Project Accountant

Aston Carter • Mesa, AZ

6d • $72,000 - $101,000 • Onsite

About The Position

The Project Accountant will own project accounting for large-scale commercial construction projects, typically ranging from $25 million to $40 million or more and lasting 18–24 months. The role covers project setup through financial closeout, including job costing, budgets, cost codes, contracts, commitments, project transactions, reconciliations, and financial reporting. The accountant will monitor actual and committed costs against budgets, identify variances and potential overruns, and prepare forecasts, cost-to-complete estimates, WIP reporting, and profitability analyses.

The position manages AIA and progress billing, schedules of values, pay applications, a 25-day billing cycle, retainage, change orders, collections, and project closeout. It also owns weekly payroll processing, timecard review, certified and union payroll reporting, and allocation of payroll costs to projects and cost codes. Responsibilities include reviewing subcontractor and vendor invoices, managing commitments and payments, verifying insurance compliance, and maintaining certificates of insurance, lien waivers, and other documentation.

The Project Accountant works closely with the Controller, Project Managers, subcontractors, vendors, and company leadership, and supports audits, internal reviews, month- and year-end close, and project closeout documentation. This is a permanent, full-time, direct-hire position based fully onsite in Mesa, Arizona, with a Monday–Friday schedule from 8:00 AM to 5:00 PM. The company describes the opportunity as providing significant ownership, leadership visibility, Acumatica training, and a potential career path toward a Controller-level role.

Requirements

• At least 2 years of construction accounting or project accounting experience.
• Experience in commercial construction.
• Strong background in job costing, project accounting, AIA and progress billing, certified payroll, union payroll, WIP reporting, forecasting, cost codes, change orders, retainage, and subcontractor accounting.
• Experience managing subcontractor invoices, payments, and compliance documentation.
• Knowledge of certificates of insurance, insurance requirements, and lien waivers.
• Strong Excel skills and overall Microsoft Office proficiency.
• Strong organization, attention to detail, and communication skills.

Nice To Haves

• Bachelor’s degree in Accounting, Finance, Business, or a related field.
• Experience supporting construction projects in the $20 million–$100 million or larger range.
• Experience with large-scale commercial or stadium projects.
• Experience with Acumatica or a similar construction ERP/accounting system.
• Knowledge of percentage-of-completion accounting.
• Experience owning the full project accounting lifecycle from setup through closeout.
• Experience working in a smaller, high-growth construction environment.
• Interest in advancing into a future Controller position.

Responsibilities

• Manage project accounting from project setup through financial closeout.
• Set up and maintain project budgets, cost codes, contracts, commitments, and accounting records.
• Track actual and committed costs and budget-to-actual performance.
• Review project transactions for accurate coding and cost allocation.
• Prepare job cost reports and identify cost concerns, discrepancies, and potential overruns.
• Reconcile project accounts and investigate financial variances.
• Prepare and submit AIA billings, schedules of values, pay applications, and supporting documentation.
• Manage the 25-day billing cycle and coordinate billing with completed work and forecasted progress.
• Track retainage, change orders, pending changes, and outstanding billings.
• Prepare forecasts, estimated costs to complete, projected project results, WIP reporting, and profitability analyses.
• Support final billing, collections, retainage release, project closeout, month-end close, year-end close, accruals, and reconciliations.
• Prepare project financial reports covering actual costs, earned revenue, projected costs, and estimated profitability.
• Own weekly payroll processing, review and process timecards, and prepare and submit certified payroll reports.
• Support union payroll reporting and compliance, maintain payroll records, resolve discrepancies, and allocate payroll costs to projects and cost codes.
• Review subcontractor and vendor invoices for accuracy and compliance.
• Manage subcontractor commitments, payments, retainage, and outstanding balances.
• Verify subcontractor insurance compliance before payment release and maintain COIs, lien waivers, and required documentation.
• Work with subcontractors, vendors, and project teams to resolve billing and payment issues and monitor subcontractor activity.
• Partner with the Controller, Project Managers, subcontractors, vendors, and leadership.
• Support audits, internal reviews, and project closeout documentation, and maintain organized payroll, billing, insurance, and project financial records.

Benefits

• Acumatica training provided.
• Significant ownership and autonomy.
• Clear career growth path toward Controller-level leadership.
• Exposure to large-scale commercial construction projects and high visibility with company leadership.
• Stable Monday–Friday schedule, 8:00 AM–5:00 PM.
• Benefits information will be provided during the interview stage.

What This Job Offers

• Job Type: Full-time
• Career Level: Mid Level
• Education Level: No Education Listed