Director of Construction Finance

High Light Electric•Colton, CA

2d•$150,000 - $160,000•Hybrid

About The Position

Mendoza Companies is a multi-entity ecosystem of construction, services, and investment businesses operating under The Mendoza Way. The platform includes High-Light Electric, Inc. (HLE) — a California-based union electrical infrastructure contractor founded in 1996 delivering public works and complex electrical construction across California — along with Mendoza Trust and an international independent contractor workforce. We partner with Caltrans, municipalities, transit authorities, and infrastructure programs throughout California, with active expansion into Nevada, Arizona, and additional U.S. markets. In 2025, HLE was recognized on the Inc. Regionals Pacific list — #116. Mendoza Companies is guided by Mission 2040: to build a $1 billion business ecosystem connecting 1,000 families and communities through business. The Director of Construction Finance serves as a strategic financial leader responsible for driving financial visibility, forecasting discipline, and operational financial governance across multiple construction business units. This role acts as the financial control center between field operations and executive leadership, ensuring that project performance is accurately translated into forecasting, cash flow visibility, margin protection, and actionable financial insights. The position requires a leader who understands construction operations deeply and can bring structure, clarity, and discipline to a fast-moving, field-driven environment while partnering closely with executives, operations leaders, estimating, and project teams.

Requirements

Bachelor’s degree in Finance, Accounting, Construction Management, Business, Mathematics, or related field
7+ years of experience in construction finance, project controls, or operational finance
Strong knowledge of construction job costing and financial project management
Experience with WIP reporting and percentage-of-completion accounting
Experience building forecasts, cash flow models, and cost-to-complete analysis
Advanced Excel and financial modeling skills
Experience with construction accounting or project management systems (e.g., Vista, Procore, or similar)
Strong communication skills with ability to work across executive and operational teams

Nice To Haves

Public works, heavy civil, or infrastructure construction experience
Experience developing financial reporting systems or forecasting frameworks
Experience supporting claims analysis or cost recovery processes
Union construction experience

Responsibilities

Internalize and produce monthly WIP reporting across all business units.
Validate cost-to-complete assumptions and percentage-of-completion calculations.
Approve billing releases and ensure timely and accurate change order pricing.
Oversee cost code discipline and budget transfer approvals.
Produce weekly executive financial dashboards highlighting margin, billing lag, and cash projection status.
Deliver consolidated monthly financial performance reviews to executives and ownership.
Develop and present structured financial proposals and process improvements for executive and ownership review.
Identify early margin erosion indicators and implement corrective measures.
Collaborate with external CPA by feeding validated operational financial data into month-end processes.
Lead structured forecast review sessions with AOMs and Project Managers.
Strengthen financial literacy within operations through training and accountability.
Review financial exposure in contracts in coordination with internal departments.
Support claims strategy by substantiating financial impacts and modeling recovery scenarios.
Participate in DML10 meetings periodically or as required to reinforce financial discipline within business units.
Remain available to address urgent financial matters impacting company risk, cash flow, or margin.