Director, Finance Project Business Partner

ERM•Houston, TX

9d•$138,413 - $200,292

About The Position

As a Director, Finance Project Business Partner , you will lead the financial management function of a portfolio of client engagements. You’ll be responsible for driving financial health, profitability, compliance, and strategic financial advisory across the lifecycle of client contracts, acting as a finance business partner to client engagement teams and internal finance stakeholders. You will lead a team of Finance Project Business Partners to ensure all open projects are monitored at least monthly and oversee DSO performance, working with Business Unit Managing Partners and Business Unit Finance Directors to resolve escalated issues on projects, providing financial analysis and strategic decision-making support to engagement and client leadership teams to help maximize profitability. You will provide oversight and guidance to solve issues such as delays between project close and billing, and overdue invoices while working closely with O2C GPO to implement process improvements in the Project Accountant area. Project initiation and setup: Signs off strategic projects with Project Accountant Business Partner and Global Delivery Center to ensure accuracy of data and set up of phases/tasks. Transactional accuracy: Reviews material project variance reports from Global Delivery Center and works with Business Unit Managing Partners to take corrective action for variances (including requesting time recording corrections, project phase/task movements and SOW change orders), raising any unresolved issues with Business Unit Finance Directors. Billing, collections and DSO: Reviews all project DSO (WIP and AR) and takes corrective actions on any outside of tolerance. Supports the Global Delivery Center in collection journey by raising seriously overdue invoices with Business Unit Managing Partners/Business Unit Finance Directors for resolution (following up frequently and raising with Regional Finance Director if resolution not found within agreed timelines). Leadership: Manage, mentor, and develop a geographically distributed team of Project Accounting Business Partners to ensure all open projects are being reviewed by region finance.

Requirements

Bachelor's in accounting from an accredited university preferred.
Strong verbal and written communication skills.
10+ years of project accounting experience; professional services experience preferred.
Able to manage team of 6-8 and drive results.
Strong computer skills, including Excel and experience using mid- to high-level accounting software packages (such as BST, Deltek, Oracle).
Ability to work with minimal direction in a highly collaborative manner to meet required deadlines and perform all necessary tasks.
“Hands-on” professional with a strong attention to detail and organizational skills.
A process-oriented problem solver with a focus on the internal and external client.

Responsibilities

Accountable that all projects are allocated a Finance business partner and monitors for regular contact.
Responsible for oversight of highly complex/material projects to ensure contracts in place and set up correctly.
Responsible for escalations of major billing or DSO issues that required Business Unit Finance Director intervention.
Responsible to ensure Program Managers and Partners In Charge understand project policies in place including Master data requirements and Revenue recognition.
Implement and improve financial processes and tools that optimize reporting efficiency and accuracy.
Ensure compliance with internal policies and external reporting requirements.
Ensure engagement-level financial compliance with U.S. GAAP, internal control standards (e.g., Sarbanes-Oxley), and contract terms.