Director of Project Accounting & Controls

About the role

Location: Pittsburgh, PA • Employment Type: Full-Time

The Director of Project Accounting and Controls plays a critical role in managing financial oversight, cost control, and budget alignment for a large-scale natural gas power plant construction project. This position ensures accurate tracking of project costs, supports capital planning, and integrates financial systems with field operations. A key responsibility includes aligning the Cost Breakdown Structure (CBS) with the Work Breakdown Structure (WBS) to ensure cost and schedule integration across development, construction, and commissioning phases.

Responsibilities

• Financial Oversight & Reporting
  • Coordinate, develop, and maintain detailed project budgets, incorporating input from all business owners and management.
  • Monitor and track project budgets, actuals, and work-in-progress (WIP) to ensure financial accuracy and transparency.
  • Analyze committed costs, actuals, and variances; create journal entries and month-end close processes.
  • Develop and lead month‑end project close processes, including: reviewing and posting cost accruals for open POs, services performed, and goods received; reconciling project-cost subledgers (A/P, PO, internal labor) to the general ledger; ensuring all transactions are properly coded before ledger close; updating CIP and percent‑complete actuals in line with capitalization rules; validating committed cost balances and clearing outdated or invalid commitments; preparing month‑end cost reports, variance explanations, and financial packages for leadership team.
  • Forecast future project costs and identify budget risks using real-time data and updates.
  • Reconcile accounts and ensure alignment with contracts, PO’s, and change orders.
  • Develop and execute project reporting (for example: earned value, variance analysis, spending summaries, progress reports (% complete), etc).
• Cost & Schedule Integration
  • Ensure all costs are aligned from CBS to WBS to ensure financial tracking is synchronized with the project schedule.
  • Support integration of cost and schedule data into project controls platforms for real-time visibility.
  • Participate in project meetings to assess financial impacts of schedule changes, scope shifts, and risk events.
• Cross-Functional Collaboration
  • Work closely with cross-functional business owners to align financial and contractual data.
  • Support capital planning and long-term financial modeling for plant construction and commissioning phases.
  • Collaborate with leadership to maintain transparency around cash flow, funding alignment, and project financial status.

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in Accounting, Finance, Engineering, Construction Management, or related field.
• 10+ years of experience in project controls, cost control, or project accounting for large capital projects.
• Experience with EPC, energy, utility, or industrial construction strongly preferred.
• Familiarity with DOE loan requirements or other federally funded capital projects is a plus.
• Demonstrated ability to thrive in a fast‑paced, highly dynamic project environment and embrace complex challenges with confidence and resilience.
• Proven skill in assessing current workflows, identifying what processes are needed, defining what “good” looks like, and helping build, refine, and implement effective solutions.
• Ability to collaborate effectively with diverse technical and operational teams.

Benefits

• Medical, dental, and vision insurance
• 401(k) plan with company match
• Paid time off (PTO) and holidays
• Professional development support and tuition assistance
• A collaborative, mission-driven work environment with opportunities for career growth