Project Financial Advisor

WSP•Denver, CO

About The Position

The Project Financial Advisor (PFA) acts as a trusted finance partner to project delivery teams, helping align project financial outcomes with enterprise objectives. The role supports projects throughout their lifecycle, including budget setup and review, revenue recognition, and ongoing financial reviews. It provides disciplined financial stewardship and analysis, advises on profitability and working capital, supports compliance, and contributes to sound decisions and risk identification across a portfolio of medium- to high-complexity projects. The PFA may also serve as a subject-matter expert or escalation point for simpler or recurring matters. The PFA partners with Project Managers on project financial planning, contract and project setup, forecasting, performance reviews, audits, closeout, and financial issue resolution. The role coordinates with finance, procurement, delivery, and other business teams to maintain accurate project records, uphold financial controls, identify risks and variances, and support improvements to financial performance.

Requirements

Bachelor’s degree in Accounting, Business, or a closely related discipline, or demonstrated proven equivalent experience.
5–7 years of relevant post-education experience in project finance or commercial finance in engineering, construction, or professional services.
Proficiency mostly at Practiced/Advanced levels in areas including translation of financial concepts, project-related critical thinking, contract lifecycle management, escalation management, relationship building, and business acumen.
Solid grasp of project accounting, financial reporting, Estimate at Completion/Estimate to Complete (EAC/ETC) forecasting processes, and margin analysis.
Experience in commercial support, such as project integration, contracts, Work in Progress (WIP), and 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 as a self-starter.
Ability to work 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 applying subject-matter and technical knowledge 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, and time-management abilities.
Strong analytical and problem-solving capabilities focused on actionable insights.

Nice To Haves

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

Responsibilities

Partner with Project Managers to support sound project financial management and adherence to contractual obligations and financial terms.
Advise on initial project setup, including Work Breakdown Structure (WBS) development, budgeting, rate selection, and inputs to pricing tools.
Support project financial planning and risk identification; review category rates and labor structures for recoverability, rate optimization, and margin improvement.
Advise on project funding, billing methods, rates, margin observations, cost-to-serve considerations, and the financial impact of subcontracts.
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 (PPM), including WBS, funding, billing methods, rates, tax, and revenue method.
Ensure compliance with financial policies, delegations of authority, and revenue recognition standards; coordinate applicable DBE/WBE/XBE reporting requirements.
Calculate margin and financial impacts, investigate project margin variability, and support identification of its causes.
Monitor project forecasts for accuracy, timeliness, and alignment with FP&A targets; review project budgets and forecasts with Project Managers.
Monitor mitigation action plans as directed by the Project Manager and report progress to the PFA Manager.
Perform revenue accruals and advise on other financial adjustments as needed during project delivery.
Manage subcontracting activities, including requisitions and purchase orders in alignment with Procurement, invoice processing, and coordination 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 client-specific reporting requests; monitor KPIs, 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 required decisions.
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 (WAR), including tracking, business impact assessment, reporting, and follow-up to support timely contract execution and compliance.
Guide Project Managers through project closeout when contractual requirements apply, such as retainage or final payment confirmation.
Respond to customer audit requests and coordinate evidence and formal responses with Controllership and Delivery; collaborate on finance-specific internal and external audit responses.
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 resolve escalations.
Escalate recurring issues through management to support process improvements that enhance financial outcomes.
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; identify and escalate financial exceptions to the PFA Manager.
Support Operations and Business Finance initiatives to improve efficiency and financial performance.
Support project financial 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 the business is informed and mitigation measures are 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