To succeed in the Leonardo DRS hiring process, you must prepare to demonstrate a blend of technical capability, industry awareness, and strong communication skills. The interviewers want to see that you can handle the analytical rigor of defense finance while seamlessly collaborating with non-financial team members.

Role-Related Knowledge – You must understand the fundamentals of corporate finance, budgeting, and accounting. For program-focused roles, familiarity with government contracting concepts, cost accounting standards, and project management lifecycles is highly valued.

Analytical & Problem-Solving Ability – You will be evaluated on how you approach complex data. Interviewers want to see that you do not just report numbers, but that you can identify trends, call out risks, and provide actionable recommendations to leadership.

Process Orientation & Efficiency – Leonardo DRS actively seeks professionals who can help scale and modernize their financial processes. Be prepared to discuss how you have used technology or workflow redesign to make financial operations more efficient.

Communication & Collaboration – Financial analysts at Leonardo DRS work closely with program managers, engineers, and executive leaders. You must demonstrate the ability to translate technical financial metrics into clear, plain-language insights for diverse audiences.

The interview loop at Leonardo DRS is thorough and designed to ensure mutual alignment between the candidate and the hiring team. The process typically begins with initial conversations and progresses to comprehensive panel evaluations.

You can expect the process to begin with one or more phone interviews. These initial conversations are usually conducted by HR and the hiring manager to evaluate your background, basic technical alignment, and overall career goals. These discussions are collaborative and serve as an opportunity for you to ask questions about the division and the specific role.

Following the initial screens, the process moves to a more intensive evaluation stage. Depending on the location and seniority of the role, this may involve a multi-hour virtual or face-to-face panel interview. Candidates have reported meeting with up to seven different team members over several hours, including representatives from multiple finance departments, the hiring manager, and senior leadership such as the CFO. This panel structure ensures that you are evaluated from multiple perspectives and allows you to gain a deep understanding of the team's daily operations.

The timeline above outlines the standard progression from your initial application to the final offer stage. Candidates should use this timeline to pace their preparation, ensuring they are ready for behavioral deep dives early on and highly technical, cross-functional discussions during the panel phase. Keep in mind that the exact duration and number of panel participants can vary based on the specific business unit and location.

To stand out during your interviews, you must understand the core competencies that the hiring panel will evaluate. Preparing for these specific areas will help you deliver structured, impactful answers.

Program Finance & Budgeting

For program-focused roles, this is the core of your daily responsibilities. Interviewers will assess your ability to track, analyze, and forecast costs for complex defense projects.

Be ready to go over:

• Earned Value Management (EVM) – Understanding metrics like Cost Variance (CV), Schedule Variance (SV), Cost Performance Index (CPI), and Schedule Performance Index (SPI).
• Estimate at Completion (EAC) – How to build and update realistic project cost forecasts.
• Revenue Recognition – Principles of recognizing revenue under long-term government contracts.
• Advanced concepts (less common) – Work Breakdown Structures (WBS), Cost Performance Reports (CPR), and integrated master schedules.

Example scenarios:

• "How would you handle a situation where a program manager insists a project is on track, but your variance analysis shows a significant cost overrun?"
• "Walk me through how you calculate and justify an EAC adjustment to senior leadership."

Financial Reporting & Process Efficiency

If you are interviewing for a reporting or corporate-focused role, the team will focus on your ability to consolidate data, generate accurate reports, and streamline existing workflows.

Be ready to go over:

• Data Consolidation – Handling large, disparate datasets from multiple ERP systems or business units.
• Process Automation – Using tools like advanced Excel, VBA, Power BI, or SQL to eliminate manual reporting steps.
• Variance Analysis – Explaining budget-to-actual deviations clearly and concisely.
• Advanced concepts (less common) – Aligning local subsidiary reporting with international parent company accounting standards.

Example scenarios:

• "Describe a time when you inherited a highly manual Excel-based process. How did you automate or streamline it?"
• "How do you ensure absolute data integrity when consolidating financial reports under tight monthly close deadlines?"

Behavioral & Academic Foundation

For entry-level candidates, interns, and recent graduates, the focus shifts toward your academic background, your willingness to learn, and your core behavioral traits.

Be ready to go over:

• Academic Projects – Key financial concepts, case studies, or group projects from your coursework.
• Strengths and Weaknesses – Realistic, self-aware reflections on your professional development.
• Adaptability – How you handle ambiguity or shifting priorities in a fast-paced environment.

Example scenarios:

• "What is the most challenging financial concept you learned in your major, and how did you master it?"
• "Tell me about a time you had to complete a project with incomplete data or ambiguous instructions."

As a Financial Analyst at Leonardo DRS, your day-to-day activities will center around financial stewardship, operational partnership, and continuous process improvement. The exact mix of responsibilities will depend on whether you are aligned with a specific program or a corporate reporting team.

On a daily basis, you will be responsible for tracking program costs, analyzing budget variances, and preparing monthly financial performance packages. You will collaborate closely with program managers to review project milestones, update forecasts, and identify potential financial risks or opportunities. This requires translating operational activities—such as engineering delays or supply chain bottlenecks—into financial impacts.

Additionally, you will support the monthly and quarterly close processes, ensuring that revenue and expenses are recorded accurately in compliance with corporate policies and government regulations. Because Leonardo DRS is actively scaling its processes, you will also be expected to participate in initiatives aimed at automating reports, standardizing templates, and improving data visibility across the organization.

The ideal candidate for a Financial Analyst position at Leonardo DRS possesses a strong analytical foundation, excellent communication skills, and a proactive approach to problem-solving.

• Must-have skills – A bachelor's degree in Finance, Accounting, or a related quantitative field. Strong proficiency in Microsoft Excel, including advanced formulas, pivot tables, and data modeling. For experienced roles, prior exposure to defense contracting, government accounting standards, or Earned Value Management (EVM) is essential.
• Nice-to-have skills – Experience with defense-specific ERP systems such as Deltek Costpoint or Cognos. Familiarity with data visualization tools like Power BI or Tableau. An understanding of international corporate structures or reporting to a foreign parent company is also a plus.
• Soft skills – Exceptional interpersonal skills, the ability to build relationships with cross-functional teams, and a strong sense of ownership over your deliverables. You must be comfortable presenting financial data to non-financial audiences and defending your analytical assumptions.