Cost Accountant

General Summary of Position:

The Cost Accountant is responsible for overseeing job costing, project budget tracking, and accounting support functions for a growing construction and prefabrication company. This role is responsible for maintaining accurate financial data related to projects, monitoring job profitability, supporting operational decision-making, and helping leadership maintain strong financial controls.

The ideal candidate has experience in construction accounting and job costing, understands project financial management, and can work closely with project managers, operations, purchasing, and leadership teams to improve budget accuracy and profitability

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 maintain 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

Assist with 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

Coordinate with purchasing and operations to verify pricing and material cost accuracy

Assist in evaluating 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

Assist external CPA firms and auditors with financial documentation and tax filings

Assist with licensing for projects

Help maintain accounting procedures and internal controls

Assist in 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

Assist leadership with 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

Support executive leadership with special projects, financial analysis, and operational initiatives

Participate in management meetings and project review discussions as needed

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.

Other Duties As Needed:

Assist with records retention maintenance.

Provide payables and capital data for audits (insurance, state, i…