Intermediate Project Financial Advisor

WSP•Valhalla, NY

About The Position

WSP is seeking an Intermediate Project Financial Advisor (PFA) to support its Transportation and Infrastructure business line in Valhalla, New York; Houston, Texas; or Austin, Texas. The PFA is a trusted financial partner to Project Managers, helping drive project profitability, financial compliance, forecasting accuracy, and financial performance across a portfolio of projects. The role spans the project lifecycle, from budget setup and review through revenue recognition and ongoing financial reviews. It provides disciplined financial stewardship and analysis, including guidance on profitability, working capital, compliance, decision-making, and risk identification. The advisor independently supports projects of varying complexity and assists with more complex projects under guidance. The position partners with Project Managers and finance, delivery, and business teams to review project setup and contracts; develop and monitor forecasts; analyze project performance and variances; support financial controls, audits, and closeout; and help identify risks and corrective actions. It also supports subcontracting and billing-related activities, reporting requirements, and financial process improvements. WSP offers a comprehensive benefits suite focused on health and financial stability throughout an employee’s career. The expected salary range for all listed locations is $73,000–$95,000. Compensation may vary based on education, experience, skills, abilities, internal equity, and geographic location.

Requirements

Bachelor’s degree in Accounting, Business, or a closely related discipline, or demonstrated equivalent experience.
1 to 3 years of project finance or commercial finance experience in engineering, construction, or professional services.
Suitable accounting, finance, or business qualifications or accreditations relevant to the jurisdiction(s) of operation.
Solid understanding of project accounting, financial reporting, Estimate at Completion (EAC) and Estimate to Complete (ETC) forecasting processes, and margin analysis.
Experience providing commercial support, such as project integration, contracts, Work in Progress (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.
Ability to work independently and collaboratively in a fast-paced environment with multiple priorities.
Strong stakeholder relationship management and engagement skills, including the ability to influence delivery, commercial, and finance leadership.
Critical-thinking and problem-solving skills to analyze data and documentation and reach effective, economical, and logical conclusions.
Strong interpersonal and communication skills, including the ability to express ideas effectively and professionally to accounting and non-accounting audiences.
Strong planning, prioritization, time management, analytical, and problem-solving abilities, with a focus on actionable insights.

Nice To Haves

Experience with Oracle ERP tools is preferred.
Experience with PowerBI or other data visualization tools is advantageous.

Responsibilities

Partner with Project Managers to support sound project financial management and adherence to contractual obligations and financial terms.
Guide initial project setup, including Work Breakdown Structure (WBS) development, budgeting, rate selection, and pricing tool inputs.
Advise on financial planning, risk identification, project funding, billing methods, and rates.
Review category rates and labor structures, including non-billable time, cap rates, and labor breakage, to identify opportunities to improve recoverability and margins.
Communicate margin-related observations and cost-to-serve considerations, and assess subcontract financial impacts against prime contract and profitability objectives.
Monitor customer contract execution for financial terms such as fee type, caps, retentions, deliverable-based billing triggers, milestones, and CPFF terms.
Review and validate project setup in Project Portfolio Management (PPM), including WBS, funding, billing methods, rates, tax, revenue method, and project and contract master data.
Ensure compliance with financial policies, delegations of authority, and revenue recognition standards; coordinate and review applicable DBE, WBE, and XBE reporting requirements.
Calculate margin and financial impacts, investigate margin variability, and support project forecast cycles to ensure accuracy, timeliness, and alignment with FP&A targets.
Review project budgets and forecasts, monitor mitigation action plans as directed, and perform revenue accruals or other financial adjustments when required.
Manage subcontracting activities, including requisitions and purchase orders in coordination with Procurement, supplier and subcontractor invoice processing, and AP payment requests with PFO Managers.
Analyze project performance indicators and financial tracking, including forecast accuracy, working capital, revenue recognition, and change control; address client-specific reporting requests.
Monitor KPIs, promptly flag variances to Finance Business Partners, and recommend corrective actions.
Participate in Project Manager reviews and provide actionable insights on performance drivers, risks, and decisions required.
Escalate recurring financial variances and validate contract setup controls for revenue recognition in accordance with company policies.
Monitor Work at Risk (WAR), including tracking, impact assessment, reporting, and follow-up to support timely contract execution and compliance.
Guide Project Managers through project closeout where contractual requirements apply, including retainage and final payment confirmation.
Respond to customer audit requests; coordinate evidence and formal responses with Controllership and Delivery; collaborate on finance-specific internal and external audit responses; and maintain audit-ready records and decision logs.
Collaborate with PFOs, Billing, Collections, Cash App, FP&A, Controllership, and business teams to resolve escalations.
Identify and assign time and cost transfers and allocations, and review or adjust project costs as needed.
Promote consistent application of corporate financial governance and controls, escalate financial exceptions to the PFA Manager, and support Operations and Business Finance improvement initiatives.
Support project financial performance monitoring and documentation, help explain variances and P&L impacts, and identify future cost pressures and potentially loss-making projects so mitigations can be put in place.

Benefits

Medical coverage
Dental coverage
Vision coverage
Disability coverage
Life insurance
Retirement savings
Paid sick leave
Paid vacation or other personal time
Paid parental leave
Paid time off for bereavement, voting, and/or attendance at naturalization proceedings