Founded in 2015, Shield AI is a venture-backed defense-tech company with the mission of protecting service members and civilians with intelligent systems. Its products include Hivemind autonomy software and V-BAT and X-BAT aircraft. With offices and facilities across the U.S., Europe, the Middle East, and Asia-Pacific, Shield AI’s technology actively supports operations worldwide. For more information, visit
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Job Description:
Shield AI is hiring a Lead Financial Analyst, Aircraft Business Unit to support financial planning, forecasting, and decision support for the Aircraft Business Unit. This role emphasizes business partnering, forecasting, variance analysis, and translating operational drivers into actionable insights.
What you'll do:
Support forecasting and planning for the Aircraft Business
Lead monthly forecasting, quarterly outlooks, and annual planning for assigned Aircraft Business departments and programs.
Build and maintain financial models that connect headcount, labor, material, overhead, and operating initiatives to business performance.
Analyze actuals versus plan, identify risks and opportunities, and provide clear recommendations to business leaders.
Translate production, engineering, and program assumptions into financial impacts for spend, margins, and resource needs.
Prepare reporting packages and presentations for finance leadership and Aircraft Business reviews.
Partner with Aircraft Business leaders
Serve as the Finance Business Partner to leaders across engineering, operations, supply chain, manufacturing, and program management within the Aircraft Business.
Support decision-making on hiring, labor planning, vendor spend, capital investments, and operating tradeoffs.
Partner with program and functional leaders to improve forecast accuracy, cost visibility, and accountability.
Provide ad hoc analysis on key business questions, including rate, volume, mix, productivity, and cost reduction opportunities.
Improve reporting and planning processes
Build repeatable reporting, dashboards, and planning templates that reduce manual work and improve insight quality.
Partner with Corporate FP&A, Accounting, HR, and business systems teams to improve data quality and planning inputs.
Support enhancements to planning tools and financial systems, including Anaplan models, reporting workflows, and source-system integration needs.
Document business requirements clearly and translate finance needs for technical teams.
Required qualifications:
7+ years of experience in FP&A, program finance, operations finance, or business finance.
Strong financial modeling, forecasting, and variance analysis skills.
Experience partnering with operational or technical teams to support planning and decision-making.
Ability to connect operational drivers to financial outcomes in a complex, fast-paced environment.
Strong communication skills and the ability to present insights clearly to cross-functional leaders.
Advanced Excel and proficiency with planning or ERP systems; experience with Anaplan is a plus.
Comfortable operating with ambiguity and managing multiple priorities at once.
Preferred qualifications:
Experience in aerospace, defense, or other complex manufacturing environments.
Familiarity with manufacturing finance, program finance, inventory or cost accounting, and capital planning.
Experience supporting engineering, operations, supply chain, or production organizations.
Exposure to government contract structures, program reviews, or defense-related reporting rhythms.
Strong data fluency, including dashboards, data models, and system-driven planning processes.