Full-Time Fractional Controller (Construction Industries Experience Required)

Vessel Advisors•Phoenix, AZ

11d•Remote

About The Position

Vessel Advisors is an outsourced financial team serving growth-stage companies with strategic finance, technology, metrics, and accounting support. The Fractional Controller owns accounting, job costing, work-in-progress (WIP) reporting, revenue recognition, and monthly financial reporting for a portfolio of construction clients, primarily general contractors and specialty trade contractors. The role reports to the VP of Operations and works with client executive leadership. The Controller leads client month-end closes, reviews job estimates and billing, presents results to owners, and maintains accurate construction accounting and reporting. The role also supports cash forecasting, surety and lender reporting, budgeting, internal controls, and coordination with external CPAs. The position involves supervising Vessel Advisors and client-side staff and using AI workflows to streamline recurring accounting work. This is a full-time, fully remote role for candidates located in the USA, with standard hours of 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. in the employee’s local time zone; MST or PST is preferred. Infrequent travel may be needed for client discovery or strategic meetings, and attendance at the annual all-team retreat is required. Compensation starts at $95,000+ per year, depending on experience.

Requirements

At least eight years of progressive accounting experience, including at least three years owning job cost, WIP, and percentage-of-completion revenue recognition for a general contractor or specialty trade contractor.
Proven experience as a Controller, Assistant Controller, or senior construction accountant for general contractors or specialty trade contractors, with direct ownership of job cost, WIP, and percentage-of-completion revenue recognition.
Strong command of GAAP, ASC 606 as applied to construction contracts, job cost accounting, and multi-entity reporting.
Fluency in ASC 606 over-time revenue recognition using the cost-to-cost method, including cumulative catch-up adjustments when estimated costs change.
Ability to challenge project managers’ estimates, identify profit fade, and explain job-level results to owners in plain language.
Ability to manage a portfolio of concurrent clients, keep closes on schedule, and switch contexts without losing quality.
Hands-on expertise with at least one construction ERP or job cost platform, such as Sage 100 Contractor, Sage 300 CRE, Sage Intacct Construction, Foundation, Viewpoint Vista or Spectrum, or QuickBooks paired with Procore.
Advanced Excel and Google Workspace skills.
Strong organization, ownership, proactive focus, and ability to lead fractional engagements and manage tight deadlines across multiple clients.
Excellent written and verbal communication skills for frequent remote client engagement.
Ability to work standard hours from 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. in the local time zone.
USA location.
Ability to attend the annual all-team retreat.

Nice To Haves

Experience building Claude Projects, custom GPTs, or similar AI workflows.
Bachelor’s degree in accounting or finance.
CPA or CCIFP credential.
MST or PST time zone.
Ability to travel infrequently, once per month or less, for initial client discovery assessments or strategic team meetings.

Responsibilities

Own the month-end close for assigned clients, including job cost review, accruals, and a WIP schedule that ties to the general ledger.
Lead monthly estimate-to-complete meetings with project managers and owners, challenge assumptions, and document changes.
Review AIA G702/G703 pay applications, schedules of values, change orders, retainage, subcontractor pay applications, and lien waivers.
Present monthly results to client owners and leadership, explaining changes in job performance and their causes.
Design and maintain cost codes for direct job costs, indirect job costs allocated to jobs, and general and administrative expenses.
Calculate percentage of completion using costs incurred to date divided by total estimated costs and recognize revenue accordingly.
Prepare monthly WIP schedules, identify overbillings and underbillings, explain their effects, and address underlying causes.
Keep estimated total costs current and quantify the revenue and margin impact of estimate changes.
Track job gross profit and margin against the original bid and prior month, reporting profit fade or gain and its cause.
Support certified payroll, prevailing wage reporting, and job-level insurance and bonding requirements where applicable.
Build rolling 13-week cash forecasts, track line-of-credit availability, and prepare covenant compliance calculations.
Prepare WIP schedules and financial packages for sureties, bonding agents, and lenders.
Prepare annual budgets, overhead rate analyses, backlog forecasts, and gross profit forecasts.
Deliver month-end reporting packages and track KPIs, including backlog, gross profit by job, overbillings and underbillings, days sales outstanding, and retainage receivable.
Establish internal controls and coordinate reviews, audits, and tax workflows with external CPAs.
Supervise Vessel Advisors and client-side staff and use AI workflows to streamline recurring accounting deliverables.