Head of Accounting, Corporate Controller

Head Of Accounting, Corporate Controller

San Jose, CA

About The Role

We are seeking an experienced and hands-on Head of Accounting, Corporate Controller to lead Muon Space's accounting organization and build the scalable financial foundation required to support rapid growth across commercial and government programs. Reporting directly to the CFO, this role will own the company's accounting strategy and execution, including financial close, external reporting, technical accounting, cost accounting, and internal controls.

This is a highly visible leadership role partnering closely with cross-functional departments to ensure strong financial governance, disciplined program cost tracking, and audit-ready reporting in a complex, long-cycle industry. The ideal candidate combines deep technical accounting expertise with strong leadership, keen attention to detail and a systems mindset to scale processes, teams, and infrastructure as the company grows.

This position is hybrid and requires working on-site in our San Jose, CA office three days per week.

Responsibilities

Accounting And Controller Leadership

• Lead the accounting organization, setting strategy, operating cadence, and performance expectations across the team.
• Own the end-to-end monthly, quarterly, and annual close, ensuring timely, accurate, and GAAP-compliant financial statements.
• Establish and maintain a strong controls environment, accounting policies, and procedures aligned with growth and audit readiness.
• Serve as the primary accounting leader to the CFO and executive team, providing clear insights on financial results, risks, and control matters.
• Lead external audit execution, including coordination with auditors and advisors, and ensure high-quality deliverables and on-time completion.
• Ensure timely and accurate tax and compliance reporting.

Financial Reporting And Technical Accounting

• Own preparation and review of external financial reporting packages.
• Oversee technical accounting and complex transactions, including revenue recognition, capitalization policies, leases, equity compensation, and accrual methodologies.
• Ensure consistent application of accounting standards and provide guidance across the business on accounting implications of strategic decisions.
• Partner with tax advisors and internal stakeholders to support tax compliance and planning (income, sales/use, property, payroll-related filings as applicable).

Operational Accounting And Scalable Infrastructure

• Oversee core accounting operations including AP, AR, payroll accounting, fixed assets, cash, accruals, and intercompany (as applicable).
• Drive improvements to transaction processing, close automation, and reconciliation discipline to improve speed, accuracy, and scalability.
• Lead ERP and finance systems strategy in partnership with Finance leadership, including implementation, optimization, and governance.
• Establish strong master data management and reporting standards to improve reliability of financial data across the company.
• Ownership and administration of the company's equity program.

Cost Accounting, Inventory & Program Finance Enablement

• Build and own scalable cost accounting practices for a manufacturing and program-driven environment, including inventory/WIP, overhead allocation, and COGS integrity.
• Partner with Production, Supply Chain, and Program teams to ensure accurate and timely tracking of labor, materials, subcontractors, and program costs.
• Support accounting and compliance requirements for commercial and government contracts, including contract cost structure, billing support, and reporting readiness.
• Drive strong financial controls and audit trails across long-cycle programs to support customer, investor, and government reporting needs.

Risk Management, Compliance & Cross-Functional Partnership

• Identify financial and operational risk areas and proactively strengthen controls, documentation, and review processes.
• Ensure compliance with applicable regulatory requirements and customer-driven reporting standards.
• Partner with FP&A to ensure clean, consistent actuals and reliable reporting inputs for forecasting, margin analysis, and strategic planning.
• Support due diligence and integration efforts related to financing events, strategic partnerships, or potential acquisitions.

Team Leadership & Organizational Scaling

• Hire, develop, and retain a high-performing accounting organization, building a culture of accountability, rigor, and continuous improvement.
• Define team structure, roles, and career development paths to support scale and complexity growth over time.
• Lead with a "build-to-scale" mindset: process documentation, repeatable workflows, system controls, and audit-ready discipline.

Qualifications

Required:

• Bachelor's degree in Accounting with CPA.
• 1215+ years of progressive accounting experience, including 5+ years leading teams and owning close/reporting in a complex environment.
• Deep knowledge of U.S. GAAP, financial statement preparation, and accounting controls.
• Demonstrated experience building scalable accounting processes, strengthening internal controls, and driving audit readiness.
• Experience in aerospace, defense, advanced manufacturing, or similarly complex operational/program environments.
• Experience with cost accounting, inventory accounting, and long-cycle program financial structures.
• Strong communication skills and ability to partner cross-functionally in a fast-paced, high-accountability environment.

Preferred:

• MBA a plus.
• Experience supporting both commercial and government contracts in a project-based environment.
• Familiarity with ERP systems (SAP, Oracle, NetSuite) and reporting/BI tools (Tableau, PowerBI).
• Familiarity with government compliance frameworks and contract structures (e.g., FAR/DFARS) a plus.

Salary

The salary range for this role is $250,000 - $275,000 and will depend on a candidate's skills, geographic location, qualifications, and experience as defined during the interview process.

About Muon Space

Founded in 2021, Muon Space is an end-to-end Space Systems Provider that designs, builds, and operates LEO satellite constellations delivering mission-critical data. Our revolutionary, integrated technology stack enables customers to optimize every dimension of their missions for faster time-to-orbit and superior constellation remote sensing performance. Our state-of-the-art facility in the heart of Silicon Valley is optimized for manufacturing spacecraft and rapid, flexible payload integration at scale. From climate monitoring to national security, Muon Space is dedicated to delivering Earth Intelligence for a safer and more resilient world.

Taking Care Of Our Team

At Muon salary is only part of our total compensation package. In addition to salary, full-time employees receive equity compensation as well as benefits including medical, dental, and vision insurance, a 401k retirement plan, short & long term disability and life insurance. We also offer three weeks paid vacation for new employees, along with 12 paid holidays, unlimited sick time and paid parental leave.

Our mission embraces the entire planet and we believe our team should too. Muon is dedicated to creating a diverse and dynamic company and workforce. We believe in equal employment opportunity regardless of race, color, ancestry, religion, sex, age, national origin, citizenship, sexual orientation, marital status, disability, or gender identity. We value diversity in the workplace, and that starts with our applicants. We encourage you to apply, even if you don't check all the boxes, and we look forward to reviewing your application! In addition, if you need a reasonable accommodation as part of your application for employment or interviews with us, please let us know.

ITAR/EAR Requirements

This position requires access to export controlled information. To conform to U.S. Government export regulations applicable to that information, applicant must either be (A) a U.S. person, defined as a (i) U.S. citizen or national, (ii) U.S. lawful, permanent resident (green card holder), (iii) refugee under 8 U.S.C. 1157, or (iv) asylee under 8 U.S.C. 1158, (B) eligible to access the export controlled information without a required export authorization, or (C) eligible and reasonably likely to obtain the required export authorization from the applicable U.S. government agency. The Company may, for legitimate business reasons, decline to pursue any export licensing process.