Client Program Finance Manager

GHD; Irvine (CA); Hybrid; USD 104,000 - 170,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

401K

Paid time off

Holiday Pay

Wellness Benefit

Job summary

GHD Advisory is seeking a Client Program Finance Manager to lead financial governance across a large-scale portfolio. You will translate project data into clear insights for client stakeholders and program leaders, strengthening forecast credibility and financial transparency.

Join a team delivering value across water, energy and urbanization sectors. The role blends technical accounting with project controls, requiring strong commercial judgment and stakeholder engagement.

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in finance, accounting, or related field.
• Experience in finance, FP&A, project controls, or commercial finance in project-based environments.
• Demonstrated portfolio or program-level forecasting, budgeting, cost management and reporting.

Responsibilities

• Build trusted relationships with internal and external stakeholders and coordinate program financial reporting.
• Shape reporting requirements and communicate financial and schedule matters clearly to stakeholders.
• Support commercial discussions and portfolio decision-making with timely analysis of performance, trends, risks and opportunities.
• Establish program-level financial governance, controls and reporting processes.
• Coordinate monthly financial reviews and prepare dashboards, packs and executive summaries.

Skills

Finance FP&A

Project controls

Forecasting

Stakeholder management

Analytical skills

Communication

Education

Finance/Accounting degree

Tools

ERP systems

Excel

Power BI

Job description

Job Description

To solve complex challenges, you need to challenge the status-quo. At GHD Advisory we are invested in creating sustainable commercial outcomes with clients driving change in water, energy and urbanization.

Job Description

To solve complex challenges, you need to challenge the status-quo. At GHD Advisory we are invested in creating sustainable commercial outcomes with clients driving change in water, energy and urbanization. Join a team committed to solving complex challenges across the value chain, from capital deployment to asset management, enabling resilience, growth and sustainability.

Who are we looking for?

We are seeking an experienced Client Program Finance Manager to provide financial leadership across a complex, large-scale portfolio of projects. This role is the central point of coordination for program-level financial information, connecting client stakeholders with program leadership, project controls, project services and finance teams. You will strengthen financial transparency and forecast credibility by translating detailed project data into clear, decision-ready insight. The role combines technical accounting and finance capability with project controls, commercial judgement and confident stakeholder engagement.

Our Hybrid Work Model

Be part of the dynamic culture! Our workplace thrives on a hybrid model, combining in-office collaboration and flexibility. Join us in the office three days a week to contribute, connect and excel in our vibrant environment. This position can be based in Irvine, Los Angeles or San Diego locations.

Working with an energetic and high performing team, this position offers a variety of work and will see you involved in:

Client and stakeholder partnership

• Build trusted working relationships with internal and external stakeholders and act as a consistent point of coordination for program financial reporting.
• Work with stakeholders to shape reporting requirements, clarify assumptions and communicate financial and schedule matters in a clear, credible way.
• Support commercial discussions and portfolio-level decision-making with timely analysis of performance, trends, risks and opportunities.
• Promote consistency and transparency across client-facing financial information and reporting.

Financial leadership and planning

• Lead program-level forecasts, financial projections and scenario analysis across a portfolio of projects.
• Independently validate and challenge project forecasts, cost assumptions and financial inputs using fact-based analysis and sound judgement.
• Ensure forecasts reflect project schedules, production plans, subcontractor activity, resource requirements and known cost drivers.
• Monitor forecast accuracy through forecast-to-actual analysis and drive improvements in forecasting quality and discipline.
• Clearly communicate uncertainty, assumptions, sensitivities and the potential financial implications of emerging issues.

Governance and executive reporting

• Establish and maintain effective program-level financial governance, controls and reporting processes.
• Coordinate monthly financial reviews with project teams, program leadership and finance stakeholders.
• Prepare decision-ready dashboards, reporting packs and executive summaries for internal and client stakeholders.
• Monitor performance against budget, forecast, schedule and contractual objectives, identifying required corrective actions.
• Provide leadership with early visibility of material risks, opportunities, cost trends and performance concerns.

Project controls and commercial performance

• Partner with project controls, project managers and operational teams to align financial reporting with execution plans and portfolio priorities.
• Provide financial insight into schedule impacts, productivity and production assumptions, resource requirements and key cost drivers.
• Support consistent forecasting methodologies and controls across the program.
• Analyze profitability, margin performance and program financial trends.
• Support contract-related financial mechanisms, including pain/gain calculations where applicable.
• Identify opportunities to improve financial outcomes while maintaining client commitments and program objectives.

Continuous improvement

• Track key financial and forecast performance measures and communicate the implications of trends.
• Identify lessons learned and opportunities to improve forecasting, reporting, governance and portfolio controls.
• Establish practical best practices for financial management across large-scale client programs.
• Promote accountability for financial outcomes across project and operational teams.

What You Will Bring

• A degree or equivalent experience in finance, accounting, business, commerce or a related discipline.
• Experience in finance, FP&A, project accounting, project controls or commercial finance within a project-based environment is preferable.
• Demonstrated experience managing portfolio or program-level forecasting, budgeting, cost management and financial reporting.
• Strong understanding of how financial management and project controls frameworks work together.
• Experience with project finance, commercial pricing, profitability and margin analysis.
• Advanced analytical capability, including scenario modelling, sensitivity analysis and forecast-to-actual review.
• Ability to independently test, challenge and defend financial information, assumptions and forecasts.
• Strong stakeholder management skills, including experience working across internal and external teams to define and improve reporting requirements.
• Clear written and verbal communication skills, with the ability to present complex financial information to non-financial audiences.

What Success Looks Like

• Leadership and project teams have a clear, consistent view of program performance, cost trends, risks and opportunities.
• Forecasts are timely, credible and demonstrably connected to project schedules, resources and delivery assumptions.
• Financial issues are identified early, communicated clearly and supported by practical corrective actions.
• Reporting is concise, decision-ready and trusted by both internal and client stakeholders.
• Financial governance and accountability improve across the portfolio.

About You

You are comfortable operating at the intersection of finance, project delivery and commercial performance. You can move between detailed analysis and executive-level communication, constructively challenge assumptions, and bring structure to complex or incomplete information. You are collaborative and pragmatic, while maintaining the independence and professional judgement required of a finance leader.

Benefits

• 401K - Employees are eligible to participate on the first day of the month following 3 months of service
• Paid time off – Our PTO benefit is designed to provide eligible employees with a period of rest and relaxation, sick, and personal time throughout the year. PTO starts at 16 days per year and increases with years of service
• Holiday Pay - Holiday pay is provided for eligible employees. GHD observes 9 holidays per year. Holiday pay will be based on the regular set schedule for the employee
• Wellness Benefit- Regular full-term employees are eligible to participate in the wellness reimbursement program. GHD will reimburse 50% of the cost of the following to maximum of $250.00 reimbursement annually for such items as: Health club membership fees, home exercise equipment purchases, Bicycles, Race, run & marathon entrance fees, Smoking cessation programs, Weight loss programs (i.e.—Weight Watchers, Jenny Craig), Fitbits and Fitness Tracking devices

Salary range: USD103,759 to USD170,000 based on experience and location

As a multicultural organization, we encourage individual achievement and recognize the strength of a diverse workforce.

GHD is an equal opportunity employer. We provide equal employment opportunities to all qualified employees and applicants without regard to race, color, religion, genetic information, national origin, sex (including same sex), sexual orientation, gender identity, pregnancy, childbirth, or related medical conditions, age, disability or handicap, citizenship status, service member status, or any other category protected by federal, state, or local law.