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Portfolio Company Finance Leader: Morris Heating & Cooling

NextGen Growth Partners · Burlington, KY · 2 wk ago
On-siteFinanceFull-time

Morris Heating & Cooling, founded in 1996, is a specialty trades contractor serving the Greater Cincinnati region. The company focuses on the installation, servicing, repair, and maintenance of HVAC, electrical, refrigeration, and commercial kitchen systems across Ohio, Kentucky, and Indiana. In June 2024, Morris partnered with NextGen Growth Partners to scale its operations and build a finance function capable of supporting disciplined project accounting, margin visibility, cash management, and operational reporting.

About the role

Morris Heating & Cooling is seeking a hands-on Controller / Head of Finance to own the accounting and financial reporting function end-to-end. This senior finance leader will challenge operations while personally managing the ledger, including journal entries, monthly close, job-cost and WIP schedules, billing, collections, AP, and payroll. Direct MEP experience and expertise in project accounting—particularly percent-of-completion (POC) revenue recognition and work-in-progress (WIP) reporting—are required. The role must bridge the company’s commercial ERP (BuildOps) with QuickBooks Online to align operational and financial data.

Responsibilities

  • Own percent-of-completion (POC) revenue recognition across active projects and maintain accurate work-in-progress (WIP) schedules, including over-/under-billings, earned revenue, and backlog reporting.
  • Partner with project managers and operations to develop, review, and update estimated total cost (ETC) and estimate-at-completion figures for each project, ensuring cost-to-complete assumptions are current and defensible.
  • Personally own and execute the full monthly close process, including reconciliations, accruals, and consolidated schedules to produce accurate, timely financial statements.
  • Prepare and post journal entries directly in QuickBooks Online (QBO), maintaining a clean, well-documented general ledger and supporting workpapers.
  • Manage and improve the integration between BuildOps and QuickBooks Online, troubleshooting sync issues and ensuring accurate data flow between systems.
  • Maintain accurate job-costing across labor, materials, subcontractors, and equipment; analyze job-level margin and variance and surface issues to leadership.
  • Own cash forecasting, progress billings, and collections, with attention to retainage and lien/waiver processes; drive billing discipline and improve working capital.
  • Personally manage accounts payable and closely coordinate payroll, ensuring accuracy, timeliness, and proper job coding.
  • Prepare monthly financial reporting packages for leadership, providing real-time visibility into performance.
  • Establish and maintain internal controls, oversee tax coordination, and manage relationships with outside CPAs, bonding agents, insurers, and banking partners.
  • Document and improve accounting processes, procedures, and internal controls to support scalability and automation.

Requirements

  • Bachelor’s degree in Accounting, Finance, or a related field (required).
  • CPA and/or CMA (a plus).
  • 7+ years of accounting/finance experience, including direct MEP (mechanical, electrical, plumbing) experience.
  • Hands-on command of POC/job-cost accounting, WIP, cash forecasting, billing and collections, AP, payroll, and month-end close.
  • Proven ability to develop and maintain estimated total cost (ETC) / cost-to-complete for projects.
  • Experience improving financial processes, controls, and cash management in a lean or growing environment.
  • Experience owning a full monthly close and preparing journal entries in QuickBooks Online.
  • Experience with BuildOps (or a comparable commercial ERP / field-service platform) and integrating it with an accounting system (a plus).
  • Strong Excel skills and comfort building and maintaining reporting.

Skills

  • Hands-on ownership of the ledger, including close, journal entries, job costing, billing, AP, and payroll.
  • Financial discipline in driving cash, margin, and working-capital management.
  • Deep expertise in MEP/project accounting, including POC, WIP, ETC, and job costing in specialty trades (HVAC, electrical, refrigeration).
  • Systems fluency with QuickBooks Online and commercial ERP/field-service platforms (e.g., BuildOps), including integration troubleshooting.
  • Detail-oriented with strong critical thinking, accuracy, and logical judgment.
  • Effective communication to translate financial data into clear guidance for owners, project managers, and field leadership.
  • Adaptability to shifting priorities in a growing contracting business.
  • Results-driven with a sense of urgency in meeting deadlines and driving profitability.

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