Early Professional, Project Financial Advisor

WSP•Kennesaw, GA

8h•$70,400 - $105,600

About The Position

WSP is seeking an Early Career Project Financial Advisor in the United States to support its Earth and Environment business line. The Project Financial Advisor 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 project financial reviews. The advisor provides financial analysis and stewardship, supports profitability monitoring and working capital management, and identifies risks and opportunities across projects of varying complexity, independently handling some projects and supporting more complex projects with guidance. The role includes advising on financial planning, project structure and contract execution; monitoring forecasts and financial performance; supporting subcontracting and billing activities; coordinating audit responses; and collaborating with finance, delivery, procurement, and business teams. The advisor also supports governance and controls, escalates financial exceptions, and helps identify cost pressures and potentially loss-making projects.

Requirements

Bachelor’s degree in Accounting, Business, or a closely related discipline, or demonstrated proven equivalent experience.
0 to 1 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 jurisdictions in which the employee operates.
Solid understanding of project accounting, financial reporting, EAC/ETC forecasting processes, and margin analysis.
Experience in commercial support, such as project integration, contracts, Work in Progress, or revenue recognition.
Demonstrated experience supporting a multi-project portfolio with hands-on forecasting and reporting accountability.
Advanced Excel skills and proficiency in 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, with the ability to influence delivery, commercial, and finance leadership.
Critical-thinking and problem-solving skills, including the ability to analyze data and reach effective, economical, and logical conclusions.
Effective interpersonal and communication skills, including the ability to communicate professionally with 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 Power BI or other data visualization tools.
Proficiency with Oracle ERP tools.

Responsibilities

Partner with Project Managers to support sound project financial management and adherence to contractual obligations and financial terms.
Support initial project setup, including Work Breakdown Structure development, budgeting, rate selection, pricing inputs, funding, billing methods, and project financial planning.
Review category rates and labor structures, identify rate optimization and margin improvement opportunities, and communicate margin and cost-to-serve observations.
Assess subcontract financial impacts and support alignment with prime contracts and profitability objectives.
Monitor customer contract execution for financial terms, validate project structures and master data in Project Portfolio Management, and ensure compliance with financial policies, delegations of authority, and revenue recognition standards.
Coordinate applicable DBE, WBE, and other business-enterprise reporting requirements.
Calculate margin and financial impacts, investigate project margin variability, and review project budgets and forecasts with Project Managers.
Monitor forecast cycles for accuracy, timeliness, and alignment with FP&A targets; track mitigation plans and report progress to the PFA Manager.
Perform revenue accruals and advise on financial adjustments as required.
Manage subcontracting activities, including requisitions, purchase orders, supplier and subcontractor invoice processing, and coordination with PFO Managers on Accounts Payable payment requests.
Analyze project performance indicators, client-specific financial reporting, and KPI variances; provide recommended corrective actions and actionable insights in project review meetings.
Investigate recurring financial variances, escalate findings, validate contract setup controls, and monitor Work at Risk.
Guide Project Managers on project closeout when contractual requirements apply, such as retainage and final payment confirmation.
Coordinate customer audit requests and evidence, collaborate on internal and external finance 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 and support process improvements.
Identify and assign time and cost transfers and allocations, and review and adjust project costs as needed.
Promote consistent application of financial governance and controls, escalate financial exceptions, and support efficiency and financial performance initiatives.
Support monitoring and documentation of project financial performance, explain variances and P&L impacts, and identify future cost pressures and potentially loss-making projects.

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