Sr. Manager, Program Finance (R3531) - Shield AI

Job Title: Sr. Manager, Program Finance (R3531)
Job Location: Dallas Metro Area
Job Listing URL: https://jobs.lever.co/shieldai/8b39fc46-181c-4638-875d-9475e11fde08
Job Description: Founded in 2015, Shield AI is a venture-backed deep-tech company with the mission of protecting service members and civilians with intelligent systems. Its products include the V-BAT aircraft, Hivemind Enterprise, and the Hivemind Vision product lines. With offices in San Diego, Dallas, Washington, D.C., Boston, Abu Dhabi (UAE), Kyiv (Ukraine), and Melbourne (Australia), Shield AI’s technology actively supports U.S. and allied operations worldwide. For more information, visit www.shield.ai. Follow Shield AI on LinkedIn, X and Instagram.

Job Description:
We’re looking for a Program Finance Sr. Manager with sharp analytical instincts and a passion for driving business performance to join our high-performing finance team. Supporting our fastest-growing Aircraft business unit, this is a high-visibility, high-impact role where your insights will directly shape strategy and fuel innovation.
In this fast-paced, constantly evolving environment, you won’t just crunch numbers—you’ll influence decisions, uncover opportunities, and partner with leaders across engineering, operations, and product to deliver actionable financial intelligence. Your work will help optimize performance and steer one of our most critical business areas toward sustained growth.
The ideal candidate brings deep experience in financial modeling, operational finance, and data analysis, as well as a solid grasp of US GAAP, government contracting, and hardware-centric businesses. If you're energized by complexity, motivated by results, and ready to make a real impact, we want to hear from you.
What you'll do:
Build, maintain, and scale financial models used for forecasting, budgeting, and long-term planning
Analyze data trends to develop business insights and deliver actionable recommendations to leadership
Partner closely with Program Management and Aircraft Ops teams to provide financial support on program health, spend trends, and headcount planning
Develop reporting cadences and dashboards to track KPIs and business performance using tools like Power BI and Excel
Participate in the month-end and quarter-end close process, including variance analysis and executive reporting
Assist with financial operational planning cycles, business reviews, and investment decision-making processes
Support data transformation initiatives and basic modeling efforts in collaboration with analytics or data engineering teams
Drive continuous process improvement by identifying automation and efficiency opportunities within financial reporting and analysis
Partner with inventory and supply chain teams to monitor material movement, usage, and cost trends
Collaborate with program managers to monitor actuals vs. plan, flag risks/opportunities, and support EAC (Estimate at Completion) updates
Ensure financial alignment of day-to-day operations with long-term strategic goals through regular operational reviews and ad hoc analysis
Required qualifications:
Bachelor’s degree in Finance, Accounting, Business, Economics, or a related field
8+ years of progressive experience in financial analysis, corporate finance, or FP&A
Experience working in large Defense primes
Advanced proficiency in Excel, financial modeling, and data analysis
Strong understanding of US GAAP, with practical experience applying accounting principles in a government contracting or manufacturing environment
Familiarity with cost accounting concepts and government contract structures (e.g., T&M, CPFF, FFP)
Strong working knowledge of Power BI and comfort with data visualization tools
Solid understanding of financial statements and business metrics
Demonstrated ability to work independently and collaborate cross-functionally in a fast-moving environment
Excellent communication skills with the ability to present complex financial data to non-financial stakeholders
Preferred qualifications:
MBA or Master’s degree in a related discipline
Experience supporting operations or customer-facing teams in a manufacturing, aerospace, or tech environment
Exposure to Microsoft Fabric, Power Query, DAX, or other data transformation and modeling tools
Familiarity with ERP systems (e.g., Costpoint) and planning tools (e.g., Vena)
Track record of being a high performer with a bias for action, intellectual curiosity, and attention to detail
Passion for using data to tell a story and drive strategic decisions