Head of Finance

Loft Federal is seeking a Head of Finance to serve as the business-unit finance lead and operating partner to the Federal GM.

This role will help scale Loft Federal as an operating business. The Head of Finance will build the financial operating system, improve decision discipline, create executive visibility, and help leadership connect strategy, growth, program execution, staffing, cash, and margin. The role will also be responsible for developing the Federal finance function as the business scales. 

Final title and leveling will be determined based on the selected candidate’s experience and demonstrated operating depth. Likely leveling ranges from Director to Senior Director with proven business-unit finance leadership in government contracting, aerospace, defense, space, or national security technology.

The Head of Finance will partner directly with Federal leadership, Growth, Programs, Engineering, Contracts, Legal, Accounting, and Corporate Finance.

Why This Role Matters

Loft Federal is building a business that requires financial command at the same pace as technical and mission execution. This role will help translate federal demand, program commitments, engineering capacity, pricing decisions, and cash timing into a clear operating picture.

The person in this seat will have direct influence on how Loft Federal scales, which opportunities it pursues, how programs are priced and managed, and how leadership allocates capital, people, and execution bandwidth.

What You Will Own

• Lead financial planning, forecasting, budgeting, and long-range planning for Loft Federal.

• Build and maintain financial visibility across bookings, revenue, gross margin, EBITDA, cash, backlog, pipeline conversion, and resource requirements.

• Establish a reliable monthly and quarterly business-unit financial operating cadence.

• Partner with Program Managers and Engineering leaders to track EACs, ETCs, burn rates, labor utilization, program margin, material costs, subcontractor spend, and variance drivers.

• Support pricing strategy and proposal development for T&M, FFP, cost-plus, OTA, IDIQ/task order, subcontract, and other government contracting structures.

• Improve financial rigor around spacecraft, payload integration, software, mission operations, and services programs.

• Partner with Contracts and Accounting on revenue recognition, invoicing, funding status, period of performance, contract type, and compliance requirements.

• Support indirect-rate planning, cost allocation, labor planning, and cost accounting discipline appropriate for a growing federal business.

• Build cash-flow forecasts and working-capital visibility tied to contract milestones, invoicing, collections, vendor payments, and program execution.

• Develop executive reporting for Federal leadership, Corporate leadership, and board-level discussions.

• Provide decision support for hiring plans, IRAD priorities, facility investments, security investments, BD campaigns, and program commitments.

• Identify financial risks early and drive corrective action with business leaders.

• Build scalable finance processes, dashboards, and controls that improve decision quality without slowing execution.

What Success Looks Like

• Loft Federal leadership has a clear, trusted view of bookings, revenue, gross margin, cash, backlog, pipeline conversion, and resource needs.

• Program margins are visible, reviewed, and actively managed.

• Forecasts become more accurate and more useful for decision making.

• Proposal pricing is disciplined, defensible, and tied to execution reality.

• Leadership can see where the business is making money, consuming cash, carrying risk, or overcommitting resources.

• Corporate Finance and Federal operations have a clean operating bridge.

• Finance becomes an operating partner to the business, not a reporting function after the fact.

Required Qualifications

• U.S. citizenship required.

• Ability to obtain and maintain a U.S. security clearance.

• 10+ years of progressive experience in finance, FP&A, program finance, business operations, or financial planning roles.

• Experience supporting government contracting, aerospace, defense, space, national security technology, complex hardware, complex software, or similar program-based businesses.

• Strong understanding of program financial control, EACs, ETCs, burn rates, margin analysis, revenue timing, backlog, pipeline conversion, and cash forecasting.

• Working knowledge of federal contract types, including T&M, FFP, cost-plus, IDIQ/task order, OTA, and subcontract structures.

• Experience building or improving finance processes, operating cadences, reporting packages, dashboards, or financial controls in a scaling organization.

• Ability to assess finance team capacity and determine when additional finance headcount, systems, or process maturity is justified.

• Strong financial modeling, forecasting, and executive reporting skills.

• Ability to partner directly with general managers, program leaders, engineering leaders, business development, contracts, accounting, and executive leadership.

• Strong financial modeling, analytical, and executive reporting skills.

• Ability to operate in a scaling business where systems, processes, and data are still maturing.

• High ownership, sound judgment, and willingness to engage in the operating details.

Preferred Qualifications

• Experience in space systems, spacecraft, payloads, mission software, mission operations, satellite manufacturing, or national security space.

• Experience building or leading a small finance team.

• Experience in venture-backed, private-equity-backed, or high-growth technology environments.

• Experience with FAR/DFARS, DCAA/DCMA expectations, CAS awareness, indirect-rate structures, government property cost implications, and contract compliance environments.

• Experience with ERP, planning, CRM, and reporting systems such as NetSuite, Workday Adaptive Planning, Salesforce, Jira, Deltek, Costpoint, Unanet, or similar platforms.

• MBA, CPA, CMA, or relevant advanced degree.

• Active Secret or Top Secret clearance.

• 100% company-paid medical, dental, and vision insurance option for employees and dependents
• Flexible Spending (FSA) and Health Savings (HSA) Accounts offered with an employer contribution to the HSA
• 100% employer paid Life, AD&D, Short-Term, and Long-Term Disability insurance
• Flexible Time Off policy for vacation and sick leave, and 12 paid holidays
• 401(k) plan and equity options
• Daily catered lunches and snacks in office
• Fully paid parental leave; 14 weeks for birthing parent and 10 weeks for non-birthing parent
• Carrot Fertility provides comprehensive, inclusive fertility healthcare and family-forming benefits with financial support
• Off-sites and many social events and celebrations
• Relocation assistance when applicable

Salary Range 180000 - 230000 USD