Cost Accountant
Austin, TX - USA
Department:
Job Summary
Company Overview
ACS (Allen Control Systems) is a defense technology company building precision robotic systems for the United States and its allies. Founded by two former U.S. Navy electrical engineers with deep experience in robotics and software ACS brings together AI computer vision precision motion and advanced hardware to solve complex defense challenges across land air and maritime environments.
Our flagship product Bullfrog is an autonomous precision weapon system that transforms existing weapons into highly accurate counter-drone systems giving warfighters a scalable cost-effective response to one of the fastest-growing threats on the modern battlefield. Bullfrog is deployed with U.S. forces and ACS works with organizations throughout the U.S. military and national security community.
Following a $200 million Series B at a $2.2 billion valuation ACS is rapidly expanding manufacturing accelerating Bullfrog deployments and developing the next generation of autonomous battlefield systems. This is an opportunity to join a proven fast-moving team and help scale technology with direct real-world impact on national security.
ACS is headquartered in Austin Texas with additional operations in Alexandria Virginia; Mountain View California; and Huntsville Alabama. For more information visit .
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 Youll 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 Youll 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.
Youll 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.
About Company
Allen Control Systems is a robotics defense company purpose-built to deliver advanced robotic capabilities to fill modernization demands across the defense industry and national security communities.