Lead Program Finance (R5875)

About the role

Shield AI, a venture-backed defense-tech company, is looking for a Lead Financial Analyst to support financial planning, forecasting and business partnership across its key programs and operational areas. The role partners closely with Program Management, Engineering, Operations, Supply Chain, Business Development and Finance leadership. It is a hands-on individual contributor position focused on building and maintaining financial models, analyzing performance against plan and improving reporting and financial cadences.

Key responsibilities

• Build, maintain and scale financial models used for forecasting, budgeting and long-term planning
• Analyze data trends to develop business insights and recommend actions to leadership
• Partner with Program Management and Aircraft Ops on program health, spend trends and headcount planning
• Develop reporting cadences and dashboards tracking KPIs, using Power BI and Excel
• Take part in month-end and quarter-end close, including variance analysis and executive reporting
• Support operational planning cycles, business reviews and investment decision-making
• Help with data transformation and basic modeling with analytics or data engineering teams
• Identify automation and efficiency improvements in financial reporting and analysis
• Work with inventory and supply chain teams on material movement, usage and cost trends
• Monitor actuals versus plan, flag risks and opportunities and support Estimate at Completion (EAC) updates

Required profile

• Bachelor's degree in Finance, Accounting, Business, Economics or a related field
• 5+ years of progressive experience in financial analysis, corporate finance or FP&A
• Strong understanding of US GAAP, with experience in a government contracting or manufacturing environment
• Familiarity with cost accounting and government contract structures (T&M, CPFF, FFP)
• Ability to work independently and collaborate cross-functionally in a fast-moving environment
• Excellent communication skills, able to explain complex financial data to non-financial stakeholders

Required skills

• Advanced Excel, financial modeling and data analysis
• Power BI and data visualization tools
• Understanding of financial statements and business metrics

Preferred: MBA or related master's degree; experience in manufacturing, aerospace or tech operations; exposure to Microsoft Fabric, Power Query, DAX; familiarity with ERP systems such as Costpoint/Oracle and planning tools such as Vena/Anaplan.