Cost Accountant

Essential Duties (Core Competencies)

• Job Cost & Project Budget Oversight
• Maintain accurate job costing for all construction and prefabrication projects
• Track and analyze: Labor costs, Material costs, Subcontractor costs, Equipment expenses, Freight and shipping costs, Overhead allocations
• Monitor projects budgets versus actual costs
• Assist in developing and maintaining project budgets
• Work closely with project managers and operations teams to identify cost overruns and budget concerns
• Review purchase orders and vendor commitments against project budgets
• Absorb monthly project financial reviews
• Support forecasting of projects margins and cash flow needs
• WIP Reporting & Financial Analysis
• Prepare and maintain accurate Work In Progress (WIP) schedules
• Track percentage-of-completion reporting and project revenue recognition
• Assist leadership in evaluating: Cost-to-complete estimates, Earned revenue, Underbillings and overbillings, Estimated final project margins
• Generate weekly and monthly project financial reports for management review
• Provide analysis on project performance trends and cost drivers
• Develop reporting tools and dashboards to improve operational visibility
• Assist with forecasting company backlog, cash flow, and project profitability
• Budgeting & Operational Support
• Participate in project startup meetings to establish financial tracking requirements
• Assist estimating and project management teams with budget setup and cost planning
• Review change orders and assist with tracking approved and pending changes
• Cook with purchasing and operations to verify pricing and material cost accuracy
• Absorb vendor pricing, material usage, and purchasing trends
• Support inventory and material tracking procedures within fabrication and warehouse operations
• Help establish operational controls to improve project efficiency and accountability
• Accounting & Financial Support
• Assist with month-end and year-end close processes
• Reconcile job cost reports to general ledger activity
• Support accounts payable and accounts receivable processes related to project accounting
• Assist with payroll allocation and labor costing
• Maintain accurate cost coding and project financial records
• Support sales tax and multi-state construction reporting requirements and filings
• Absorb external CPA firms and auditors with financial documentation and tax filings
• Absorb licensing for projects
• Help maintain accounting procedures and internal controls
• Absorb monthly forecasting and projections
• Complete prequalification’s for jobs as needed
• Operational & Process Improvement
• Manage and provide the monthly status on the bad-debt write-off process and provide recommendations for reserve accruals.
• Manage and provide monthly status reports on the release of bonds, liens, and all other related processes pertaining to cash and contract receivables.
• Manage the job status from active, to inactive, to closed, and issue status reports monthly.
• Help improve job cost tracking systems and reporting accuracy
• Absorb financial analysis and operational reporting
• Develop and maintain project cost tracking tools and dashboards
• Improve documentation and purchasing controls
• Work collaboratively with:
• Project management
• Purchasing
• Estimating
• Operations
• Executive leadership
• Systems, Process Improvement & Leadership Support
• Assist with implementation and improvement of ERP/accounting systems
• Help improve: Job cost accuracy, Reporting efficiency, Purchasing controls, Financial workflows, Inventory controls, Documentation standards
• Develop standardized financial reporting procedures across departments
• Train project managers and staff on job cost procedures and financial reporting expectations
• Absorb executive leadership with special projects, financial analysis, and operational initiatives
• Purchasing & Inventory Management
• Assist with materials, tools, equipment, and physical inventories, and cycle count as needed.
• Learn, understand, and support inventory management procedures and accounting.

Qualifications

• To be successful in this role, an individual must be able to perform each essential duty satisfactorily. The requirements listed below represent the knowledge, skills, and/or abilities required. Reasonable accommodations may be arranged to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions.
• Preferred Experience:
• Bachelor’s degree in Accounting, Finance or related field preferred
• 3–7 years of accounting or job cost experience
• Construction accounting experience strongly preferred
• Strong understanding of: Job costing, Construction financial reporting, WIP schedules, Budget tracking, Cost analysis
• Experience with accounting or ERP systems such as: Sage, Foundation, QuickBooks Enterprise, Acumatica, Viewpoint, Procore integrations
• Advanced Microsoft Excel skills
• Strong analytical, organizational, and communication skills
• Ability to work in a fast-paced construction environment
• Independent work/judgement
• Strong attention to detail
• Experience with Foundation accounting system is a plus