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Practising for the listing Senior Cost and Project Accountant I. Its requirements are filled in below. When you have an answer you like, paste it with your CV in Career Mirror to see which of the job's skills it shows.

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Senior Cost and Project Accountant I
ABOUT ROCKET LAB

Rocket Lab is the end-to-end space company building rockets, spacecraft, and critical subsystems that keep the world connected, protected, expand humanity’s reach to the Moon, Mars, and beyond. We move fast, build real hardware for meaningful missions, and make the impossible routine. Come shape the future with us.

FINANCE

Rocket Lab’s Finance team is responsible for all financial transactions for the company, operating as a well-oiled machine to maximize the value of our work. Our Finance team are made up of planners, analysts and accountants, and manage our policies, compliance, and reporting. They’re the ones who keep our financial operations in check, always thinking ahead and taking care to meet all of our financial, business, and government obligations. They’re attentive, diligent, and meticulous, and are mission-critical to Rocket Lab.

SENIOR COST AND PROJECT ACCOUNTANT I

Based at Rocket Lab’s Solar Manufacturing facility in Albuquerque, New Mexico the Senior Cost Accountant will be responsible for contract revenue, cost of sales and inventory. This position requires the ability to maintain accurate revenue and cost of sales for significant Rocket Lab customer contracts.

The Senior Cost & Project Accountant I will report to the Program Accounting Manager and work closely with the accounting team and partner with various team members throughout the organization.

WHAT YOU’LL GET TO DO:

• Responsible for project revenue & cost recognition

• Update and reconcile customer contract backlog and customer contract asset & liability

• Track and reconcile inventory

• Support EAC cycle for project estimates and revenue recognition

• Review and interpret new contracts using the 5 step 606 accounting revenue standards

• Set up programs and charge codes in the accounting system

• Initiate process improvement projects

• Investigate and provide feedback on accounting irregularities

• Other duties as assigned

• Month End Activities:

• Book journal entries to recognize OT and PIT revenue and cost of sales

• Book journal entries and reconcile contract asset & liability

• Book journal entries to adjust and reconcile inventory as needed

• Document revenue and cost of sales processes - SOX control requirements

• Prepare monthly and quarterly reporting requests as needed

• Develop project cost processes as required

YOU’LL BRING THESE QUALIFICATIONS:

• 5+ years of experience and a bachelor’s degree, or equivalent years of work experience (HS Diploma and 9+ years of work experience)

• Strong cost accounting experience in a complex manufacturing environment

• Strong ERP systems knowledge and experience

• Proven experience in providing financial decision support

THESE QUALIFICATIONS WOULD BE NICE TO HAVE:

• Excellent interpersonal, verbal, and written communication skills with the ability to explain project cost information to others

• Advanced Excel and analytical skills desirable

This position may require prolonged periods of sitting, standing, walking, computer work, and occasional exposure to moderate levels of noise, dust, and fumes in production areas.
WHAT TO EXPECT

We’re on a mission to unlock the potential of space to improve life on Earth, but that’s not an easy task. It takes hard work, determination, relentless innovation, teamwork, grit, and an unwavering commitment to achieving what others often deem impossible. Our people out-think, out-work, and out-pace. We pride ourselves on having each other’s backs, checking our egos at the door, and rolling up our sleeves on all tasks big and small. We thrive under pressure, work to tight deadlines, and our focus is always on how we can deliver, rather than dwelling on the challenges that stand in the way.

Important information:

FOR CANDIDATES SEEKING TO WORK IN US OFFICES ONLY:

To conform to U.S. Government space technology export regulations, including the International Traffic in Arms Regulations (ITAR), Rocket Lab Employees must be a U.S. citizen, lawful U.S. permanent resident (i.e., current Green Card holder), or lawfully admitted into the U.S. as a refugee or granted asylum, or be eligible to obtain the required authorizations from the U.S. Department of State and/or the U.S. Department of Commerce, as applicable. Learn more about ITAR here .

Rocket Lab provides equal employment opportunities to all employees and applicants for employment and prohibits discrimination and harassment of any type without regard to race, color, religion, age, sex, national origin, disability status, genetics, protected veteran status, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, or any other characteristic protected by federal, state, or local laws. This policy applies to all terms and conditions of employment at Rocket Lab, including recruiting, hiring, placement, promotion, termination, layoff, recall, transfer, leaves of absence, compensation, and training.

Applicants requiring a reasonable accommodation for the application/interview process for a job in the United States should contact Giulia Johnson at g.biow@rocketlabusa.com. This dedicated resource is intended solely to assist job seekers with disabilities whose disability prevents them from being able to apply/interview. Only messages left for this purpose will be considered. A response to your request may take up to two business days.

FOR CANDIDATES SEEKING TO WORK IN NEW ZEALAND OFFICES ONLY:

For security reasons, background checks will be undertaken prior to any employment offers being made to an applicant. These checks will include nationality checks as it is a requirement of this position that you be eligible to access equipment and data regulated by the United States' International Traffic in Arms Regulations.

Under these Regulations, you may be ineligible for this role if you do not hold citizenship of Australia, Japan, New Zealand, Switzerland, the European Union, or a country that is part of NATO, or if you hold ineligible dual citizenship or nationality. For more information on these Regulations, click here ITAR Regulations.

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Requirements found

Compliance Inventory (must) Sales (must) Excel (nice) Training Recruiting

What this posting asks for

Level: Senior — The title says "Senior".

Main responsibilities

Track and reconcile inventory
Support EAC cycle for project estimates and revenue recognition
Review and interpret new contracts using the 5 step 606 accounting revenue standards
Prepare monthly and quarterly reporting requests as needed
Develop project cost processes as required

Competencies an interviewer will look for

Technical skill Core
In the posting: “Strong ERP systems knowledge and experience” · “Advanced Excel and analytical skills desirable” · “These checks will include nationality checks as it is a requirement of this position that you be eligible to access equipment and data regulated by the Unite…”
Show it by: Names the tools, languages or systems used and how; Explains a technical choice and its trade-off.
Data and analysis Core
In the posting: “Our Finance team are made up of planners, analysts and accountants, and manage our policies, compliance, and reporting.” · “Prepare monthly and quarterly reporting requests as needed” · “These checks will include nationality checks as it is a requirement of this position that you be eligible to access equipment and data regulated by the Unite…”
Show it by: Uses a number to describe the situation or the result; Explains what the data showed and what was done with it.
Attention to detail and quality Core
In the posting: “Our Finance team are made up of planners, analysts and accountants, and manage our policies, compliance, and reporting.” · “This position requires the ability to maintain accurate revenue and cost of sales for significant Rocket Lab customer contracts.” · “Review and interpret new contracts using the 5 step 606 accounting revenue standards”
Show it by: Gives an example of an error caught before it caused harm; Names the check or standard they used.
Teamwork and collaboration Core
In the posting: “The Senior Cost & Project Accountant I will report to the Program Accounting Manager and work closely with the accounting team and partner with various team …” · “It takes hard work, determination, relentless innovation, teamwork, grit, and an unwavering commitment to achieving what others often deem impossible.”
Show it by: Says what they did inside a team, not only what 'we' did; Shows how a disagreement was handled.
Customer focus Core
In the posting: “This position requires the ability to maintain accurate revenue and cost of sales for significant Rocket Lab customer contracts.” · “Update and reconcile customer contract backlog and customer contract asset & liability”
Show it by: Puts the customer's need in their own words; Shows a result for the customer, not only for the company.
Planning and organisation Core
In the posting: “The Senior Cost & Project Accountant I will report to the Program Accounting Manager and work closely with the accounting team and partner with various team …” · “We thrive under pressure, work to tight deadlines, and our focus is always on how we can deliver, rather than dwelling on the challenges that stand in the way.”
Show it by: Shows how priorities were set when everything was urgent; Mentions deadlines met and how.
Problem solving Supporting
In the posting: “Investigate and provide feedback on accounting irregularities”
Show it by: Describes a real problem, the options considered and the one chosen; Shows how the cause was found, not just the fix.
Communication Supporting
In the posting: “Excellent interpersonal, verbal, and written communication skills with the ability to explain project cost information to others”
Show it by: Adapts the message to the listener; Gives an example of explaining something clearly in writing or speech.
Ownership and accountability Supporting
In the posting: “Rocket Lab is the end-to-end space company building rockets, spacecraft, and critical subsystems that keep the world connected, protected, expand humanity’s …”
Show it by: Takes a task from start to finish without being chased; Owns a mistake and what was changed after it.

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Practice questions

Tell me about yourself. Dedicated step-by-step practice.
If an interviewer asks something improper How to respond to questions about age, family, origin or health.
Built from this posting (8):
Walk me through a piece of work where you used your strongest technical skill. What exactly did you do? From this posting
Tell me about a time you used data or numbers to make a decision. From this posting
Tell me about a time you caught an error before it reached a customer or a report. From this posting
Describe a time you worked with another team to deliver something. What was your part? From this posting
How have you used inventory in your work? Walk me through one real example. From this posting
Tell me about a problem you solved using sales. From this posting
Tell me about a time you helped someone on your team get better at their work. From this posting
Tell me about a difficult problem you solved at work. How did you find the cause? From this posting
This posting reads as Finance & accounting: its questions come first.
Walk me through how you build a budget or forecast. Finance & accounting
How do you make sure your work holds up in an audit? Finance & accounting
Tell me about a time you found an error in a financial report or reconciliation. Finance & accounting
It is the last day of month-end close and a balance will not tie out. What do you do? Finance & accounting
Describe a time you explained a financial result to a manager outside finance. Finance & accounting
Tell me about an analysis that saved money or found revenue. Finance & accounting
Three urgent requests arrive during close. How do you decide the order? Finance & accounting
Describe a finance process you made faster or more reliable. Finance & accounting
You find that the inventory count does not match the system. What do you do?
How have you used spreadsheets in your work?
Tell me about a sale or agreement you are proud of.
Describe a time you handled an upset customer or colleague.
Tell me about a time you had several deadlines at once. How did you decide what to do first?
Give an example of a mistake you caught before it caused a problem.
Tell me about a time you taught someone how to do something.
Describe a time you took the lead without being asked.
Tell me about a time you had to explain something complicated in simple terms.
Describe a process you improved.
Do you have any questions for us?
Why do you want to work here?
Why is there a gap in your employment? Difficult question
Why did you leave your last job? Difficult question
Why are you changing careers? Difficult question
What is your greatest weakness? Difficult question
What are your salary expectations? Difficult question
You seem overqualified for this role. Why do you want it? Difficult question
Improper-question practice: How old are you? / Do you have children? / Where are you from originally?
A customer is angry about a delay you did not cause. What do you do?
How do you keep track of many open customer requests?
Tell me about a time you could not give a customer what they wanted.
Tell me about a time a shipment or delivery went wrong.
How do you make sure safety rules are followed on a busy shift?
Two managers ask you to book the same room at the same time. What do you do?
Tell me about a time you had to enter or check a lot of data accurately.
A prospect says your price is too high. How do you respond?
How do you keep your pipeline organised?
Tell me about a technical problem you solved on your own.
You find a bug right before a release. What do you do?
Walk me through how you would check whether a report's numbers are right.