Accounting Manager

Position Summary

The Construction Accounting Manager serves as the Corporate Controller's primary accounting partner in San Diego and leads the day-to-day accounting and financial close activities for assigned operating companies. This position is accountable for the accuracy, timeliness, and integrity of job cost reporting, work in progress reporting, financial statements, account reconciliations, and related accounting controls.

The Accounting Manager works closely with company presidents, project managers, and accounting staff to challenge project assumptions, identify margin and cash flow risks, resolve accounting issues, and promptly elevate significant matters to the Corporate Controller. This is a hands-on role within a lean corporate accounting team, making broad construction accounting experience and a willingness to work both strategically and in the details important to success.  The successful candidate will move comfortably between detailed accounting work, team development, operational partnership, and management reporting.

The role also offers meaningful long-term growth potential for an experienced construction accounting professional interested in expanding leadership responsibilities and developing toward broader accounting and financial oversight within the organization, with close mentorship from the Corporate Controller.

Key Responsibilities

Accounting Leadership and Partnership

• Serve as the Corporate Controller's on-site accounting delegate and primary point of contact for accounting matters.
• Lead and develop assigned accounting staff, establish clear priorities, review work quality, and hold the team accountable for deadlines and accuracy.
• Provide timely visibility to the Corporate Controller regarding material accounting issues, project margin changes, cash flow concerns, control deficiencies, and missed commitments.
• Partner with company presidents, project managers, and department leaders while maintaining appropriate accounting discipline and independent judgment.
• Provide coverage for the Corporate Controller on delegated accounting matters and support management decision-making with clear, reliable financial information.

 WIP and Project Accounting

• Lead the monthly WIP process for assigned operating companies, including validation of contract values, approved and pending change orders, job costs, committed costs, billings, retention, and revenue recognition under ASC 606.
• Review cost-to-complete forecasts and project assumptions provided by operations; challenge unusual trends, unsupported estimates, margin gains or fades, and inconsistencies between project performance and financial reporting.
• Maintain clear accountability: project managers and operating leadership own operational forecasts and cost-to-complete estimates, while Accounting owns the integrity, reconciliation, and financial reporting of the WIP process.
• Analyze original versus forecast margin, underbillings and overbillings, unapproved change orders, budget variances, backlog changes, and project-level cash exposure.
• Ensure accurate job setup, cost coding, contract and budget changes, project billing, retention tracking, and job closeout in the company's ERP.

Close and Financial Reporting

• Lead assigned month-end and year-end close activities, including journal entries, account reconciliations, intercompany activity, accruals, and review of supporting schedules.
• Ensure transactions and reporting comply with GAAP, ASC 606, company policy, and established accounting procedures.
• Coordinate with accounts payable, accounts receivable, payroll, compliance, and operations to resolve accounting discrepancies and ensure accurate cutoffs and classifications.
• Support consolidated reporting and ensure assigned entity balances reconcile to related companies and supporting subledgers.

 Cash Flow Controls and Process Improvement

• Support cash flow forecasting by evaluating expected collections, billing timing, retention, vendor and subcontractor commitments, payroll requirements, and other near-term cash needs.
• Monitor project receivables and billing issues, partner with operations to resolve collection barriers, and escalate significant exposures.
• Design, document, implement, and maintain effective internal controls over project accounting, close, reconciliations, system access, and financial reporting.
• Standardize accounting procedures across assigned companies and identify opportunities to improve workflows, reporting, accountability, and use of the company's ERP and related systems.
• Coordinate accounting support for external auditors, CPA firms, banks, bonding agents, and sureties, including preparation of accurate and complete schedules.

 Required Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in Accounting, Finance, or a related field, or equivalent progressive accounting experience.
• Seven or more years of progressive accounting experience, including at least four years of hands-on construction accounting experience with a general contractor, specialty contractor, or similarly project-based construction organization.
• Demonstrated hands-on responsibility for preparing, reviewing, and analyzing construction WIP schedules, including cost-to-complete, margin analysis, underbillings and overbillings, change orders, committed costs, and revenue recognition.
• Demonstrated ownership of month-end close, financial reporting, account reconciliations, and related accounting controls.
• Strong knowledge of cost-to-cost revenue recognition, ASC 606, committed costs, retention, change orders, and construction billing practices.
• Prior direct supervisory responsibility for accounting staff, including work review, coaching and development, deadline management, and accountability.
• Advanced Excel skills, including pivot tables, V and XLOOKUP.
• Ability to evaluate competing information, exercise independent judgment, make recommendations, and escalate material risks appropriately.
• Strong written and verbal communication skills, including the ability to explain accounting issues clearly to operational leaders and project teams.
• Hands-on experience with an ERP accounting system; including job costing, general ledger, and month-end close functions.

Preferred Qualifications

• Experience with Viewpoint Vista or another construction-specific ERP (such as SAGE 300, CMiC, Foundation, or Procore Financials).
• Experience with multi-entity accounting, intercompany reconciliations, and consolidated financial reporting.
• Familiarity with California construction compliance, prevailing wage, certified payroll, union payroll, lien releases, and subcontractor documentation.