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Chris, Associate Finance Manager at Lockheed Martin: Advize Career Interview

A career in finance at Lockheed Martin offers a dynamic and impactful path.

A recent interview revealed a journey starting with an accounting major at CU Boulder, progressing through internal roles and a leadership development program to an Associate Finance Manager position.

This role involves partnering with operational groups on multi-million dollar projects, navigating government contracting complexities, and utilizing business intelligence tools like Tableau.

The work demands strong communication, organizational, and critical thinking skills, alongside Excel proficiency.

A typical day involves managing ad hoc requests, conducting financial performance reviews, and developing data visualization solutions.

The most rewarding aspect is the direct contribution to national security and space exploration programs like Artemis, providing a unique perspective working alongside engineers.

While challenges exist in fostering financial literacy among engineering teams, the overall experience is described as highly meaningful and impactful, requiring a strong work ethic and goal-oriented approach.

Advizer Information

Name

Job Title

Company

Undergrad

Grad Programs

Majors

Industries

Job Functions

Traits

Chris Seifert

Associate Finance Manager

Lockheed Martin

CU Boulder

UCLA - MBA

Business Management & Admin

Aerospace & Defense

Finance

Scholarship Recipient

Watch all of this Advizer's videos below

Career Path Of An Associate Finance Manager At Lockheed Martin

Initially intending to pursue biology, Chris switched to accounting after their freshman year at CU Boulder, influenced by family members' business careers. This led to roles at Lockheed Martin, starting in accounts payable, progressing through budget planning, a three-year finance leadership development program with rotations in production finance, GPS satellite planning, and financial compliance, culminating in their current Associate Finance Manager position overseeing quality and launch operations for space-related projects.

Career Path Of An Associate Finance Manager At Lockheed Martin

Main Responsibilities of an Associate Finance Manager at Lockheed Martin

As Associate Finance Manager at Lockheed Martin, Chris acts as a "Finance business partner" to two operational groups, helping them manage budgets, track financial performance, and oversee multi-million dollar capital projects. This includes navigating the complexities of government contracting, providing "charging guidance" to ensure compliance with stringent regulations.

Main Responsibilities of an Associate Finance Manager at Lockheed Martin

A Day in the Life of an Associate Finance Manager at Lockheed Martin

A day for this Associate Finance Manager at Lockheed Martin involves handling a constant stream of ad hoc issues and requests, "managing all these different ad hoc type of issues and problems," including many emails and phone calls from various leadership teams. A significant portion of their work centers on preparing for and conducting monthly financial performance reviews, while also working on projects to improve data visualization and automation using tools like Tableau to "make things more automated and helpful."

A Day in the Life of an Associate Finance Manager at Lockheed Martin

Most Important Skills for an Associate Finance Manager at Lockheed Martin

Lockheed Martin Associate Finance Manager Chris highlighted communication as "very very important," especially when bridging the gap between engineering and financial leaders. Strong organizational skills, critical thinking to navigate "a lot of gray area" in decision-making, and proficiency in Excel and business intelligence tools like Tableau are also crucial for success in this role, according to Chris.

Most Important Skills for an Associate Finance Manager at Lockheed Martin

Favorite Parts of Being an Associate Finance Manager at Lockheed Martin

Chris, an Associate Finance Manager at Lockheed Martin, most enjoys the unique perspective their current role offers, working "right there with the engineers and their leadership teams" on projects like the Artemis program and satellite launches. This provides firsthand exposure to the engineering side of the company, allowing participation in problem-solving discussions concerning launch delays and satellite malfunctions—experiences far beyond typical finance roles.

Favorite Parts of Being an Associate Finance Manager at Lockheed Martin

Biggest Challenges Faced By An Associate Finance Manager At Lockheed Martin

Chris, an Associate Finance Manager at Lockheed Martin, finds the biggest challenge is "making Finance easy and applicable" for the engineers, requiring Chris to build tools and provide guidance to improve financial literacy. This involves overcoming resistance from high-level personnel who "think they know how the world works" and empowering engineers to be more self-sufficient, thus shifting from constant requests for help to a more sustainable support model.

Biggest Challenges Faced By An Associate Finance Manager At Lockheed Martin

Favorite Parts Of Working In The Defense Industry As An Associate Finance Manager

Chris, an Associate Finance Manager at Lockheed Martin, finds the most rewarding aspect of their career the tangible impact of their work, being "plugged in to everything's face," from national defense to cutting-edge NASA programs like "the prime contractor for NASA's Next program that's going to send people to the moon." This involvement in projects with both significant national security implications and groundbreaking space exploration makes the work "very impactful and meaningful."

Favorite Parts Of Working In The Defense Industry As An Associate Finance Manager

What Type Of Person Thrives In The Aerospace And Defense Industry, According To An Associate Finance Manager At Lockheed Martin

Lockheed Martin's Associate Finance Manager highlights a strong work ethic as crucial, noting the need to "drop what you're doing" for high-level requests due to the fast-paced, high-pressure nature of national security projects. Success also hinges on critical thinking skills to process information efficiently and a goal-oriented approach to manage multi-month projects from "start to finish."

What Type Of Person Thrives In The Aerospace And Defense Industry, According To An Associate Finance Manager At Lockheed Martin
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