Job Description

Senior Project Accountant

Location: Miami
Department: Accounting
Reports To: Controller
Employment Type: Full-Time
Salary Range: $80,000–$120,000

The Senior Project Accountant leads the financial management of mechanical construction projects, with ownership of job cost accounting, subcontract administration, billings, compliance, and financial reporting. This role serves as a key financial partner to Project Managers, Operations, Purchasing, and Accounting leadership by driving cost control, identifying financial risk, and supporting project performance throughout the project lifecycle.

The Senior Project Accountant exercises independent judgment on complex billing structures, subcontractor compliance, and month-end close activities, while also supporting process improvement, internal controls, and junior accounting staff when applicable.

Core Responsibilities

Commitment Agreements & Compliance

• Lead the issuance and execution of commitment agreements in coordination with the Controller and Project Management, ensuring compliance with contract terms.
• Verify commitment values against approved budgets and escalate discrepancies to the Controller.
• Enter commitments into the accounting system with accurate and consistent cost coding.
• Manage vendor and subcontractor compliance, including insurance, lien waivers, and statutory documentation.
• Develop and refine compliance tracking processes and mentor junior staff on documentation standards when applicable.

Project Cost Accounting

• Review and approve vendor invoices and subcontractor pay applications in accordance with contract requirements and project budgets.
• Lead cost-to-complete forecasting with Project Managers, identifying variances and recommending corrective actions.
• Manage deductive change orders, back-charges, and OCIP/CCIP credit tracking.
• Oversee Accounts Payable workflows for assigned projects, enforcing approval hierarchies and month-end deadlines.
• Lead weekly project accounting meetings with Project Management teams, presenting financial status and driving issue resolution.
• Manage collection and tracking of Notices to Owner, Releases of Lien, and Sworn Statements.
• Prepare and present monthly project financial review packages to the Controller and leadership.

Billings to General Contractors

• Develop, maintain, and negotiate Schedule of Values structures for complex, multi-phase projects.
• Perform and review monthly cost-to-billing reconciliations, resolving under- or over-billing issues before submission.
• Prepare, review, and submit monthly progress billings to General Contractors in compliance with contract requirements.
• Manage retainage balances and support strategies to accelerate retainage recovery.
• Monitor billing cycles, outstanding receivables, and aging, escalating collection issues as needed.

Overhead Cost & Credit Card Management

• Enforce receipt collection policies and resolve documentation gaps with department leaders.
• Escalate unusual or high-risk transactions to the Controller with documented analysis.

Leadership & Process Improvement

• Collaborate with Project Accountants and Accounts Payable staff.
• Identify and recommend improvements to accounting workflows, reporting templates, and internal controls.
• Support departmental initiatives and year-end audit activities, including workpaper preparation and auditor inquiries.
• Maintain vendor and subcontractor master records and enforce data integrity standards.
• Serve as a subject matter resource for project accounting questions across the organization.

Requirements

Required

• 5+ years of project accounting experience, preferably in construction or mechanical contracting.
• Strong understanding of job cost accounting, WIP schedules, and percentage-of-completion revenue recognition.
• Proficiency with construction accounting software such as Procore, Viewpoint, CMiC, Sage Intacct, or similar.
• Ability to independently manage multiple projects, priorities, and deadlines.
• Strong analytical, communication, and stakeholder management skills.

Preferred

• Bachelor’s degree in Accounting, Finance, or a related field.
• Experience with OCIP/CCIP insurance programs.
• Familiarity with lien law and subcontract compliance requirements.
• Prior experience mentoring or supervising accounting staff.
• CPA designation or progress toward CPA certification is a plus.