FP&A, or operational finance.
• Strong financial modeling, forecasting, and cash management experience.
• Experience in asset-heavy or operationally complex businesses (aviation, logistics, defense, or similar) preferred.
• Deltek Costpoint proficiency required - must be able to interpret outputs, validate program cost data, and identify discrepancies.
• DCAA/DCMA audit experience required - including direct involvement in audit preparation, response, and compliance management.
• Working knowledge of government contract finance, including FAR/CAS compliance, CAS Disclosure Statements, indirect rate structures, and program-level cost tracking.
• Ability to translate operational data into clear financial insight for non-finance audiences.

What Success Looks Like

• Executive leadership has real-time visibility into cash position, utilization, and program profitability.
• Financial risks related to incremental funding, contract execution, capital exposure, and audit readiness are identified early and clearly communicated.
• Decisions on fleet growth, staffing, and operations are supported by rigorous, current financial analysis.
• XSTAR maintains a strong compliance posture as its government contract portfolio grows.
• The Director of Finance is a trusted and candid advisor who improves outcomes by challenging assumptions.

Bottom Line

This is not a reporting function. The Director of Finance is responsible for ensuring XSTAR operates with financial clarity, discipline, regulatory compliance, and strong economic performance as it scales - bridging the gap between what the company is doing operationally and what it means financially.

Equal Opportunity Statement

XSTAR Aviation is an equal opportunity employer committed to equal opportunity in the workplace. We prohibit discrimination and harassment of any kind based on race, color, sex, religion, sexual orientation, national origin, disability, pregnancy, or any other protected characteristics as outlined by federal, state, or local laws.

Notice

This job description is not intended to be an exhaustive list of all responsibilities, duties, or skills required. Duties and responsibilities may change at any time with or without notice.