Note: The job is a remote job and is open to candidates in USA. SMARTnet, Inc. is a growing small business government contractor. The Accounting Controller will lead day-to-day accounting operations, government contract accounting and compliance, billing, payroll, financial reporting, cash-flow management, and Unanet administration while supporting the CFO and President.
Responsibilities
- Manage the complete accounting cycle, including the general ledger, journal entries, reconciliations, accruals, and month-end and year-end close
- Oversee accounts receivable, accounts payable, payroll, and expense reporting
- Maintain accurate cash-flow forecasts and proactively identify potential cash-flow concerns
- Manage banking activities, company credit cards, expense reimbursements, and related financial controls
- Maintain the chart of accounts and ensure transactions are properly classified by project, contract, department, and indirect cost pool
- Coordinate with the company’s outside CPA, tax advisors, benefits providers, insurance providers, and other financial partners
- Maintain accounting practices consistent with FAR, DCAA, and other applicable government contracting requirements
- Ensure costs are properly classified as direct, indirect, allowable, unallowable, billable, and non-billable
- Develop, monitor, and maintain indirect cost pools and allocation bases, including fringe, overhead, and general and administrative expenses
- Calculate and monitor provisional and actual indirect rates and identify material variances
- Prepare or support incurred cost submissions, contract audits, and other government reporting requirements, as applicable
- Maintain audit-ready accounting records, timekeeping documentation, cost support, and internal controls
- Support compliance reviews and respond to requests from auditors, contracting officers, customers, and government agencies
- Advise company leadership on government contracting accounting requirements and financial best practices
- Oversee accurate and timely billing for firm-fixed-price, time-and-materials, cost-reimbursable, and other government contract types
- Prepare and submit invoices through government and customer billing portals, including PIEE/WAWF when applicable
- Verify that labor, materials, travel, subcontractor costs, and indirect expenses are billed correctly and in accordance with contract terms
- Monitor accounts receivable aging and actively manage collections
- Reconcile billed amounts to project costs, contract funding, and the general ledger
- Track contract funding, ceilings, periods of performance, and billing limitations to prevent overbilling or unallowable charges
- Oversee vendor setup, invoice processing, approval workflows, payment schedules, and subcontractor payments
- Ensure expenses are properly coded to the appropriate project, contract, cost category, and general ledger account
- Manage payroll processing and ensure accurate labor distribution by employee, project, contract, and indirect charge code
- Reconcile payroll, payroll liabilities, benefits, taxes, and paid-time-off balances
- Maintain strong timekeeping controls and ensure employees follow government contracting timekeeping requirements
- Prepare or oversee required payroll tax filings and coordinate with payroll and benefits providers
- Serve as the company’s primary accounting lead and subject-matter expert for Unanet
- Maintain projects, contracts, billing terms, employees, labor categories, charge codes, indirect cost structures, and approval workflows
- Ensure Unanet is properly configured to support government contract accounting, timekeeping, expense reporting, project costing, and billing
- Develop reports and dashboards that provide leadership with timely financial and operational information
- Train employees and managers on proper timekeeping, expense reporting, project setup, and accounting procedures within Unanet
- Identify opportunities to improve automation, accuracy, reporting, and internal controls through better use of Unanet
- Prepare timely monthly financial statements, including the balance sheet, income statement, cash-flow statement, and supporting schedules
- Provide the CFO and President with regular reporting on revenue, profitability, cash flow, backlog, accounts receivable, accounts payable, and indirect rates
- Prepare project-level reports comparing funded amounts and budgets against actual labor, materials, travel, subcontractor, and other costs
- Analyze profitability by project, contract, customer, and business segment
- Lead the annual budgeting process and maintain rolling forecasts
- Support pricing, proposal development, labor-rate analysis, and indirect-rate development
- Provide financial guidance regarding hiring, capital purchases, contract performance, and company growth
- Develop scalable accounting policies, procedures, and internal controls appropriate for a growing small business
- Produce accurate and timely monthly financial statements
- Maintain dependable cash-flow and accounts-receivable forecasting
- Ensure payroll, vendor payments, and customer invoices are accurate and completed on time
- Maintain a clean, well-organized, and audit-ready accounting system
- Provide leadership with clear visibility into project performance and company profitability
- Establish consistent government contracting accounting procedures across the organization
- Improve the company’s use of Unanet and reduce reliance on disconnected spreadsheets and manual processes
- Serve as a trusted financial advisor to the CFO and President while remaining willing to perform the hands-on work required in a small business environment
Skills
- • A minimum of five years, and preferably 5–10 years, of direct accounting experience within the federal government contracting industry
- • Significant hands-on experience with Unanet is required
- • Demonstrated experience managing accounts receivable, accounts payable, payroll, general ledger, billing, and financial reporting
- • Strong knowledge of government contracting accounting practices, including FAR requirements, DCAA expectations, indirect cost allocation, and cost allowability
- • Experience with government contract billing and multiple contract types, including firm-fixed-price, time-and-materials, and cost-reimbursable contracts
- • Experience calculating and monitoring fringe, overhead, and G&A rates
- • Strong understanding of government contractor timekeeping and labor-distribution requirements
- • Experience supporting audits, incurred cost submissions, or other government compliance reviews
- • Advanced Microsoft Excel skills
- • Bachelor's degree in accounting, finance, business administration, or a related field
- • Strong attention to detail, sound judgment, and the ability to protect confidential financial and employee information
- • Ability to work independently, meet deadlines, and manage both daily accounting responsibilities and higher-level financial priorities
- • CPA, CMA, or similar professional certification
- • Previous Controller, Assistant Controller, or senior accounting leadership experience with a small government contractor
- • Experience working in a government contracting company with annual revenue between $5 million and $20 million
- • Experience with PIEE/WAWF and other government invoicing systems
- • Experience supporting proposal pricing, forward-pricing rates, audits, and incurred cost submissions
- • Experience improving accounting processes and preparing a growing business for increased compliance requirements
- • Residence within the Washington, D.C. metropolitan area
Benefits
- Medical, dental, and vision insurance
- Employer-sponsored retirement plan
- Paid time off
- Paid holidays
- Life and disability insurance
- Flexible hybrid/remote work arrangements
- Professional development opportunities
Company Overview