Client Program Finance Manager

GHD Group Pty Ltd • Irvine, CA

2h • $103,759 - $170,000 • Hybrid

About The Position

GHD Advisory is seeking an experienced Client Program Finance Manager to provide financial leadership across a complex, large-scale portfolio of projects. The role serves as the central coordination point for program-level financial information, connecting client stakeholders with program leadership, project controls, project services, and finance teams. It combines technical accounting and finance capability with project controls, commercial judgment, and stakeholder engagement to strengthen financial transparency and forecast credibility and to turn detailed project data into clear, decision-ready insight.

The role is based in Irvine, Los Angeles, or San Diego and follows a hybrid work model requiring three days per week in the office. The position partners with internal and external stakeholders, leads portfolio-level forecasting and financial governance, prepares executive reporting, supports commercial and project controls performance, and improves financial management practices across client programs.

Success means leadership and project teams have a clear, consistent view of program performance, cost trends, risks, and opportunities; forecasts are timely, credible, and connected to project delivery assumptions; and reporting and financial accountability are trusted and effective across the portfolio.

Requirements

• A degree or equivalent experience in finance, accounting, business, commerce, or a related discipline.
• Demonstrated experience managing portfolio- or program-level forecasting, budgeting, cost management, and financial reporting.
• Strong understanding of how financial management and project controls frameworks work together.
• Experience with project finance, commercial pricing, profitability, and margin analysis.
• Advanced analytical capability, including scenario modeling, sensitivity analysis, and forecast-to-actual review.
• Ability to independently test, challenge, and defend financial information, assumptions, and forecasts.
• Strong stakeholder management skills, including experience working across internal and external teams to define and improve reporting requirements.
• Clear written and verbal communication skills, including the ability to present complex financial information to non-financial audiences.
• Comfort operating across finance, project delivery, and commercial performance; able to move between detailed analysis and executive-level communication, constructively challenge assumptions, and structure complex or incomplete information.
• Collaborative and pragmatic approach, with the independence and professional judgment required of a finance leader.

Nice To Haves

• Experience in finance, FP&A, project accounting, project controls, or commercial finance within a project-based environment is preferable.

Responsibilities

• Build trusted relationships with internal and external stakeholders and coordinate program financial reporting.
• Shape reporting requirements, clarify assumptions, and communicate financial and schedule matters clearly and credibly.
• Support commercial discussions and portfolio decisions with timely analysis of performance, trends, risks, and opportunities.
• Promote consistency and transparency in client-facing financial information and reporting.
• Lead program-level forecasts, financial projections, and scenario analyses across a portfolio of projects.
• Independently validate and challenge project forecasts, cost assumptions, and financial inputs using fact-based analysis and sound judgment.
• Ensure forecasts reflect schedules, production plans, subcontractor activity, resource requirements, and known cost drivers.
• Monitor forecast accuracy through forecast-to-actual analysis and improve forecasting quality and discipline.
• Communicate uncertainty, assumptions, sensitivities, and potential financial implications of emerging issues.
• Establish and maintain program-level financial governance, controls, and reporting processes.
• Coordinate monthly financial reviews with project teams, program leadership, and finance stakeholders.
• Prepare decision-ready dashboards, reporting packs, and executive summaries for internal and client stakeholders.
• Monitor performance against budget, forecast, schedule, and contractual objectives and identify corrective actions.
• Give leadership early visibility of material risks, opportunities, cost trends, and performance concerns.
• Partner with project controls, project managers, and operational teams to align financial reporting with execution plans and portfolio priorities.
• Provide financial insight into schedule impacts, productivity and production assumptions, resource requirements, and key cost drivers.
• Support consistent forecasting methodologies and controls across the program.
• Analyze profitability, margin performance, and program financial trends.
• Support contract-related financial mechanisms, including pain/gain calculations where applicable.
• Identify opportunities to improve financial outcomes while maintaining client commitments and program objectives.
• Track key financial and forecast performance measures and communicate the implications of trends.
• Identify lessons learned and opportunities to improve forecasting, reporting, governance, and portfolio controls.
• Establish practical financial management best practices across large-scale client programs.
• Promote accountability for financial outcomes across project and operational teams.

Benefits

• 401(k) participation eligibility begins on the first day of the month following three months of service.
• Paid time off beginning at 16 days per year and increasing with years of service; PTO covers rest and relaxation, sick, and personal time.
• Holiday pay for eligible employees; GHD observes nine holidays per year.
• Wellness reimbursement for eligible regular full-term employees: 50% of qualifying costs, up to $250 annually, for items and programs such as health club memberships, home exercise equipment, bicycles, race or marathon entry fees, smoking cessation, weight loss programs, and fitness trackers.

What This Job Offers

• Job Type: Full-time
• Career Level: Manager