Accountant

Castellan Real Estate Partners; Oakland (CA); On-site; USD 80,000 - 110,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Health insurance

PTO

Retirement plan

Job summary

Castellan Real Estate Partners is looking for a detail-oriented Accountant for their Oakland office. This role focuses on daily accounting operations, payroll processing, and vendor payments, while also managing job costing and ensuring compliance with financial regulations. Candidates should have over 7 years of accounting experience, strong knowledge of construction accounting, and proficiency in accounting software like QuickBooks. The position offers a competitive salary and benefits package tailored to experience.

Qualifications

• 7+ years of progressive accounting experience with 2+ years in a Controller or senior accounting role.
• Experience in construction accounting, especially with job costing.
• Strong proficiency in financial reporting and cash flow management.

Responsibilities

• Own the monthly close process and prepare timely financial statements.
• Develop dashboards and KPIs to support decision-making.
• Oversee customer billing and manage accounts receivable.

Skills

Progressive accounting experience

Construction accounting

Financial reporting

GAAP fundamentals

Excel skills

Communication skills

Education

CPA or CMA designation

Tools

QuickBooks

Sage

Procore

Job description

Position Overview

We are seeking a detail-oriented and reliable Accountant to join our Oakland office. This role will support day-to-day accounting operations, payroll processing, vendor payments, and accounts receivable functions, working closely with internal teams and field staff to ensure timely and accurate financial processes.

Key Responsibilities

• Own the monthly close process and prepare timely financial statements (P&L, balance sheet, cash flow).
• Provide accurate reporting on revenue, gross margin, overhead, and profitability by job and business line.
• Develop dashboards and KPIs to support decision‑making across the company.
• Support annual budgeting, forecasting, and variance analysis.

Job Costing & Project Accounting

• Maintain and improve job costing processes to ensure accurate tracking of labor, materials, subcontractors, and change orders.
• Partner with project managers to review job performance, margin trends, and billing status.
• Monitor work‑in‑progress (WIP) reporting and ensure proper revenue recognition (percentage‑of‑completion, as applicable).
• Ensure correct setup and tracking of jobs, cost codes, and budgets.

Billing, AR/AP, and Cash Flow

• Oversee customer billing, including progress billings, time & material invoicing, and retention.
• Manage accounts receivable and collections to maintain strong cash flow.
• Oversee accounts payable, vendor payments, and subcontractor compliance.
• Lead cash flow forecasting and working capital management.

Payroll & Labor Reporting

• Oversee payroll processes, including prevailing wage, certified payroll (if applicable), and union reporting.
• Ensure accurate allocation of labor costs to jobs and cost codes.
• Work with operations to monitor labor efficiency and productivity metrics.

Controls, Compliance, and Risk Management

• Maintain internal controls and accounting policies to safeguard company assets.
• Ensure compliance with local, state, and federal requirements (sales tax, payroll tax, 1099s, etc.).
• Coordinate with outside CPA firm on annual tax filings and year‑end reporting.
• Support insurance audits (workers comp, general liability) and licensing compliance.

Systems and Process Improvement

• Manage and optimize accounting systems and job‑costing tools (e.g., QuickBooks, Sage, Foundation, Procore, Service Titan, or similar).
• Improve processes for purchasing, inventory/material tracking, and expense approvals.
• Build scalable workflows that support growth and operational efficiency.

Team Management

• Supervise and mentor accounting staff (AP/AR, payroll, admin support as applicable).
• Establish clear procedures, accountability, and deadlines across finance functions.

Qualifications Required

• 7+ years of progressive accounting experience, including 2+ years in a Controller or senior accounting role.
• Strong experience in construction accounting and job costing (electrical contractor experience is a plus).
• Deep knowledge of financial reporting, GAAP fundamentals, and cash flow management.
• Proficiency with accounting software and job‑costing tools.
• Strong Excel skills and comfort building financial models and reporting templates.
• Ability to work independently and take ownership of outcomes.

Preferred

• CPA or CMA designation.
• Experience with WIP schedules and percentage‑of‑completion accounting.
• Familiarity with prevailing wage, union payroll, and certified payroll reporting.
• Experience supporting multi‑entity structures or multiple business lines.

Key Traits for Success

• Highly organized, accurate, and detail‑oriented.
• Practical and solutions‑focused — able to improve processes without overcomplicating them.
• Strong communication skills, able to work effectively with field leadership and project managers.
• Comfortable in a hands‑on, family‑owned business environment.
• Strong integrity and commitment to confidentiality.
• Competitive salary, commensurate with experience.
• Benefits package (health insurance, PTO, holidays, retirement plan if applicable).
• Opportunity to play a key leadership role in a well‑established, multi‑generation company.