Associate Director - FP&A - Government Contracting - Private Equity Advisory

Overview

This role supports private equity portfolio companies by partnering with clients to strengthen finance functions and drive value creation. The focus includes Government Contracting (GovCon) financial planning, indirect rate strategy, compliance-aligned reporting, and the development of scalable wrap rate and planning processes.

Responsibilities

• Serve clients within the “Office of the CFO” at private equity portfolio companies by creating a diagnostic framework and enhancing finance function effectiveness.
• Act as a subject matter expert in the Government Contracting (“GovCon”) industry vertical, working with portfolio company management and sponsors to drive:
  • Financial planning
  • Indirect rate strategy
  • Compliance-aligned reporting across GovCon investments
• Lead the development, calculation, and operationalization of scalable wrap rate processes and planning tools across portfolio companies, ensuring alignment with DCAA requirements and contract pricing strategies. Activities may include:
  • Build and refine indirect rate structures, provisional billing rates, and rate variance analyses to support accurate job costing and profitability tracking
  • Develop and optimize planning and reporting tools tailored to cost-plus, T&M, and FFP contracts
  • Provide bid/proposal pricing support, including rate build-ups, should-cost analyses, and competitive positioning for new business capture
  • Lead implementation of a financial management capability, including multi-year financial modeling and annual target-setting processes, translating strategic targets into annual and monthly operating/capital budgets and forecasts
  • Prepare financial and operational management reports comparing current actual and year-to-date performance with prior year results, forecasts, and budgeted results; identify and implement associated KPI reporting
  • Assess current state and build or modify analytical resources, tools, models, metrics, and methodologies to enhance decision-making support (including models to calculate and assess financial covenants and operating requirements outlined in debt agreements)
  • Support treasury and cash flow forecasting activities such as banking, investments, derivative management, debt repayment, and liquidity management; develop or enhance 13-week cash flow forecast models
• Develop and maintain relationships with portfolio company representatives and private equity sponsors, collaborating with internal teams to scope, clarify, and deliver excellent client service.
• Contribute to developing and implementing firm-approved, AI-enabled solutions for clients in accordance with policies on data protection, intellectual property, and professional standards.
• Stay informed about emerging AI tools and techniques and collaborate with leadership to identify compliant opportunities to enhance client solutions and internal processes.
• Participate in business development activities by marketing a full range of services to prospective clients and using existing relationships to generate new opportunities.
• Mentor team members by coaching colleagues, providing regular feedback, and supporting annual performance reviews; help project teams resolve multifaceted issues.

Requirements

• 9+ years of corporate FP&A and/or consulting experience, including exposure to middle-market, private equity-owned businesses and significant experience in the GovCon space.
• Experience addressing the unique requirements of the middle-market consulting environment, including understanding the relationship between private equity sponsors and their portfolio companies.
• Ability to operate in ambiguous, fast-moving environments with a bias toward action; comfortable switching between strategic narrative and detailed analysis.
• Deep GovCon sector experience, ideally in the middle-market space, with the ability to serve as an FP&A generalist on select engagements outside the industry.
• Experience bridging technical FP&A skills with hands-on knowledge of DCAA/DCMA compliance, cost accounting standards, and government contract economics.
• Demonstrated experience developing, implementing, and operationalizing wrap rates and indirect rate structures for government contractors.
• Strong working knowledge of FAR, DFARS, CAS, and DCAA audit processes; incurred cost submission experience using the ICE model is strongly preferred.
• Demonstrated success building and developing strong client relationships.
• Diverse industry experience (may include manufacturing, SaaS, healthcare, and business services, among others).
• Experience engaging with controller/accounting teams, including fluent knowledge of key drivers of the income statement, balance sheet, and statement of cash flows.
• Strong understanding of cash flow dynamics, debt structures and covenant reporting, value creation plans, and exit and diligence processes.
• Advanced financial modeling skills with judgment to keep models practical and decision-focused.
• Advanced expertise with Microsoft Excel and PowerPoint.
• Experience with data analytics and related tools (e.g., Tableau, Power BI, Alteryx, SQL, Snowflake, etc.).
• Knowledge of key Office of the CFO technology solutions, including GovCon ERP and EPM platforms such as Deltek Costpoint, Unanet, JAMIS, OneStream.
• Comfort with AI: demonstrated ability to responsibly explore and adopt firm-approved AI tools to enhance productivity and innovation.
• Continuous learning mindset, including openness to applying emerging technologies (including AI and automation) in alignment with firm policies and client standards.
• Experience mentoring and developing junior team members and helping project teams resolve multifaceted issues.

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in accounting or finance.
• Willingness to travel up to 40%. Travel varies based on client preferences.
• Preference for candidates based in DC Metro area.
• U.S. Citizenship or Lawful Permanent Residency (Green Card) strongly preferred due to the nature of client engagements, which may require access to controlled unclassified information (CUI), export-controlled data, or government facilities.

Compensation & Benefits

• Comprehensive healthcare options including medical, dental, and vision coverage
• Flexible spending accounts
• 401(k) with company matching
• Generous parental and maternity leave policies
• Technology stipends
• Wellness reimbursement programs

Location

• DC Metro area (preference)
• Travel up to 40%

Equal Employment Opportunity (EEO)

The employer provides equal employment opportunities (EEO) to all employees and applicants for employment and is committed to comply with federal, state, and local laws. Discrimination and harassment are prohibited without regard to race, color, religion, age, sex, national origin, disability, pregnancy, genetics, sexual orientation, veteran status, gender identity or expression or any other protected characteristic. The employer also complies with pay transparency and labor laws applicable to all terms and conditions of employment.