Fractional CFO

Fractional Chief Financial Officer Interim / part-time engagement, with potential to grow into a permanent leadership role Location: Space Coast, Florida. Onsite initially, with remote flexibility over time Engagement: Fractional / interim, part-time (typically two to three days per week) Reporting to: Founder & CEO About The Company Our client is a US space technology company manufacturing flight hardware for human spaceflight missions beyond Earth orbit, built on technology developed and matured over more than three decades. The company has invested over $10 million in its own large-scale production facility ahead of contract award and is now in full production on its first major builds. This is not an early-stage R&D shop. The core team is drawn from some of the best known names in human spaceflight, and the company has secured commitments from several leading mission partners. It is well capitalized, revenue generating, and pursuing significant government programs. THE OPPORTUNITY This is a build-the-framework role, not a clean sheet build. The fundamentals are already in place: an external accounting firm handles statutory reporting, tax and year end, and an internal finance assistant covers purchasing and procurement. Budget templates exist and are reasonable. What the business does not yet have is a senior finance partner inside it. As the company moves from development into production and starts invoicing customers, it needs proper job costing, owned and actively managed budgets, a real spend control structure, and the financial reporting discipline required to draw down payments on large government contracts. That is the job. The CEO is looking for a genuine finance partner: someone he can turn to and say “here is what we need to do, revise the budgets, get me the numbers, let us work it out”, and trust it will be done properly. The engagement starts fractional so both sides can establish that working relationship before committing to a full-time hire. Responsibilities Financial control framework. Design and implement the internal financial governance structure, including policies, procedures, approval workflows and segregation of duties, sized appropriately for a small, fast-moving business entering production.Job costing and project accounting. Move the business away from rough estimates toward a proper costing model: hourly labor rates, amortization of people versus materials, cost of sale, margin and profitability by job.Budgeting and oversight. Take ownership of existing budget templates and turn them into a regularly managed, actively reviewed process with clear visibility of what is being spent and why.Government contract financial management. Build the financial reporting framework required for large government and agency contracts, including structured draw-down and invoicing packages tying hours, labor, materials and deliverables to contract milestones, and audit-ready supporting documentation.Cash and spend control. Establish cash management, procurement and expense authorization practices appropriate to a company holding significant cash reserves and scaling its purchasing activity.Executive reporting. Produce a clear, consistent reporting pack for the CEO and co-founder, and an efficient month-end close.External partners. Work alongside the incumbent accounting firm, feeding them clean, well-structured information. Over time there is scope to bring elements of reporting and compliance in house.Future state. Advise on finance team structure, systems and staffing as the company scales, and be ready to step into a larger role as contract awards land. What We Are Looking For A career finance leader at CFO, Finance Director or equivalent level, ideally with experience gained in a larger organization and now looking for a focused, high-impact fractional engagement.Demonstrable experience of financial control and financial management for government contracts. This is essential. Examples include NASA contractors, defense primes, or suppliers into either, where you have owned the financial side of contract compliance, cost reporting and payment draw-downs.Strong job costing and project accounting experience in a manufacturing, hardware or engineering environment.Proven track record of putting structure, process and controls into a fast-moving business without slowing it down.Solid GAAP grounding and comfort working with ERP and accounting platforms.Able to be onsite in Brevard County, Florida for the majority of the engagement, at least initially. Understanding the operation in person is a requirement, not a preference.Space sector experience is not essential but is a significant advantage. CULTURE This matters as much as the CV. The founder is explicit that there is no room for a “that is not my job” mentality. Large company experience is valued and respected, but it has to arrive with an all hands attitude. The CEO empties the dishwasher and pushes the chairs in after meetings, and expects the same instinct from everyone, whatever their title. The team recently worked through the night on a proposal, not because they were asked to, but because they wanted to see it finished. The right person for this role wants to be part of what the company is building, not simply to run a finance function. PROCESS Short and direct. An initial call with the CEO, followed by an onsite visit and conversation with the CEO and co-founder.