Intermediate Project Financial Advisor

WSP•Lawrence Township, NJ

1d•$73,000 - $95,000

About The Position

WSP is seeking an Intermediate Project Financial Advisor in the United States to support its Earth and Environment business line. The PFA serves as a financial partner to Project Managers, supporting project profitability, financial compliance, forecasting accuracy, and financial performance across a portfolio of projects. The role spans the project lifecycle, including project budget setup and review, revenue recognition, and ongoing financial reviews. It provides financial stewardship and analysis, advises on profitability and working capital, and supports compliance, decision-making, and risk identification. The advisor independently supports projects of varying complexity and assists with more complex projects under guidance. The role involves supporting contract execution and financial controls, validating project structures and forecasts, monitoring performance indicators, and coordinating with finance, project delivery, procurement, billing, and other teams. It also supports audit responses, project closeout, subcontracting activities, and the identification and escalation of financial risks and exceptions. WSP offers benefits including medical, dental, vision, disability, and life coverage; retirement savings; paid sick leave and vacation or other personal time; paid parental leave; and paid time off for bereavement, voting, and attendance at naturalization proceedings. The expected salary range for all locations is $73,000–$95,000. The role is with WSP USA, an engineering and professional services firm with more than 15,000 employees in over 300 U.S. offices. The selected candidate must be authorized to work in the United States.

Requirements

Bachelor’s degree in Accounting, Business, or a closely related discipline, or demonstrated equivalent experience.
One to three years of project finance or commercial finance experience in engineering, construction, or professional services.
Relevant Accounting, Finance, or Business qualifications or accreditations for the jurisdiction(s) in which the employee operates.
Solid understanding of project accounting, financial reporting, EAC/ETC forecasting, and margin analysis.
Experience in commercial support, such as project integration, contracts, WIP, or revenue recognition.
Demonstrated experience supporting a multi-project portfolio with hands-on forecasting and reporting accountability.
Advanced Excel skills and proficiency with MS Office and ERP tools; Oracle is preferred.
Ability to work independently and collaboratively as a self-starter.
Comfort working in a fast-paced environment with multiple priorities.
Strong stakeholder relationship management and engagement skills, with the ability to influence delivery, commercial, and finance leadership.
Critical thinking and problem-solving skills, including drawing conclusions from data collation, documentation, and statistical analysis to identify effective, economical, and logical solutions.
Effective interpersonal and communication skills, including communicating professionally with accounting and non-accounting audiences.
Strong planning, prioritization, and time-management abilities.
Strong analytical and problem-solving capabilities, with a focus on actionable insights.
Authorization to work in the United States.

Nice To Haves

Experience with PowerBI or other data visualization tools.

Responsibilities

Partner with Project Managers to support sound project financial management and adherence to contractual obligations and financial terms.
Advise on project setup, including Work Breakdown Structure development, budgeting, rate selection, and pricing tool inputs.
Advise on financial planning, project risks, funding, billing methods, and rates.
Review category rates and labor structures, identifying opportunities to improve recoverability, rates, and margins.
Identify and communicate margin observations and cost-to-serve considerations.
Assess subcontract financial impacts for alignment with prime contracts and profitability objectives.
Monitor customer contract execution for financial terms, including fee types, caps, retentions, and deliverable-based billing triggers.
Review and validate project structures and master data in Project Portfolio Management systems, including WBS, funding, billing methods, rates, tax, and revenue method.
Ensure compliance with financial policies, delegations of authority, and revenue recognition standards.
Coordinate and review applicable DBE, WBE, and other business enterprise reporting requirements.
Calculate margin and other financial impacts and help identify reasons for project margin variability.
Monitor project forecast cycles for accuracy, timeliness, and alignment with FP&A targets.
Review project budgets and forecasts and support Project Managers in validating assumptions and financial accuracy.
Monitor mitigation action plans as directed by the Project Manager and report progress to the PFA Manager.
Perform revenue accruals as needed and advise on other financial adjustments.
Manage subcontracting activities, including requisitions, Purchase Order creation in coordination with Procurement, and supplier/subcontractor invoice processing; partner with PFO Managers on Accounts Payable payment requests.
Contribute financial analysis and commentary to project performance reviews, including forecast accuracy, working capital, revenue recognition, and change control.
Review financial tracking and key measures, including client-specific reporting requests.
Monitor KPIs, promptly flag variances to Finance Business Partners, and recommend corrective actions.
Participate in Project Manager review meetings and provide actionable insights on performance drivers, risks, and decisions needed.
Investigate recurring financial variances and escalate findings to the PFA Manager.
Validate contract setup controls to support revenue recognition in accordance with company policies.
Monitor Work at Risk, including tracking, business impact assessment, reporting, and follow-up.
Guide Project Managers on project closeout when specific contractual requirements apply.
Respond to customer audit requests and coordinate evidence and formal responses with Controllership and Delivery.
Collaborate with project teams on finance-specific responses to internal and external audit requests.
Maintain audit-ready records, calculations, and decision logs in accordance with policy.
Collaborate with PFOs, Billing, Collections, Cash App, FP&A, Controllership, and business teams to address escalations.
Escalate recurring issues through management and contribute to process improvement initiatives.
Identify and assign time and cost transfers and allocations, and review and adjust project costs as needed.
Promote consistent application of corporate financial governance and controls across the business.
Identify and escalate financial exceptions to the PFA Manager for resolution.
Support Operations and Business Finance initiatives to improve efficiency and financial performance.
Support project performance monitoring and documentation, and help the PFA Manager and Finance Business Partners explain variances and P&L impacts.
Help identify future cost pressures and potentially loss-making projects, ensuring awareness and mitigation plans.