Accountant, Design-Build

Merus•Cincinnati, OH

About The Position

Merus is expanding its finance and accounting team with an Accountant who will collaborate with Design-Build construction teams and Finance & Accounting leadership across its markets. The role supports complete and accurate financial controls and reporting across product lines. The successful candidate is an ambitious self-starter with a strong sense of urgency who can work in a fast-paced environment and drive results. The Accountant analyzes project and company financial performance, supports project reviews and reporting, manages project financial records and cost activity, and helps ensure contracts, billing, and invoices are accurate. The role also supports annual external audits, system implementations, testing, and process improvements. Occasional observational visits to construction sites and some travel by car may be required. The job description is not all-inclusive; the employee may also perform other reasonably related business duties assigned by their immediate supervisor or other management. It is not a contract or offer of employment.

Requirements

Bachelor’s degree in Accounting, Finance, or a related field.
At least one year of accounting experience.
Excellent analytical skills, including the ability to interpret complex financial data and generate meaningful insights.
Proficiency in Microsoft Office, with strong Excel skills.
Understanding of U.S. generally accepted accounting principles (U.S. GAAP).
Ability to communicate effectively and work cooperatively and collaboratively with people of diverse backgrounds and at all organizational levels.
Ability to organize, prioritize, and manage multiple priorities while maintaining attention to detail.
Ability to manage change and adapt to changing processes and procedures.
Initiative to continue learning and broaden accounting and industry knowledge.
Proficiency in using technology to improve process and task efficiency.

Responsibilities

Perform financial analysis to identify trends, variances, and improvement opportunities in project and company financial performance.
Attend monthly project-specific Design-Build reviews with project managers, directors, and project teams.
Analyze insurance, technology, and warranty costs and recommend appropriate billing treatment.
Escalate project concerns or risks to project margins to management.
Generate job financial metrics for the monthly financial reporting package.
Present financial data, analysis, key performance indicators, and financial metrics to project stakeholders and management.
Support external auditors during the annual financial statement audit.
Support system implementations, testing, and process improvements to improve accounting accuracy and efficiency.
Ensure estimates are prepared, substantiated with bids, and reviewed by appropriate management before owner contracts are entered into.
Review subcontractor contracts to confirm bidding processes were followed and final costs align with budgets.
Coordinate subcontractor prequalification through Highwire, including documentation review and follow-up on outstanding requirements.
Coordinate project setup and closeout across accounting and project management systems, ensuring complete and accurate financial records.
Track and analyze project costs and maintain accurate, complete financial records.
Collaborate with project managers to monitor, investigate, and report budget variances to Design-Build and Finance & Accounting leadership.
Identify cost-saving opportunities and address budget overruns or financial risks.
Assess financial risks associated with projects.
Process employee timecards and allocate payroll-related labor costs to projects for accurate, timely job costing.
Review monthly job cost activity and ensure subcontractor and internal costs are coded consistently and properly.
Monitor job over/underbilling, accounts receivable, and accounts payable; support timely billing and report collection risks.
Monitor job buyout status against contracts.
Ensure subcontractor invoices are submitted on time and coordinate with subcontractors and project managers to verify accuracy and coding.
Communicate with vendors and subcontractors to resolve invoicing discrepancies.
Prepare monthly owners’ invoices.
Respond to subcontractor and owner inquiries about project billing and invoicing.
Perform other reasonably related business duties as assigned by the immediate supervisor or management.