Construction Project Accountant

Frank Rewold & Sons Inc.; Rochester (MI); On-site; USD 65,000 - 95,000; Full time

Job summary

Frank Rewold & Sons Inc. seeks a Construction Project Accountant to manage the full project accounting cycle for all construction projects in Michigan.

You will work with Project Managers and Project Engineers on job setup, AIA owner billing, lien compliance, and monthly WIP reporting. The ideal candidate has at least five years of construction accounting experience, with expertise in job costing, change orders, and subcontractor payables.

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in Accounting or Finance is required or substituted by equivalent experience.
• Extensive knowledge of construction accounting practices: cost codes, WIP, change orders, lien waivers.
• Experience with AIA billing and subcontractor payables.
• Advanced Excel, Word, and Outlook proficiency.
• Notary Public commission or willingness to obtain one.

Responsibilities

• Set up new jobs in accounting system with budgets, SVs, and retainage terms.
• Process AIA owner billing and lien waivers; track progress against value schedules.
• Manage subcontractor payables and field cost allocations; ensure code accuracy.
• Prepare monthly job cost reports, including budget vs. actual and cost-to-complete.
• Reconcile costs, update budgets, and communicate variances to PMs.
• Enforce lien rights, notices, and compliance for all projects.

Skills

Advanced Excel

Communication

Organization

Attention to detail

Multitasking

Education

Bachelor’s degree in Accounting or Finance

Notary Public commission

Tools

Sage Intacct Construction

Sage 100/300 Contractor

Microsoft Excel

Job description

The Construction Project Accountant manages the full project accounting cycle for all construction projects, from contract award through final closeout. Working alongside Project Managers and Project Engineers, this role owns job setup, AIA owner billing, subcontractor pay applications and lien compliance, job cost and committed cost tracking, and the monthly WIP and cost-to-complete reporting. The ideal candidate has a general contractor background and a working command of construction accounting practices.

Core Responsibilities

Job Setup and Contract Administration

• Set up new jobs in Sage Intacct from the executed owner contract: original contract value, schedule of values, budget by phase and cost code, and retainage terms.
• Issue subcontract agreements and purchase orders, and track committed costs against budget by cost code.
• Process owner and subcontractor change orders, updating contract values, budgets, and committed costs as they are approved.
• Prepare and file Notices of Commencement, track Notices of Furnishing, and maintain lien rights on every job.
• Manage subcontractor compliance (certificates of insurance, certified payroll, bonding, builder’s risk), issue FRS certificates and additional-insured endorsements, and coordinate payment and performance bonds when required.

Owner Billing and Receivables

• Prepare monthly AIA G702/G703 pay applications against the schedule of values, confirming percent complete, stored materials, and approved change orders with the Project Manager.
• Assemble billing backup required by the owner contract, including subcontractor lien waivers.
• Track billings, retainage receivable, and aging by job, and follow up on collections through final payment.

Subcontractor Payables and Job Costing

• Review subcontractor pay applications and vendor invoices against subcontract values, purchase orders, approved change orders, and percent complete, and code them to the correct job, phase, and cost code.
• Collect conditional and unconditional lien waivers before releasing payment, withhold and track retainage payable, and process joint checks when required.
• Allocate field labor, project expenses, and miscellaneous costs to the correct jobs and cost codes, and support AP check runs.
• Reconcile job cost detail to the revised budget and resolve cost discrepancies.
• Deliver monthly job cost reports showing budget vs. actual, committed cost, approved and pending change orders, and projected cost at completion.
• Work with Project Managers on monthly cost-to-complete forecasts and flag projected fade or overruns early.

Project Closeout

• Process final owner billing and retainage release, final subcontractor payments, and final unconditional lien waivers.
• Complete final job cost reconciliation and closeout reporting, and maintain a complete project accounting file.

Qualifications

Required

• At least five years of construction accounting experience covering job costing, AIA billing, and subcontractor payables. A bachelor’s degree in Accounting or Finance may substitute for some experience.
• Working knowledge of construction accounting: schedule of values, retainage, change orders, committed costs, lien waivers and lien law, and percentage-of-completion / WIP reporting.
• Experience managing subcontractor compliance, including certificates of insurance and additional-insured requirements.
• Advanced Excel skills and proficiency with Word and Outlook.
• Notary Public commission, or willingness to obtain one.
• Highly organized and detail-oriented, able to manage multiple active jobs and monthly billing deadlines independently.
• Clear communicator with Project Managers, subcontractors, and owners; handles confidential information with discretion.

Preferred

• Experience with a general contractor or construction management firm
• Experience with Sage Intacct Construction or a comparable construction accounting system (Sage 100/300 Contractor, Foundation, Viewpoint)