Senior Cost Accountant - Government Contracting

About Applied Intuition

Applied Intuition is the vehicle intelligence company that accelerates the global adoption of safe, AI-driven machines. Founded in 2017, Applied Intuition delivers the toolchain, Vehicle OS, and autonomy stacks to help customers build intelligent vehicles and shorten time to market. Eighteen of the top 20 global automakers and major programs across the Department of Defense trust Applied Intuition's solutions to deliver vehicle intelligence. Applied Intuition services the automotive, defense, trucking, construction, mining, and agriculture industries and is headquartered in Mountain View, CA, with offices in Washington, D.C., San Diego, CA, Ft. Walton Beach, FL, Ann Arbor, MI, London, Stuttgart, Munich, Stockholm, Seoul, and Tokyo. Learn more at appliedintuition.com.

We are an in-office company, and our expectation is that employees primarily work from their Applied Intuition office 5 days a week. However, we also recognize the importance of flexibility and trust our employees to manage their schedules responsibly. This may include occasional remote work, starting the day with morning meetings from home before heading to the office, or leaving earlier when needed to accommodate family commitments. (Note: For EpiSci job openings, fully remote work will be considered by exception.)

About the role

We are seeking a detail-oriented and experienced Cost Accountant to join our government contracting team. The ideal candidate will have a strong background in cost accounting practices tailored to federal contracts, with specialized expertise in labor distribution, multi-state payroll, timekeeping compliance, and DCAA audit readiness. This position requires deep knowledge of FAR/DFARS, DCAA requirements, and labor cost allocation under federal contracts.

At Applied Intuition, you will:

• Prepare and manage accurate labor distribution aligned with FAR cost principles and DCAA guidelines.
• Review and process time sheets to ensure compliance with DCAA and company policies.
• Perform bi-weekly reconciliations between labor distribution records and payroll system outputs.
• Investigate and resolve timecard corrections, ensuring proper audit trails and labor cost accuracy.
• Conduct compensation analysis in support of DCAA audits and internal compliance reviews.
• Support state Workers' Compensation audits through accurate payroll classification and reporting.
• Assist in the onboarding of new employees, including timekeeping training, work authorizations.
• Setups employee profiles for payroll and labor distribution processing and benefits tracking for cost accounting.
• Provide support for payroll system integrations and implementations, including data validation, testing, and mapping of labor cost elements.
• Collaborate with HR, Contracts, and Program teams to ensure accurate alignment of labor and payroll costs to project WBS, intermediate and final cost objectives.
• Maintain payroll journal entries, audit-ready labor documentation, and cost allocation records in accordance with federal standards.
• Support indirect rates development and cost allocations of fringe, overhead, and G&A pools as applicable.
• Administer labor distribution in a multi-state payroll environment, ensuring compliance with federal and state-specific tax and labor regulations.
• Process and file all required federal payroll tax forms, including Forms 940, 941, W-2, and W-3, in accordance with IRS requirements.
• Review employee classifications to ensure compliance with FLSA exempt/non-exempt regulations and correct allocation of labor costs.
• Support internal audits and DCAA reviews by maintaining proper labor and payroll documentation and audit trails.
• Provide monthly reconciliation and reporting of payroll liabilities and labor allocations within ERP systems such as Deltek Costpoint, PROCAS, or similar.
• Prepare and Maintain payroll accrual journal entries and support financial statement preparation as needed.
• Identify process improvement opportunities related to payroll, labor distribution, and compliance.
• Assist with bank reconciliations, initiating wire and ACH payments, processing deposits, and support other accounting functions as necessary. 

We’re looking for someone who has:

• 5+ years of experience in cost accounting and payroll within a government contracting environment.
• Solid understanding of FAR/DFARS, DCAA audit compliance, and federal labor cost allocation principles.
• Proficient with multi-state payroll and tax reporting (Forms 940, 941, W-2/W-3).
• Strong experience in labor distribution, timekeeping systems, and cost pool structures.
• Demonstrated knowledge of exempt vs. non-exempt