Controller - Construction & Clean Energy Contractor

AlphaX; San Jose (CA); On-site; USD 150,000 - 230,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Health insurance

Retirement plan

Paid time off

Career growth

Job summary

AlphaX is seeking an experienced Controller to lead accounting and financial operations across project-based activities in a growing, California-based company. The role emphasizes construction accounting, union/payroll compliance, and ERP implementation experience to build scalable financial processes.

You will partner with project managers and executive leadership to drive profitability, manage cash flow, and strengthen internal controls while supporting growth across multiple entities and

Qualifications

• 5+ years progressive accounting/finance experience at senior level (Controller/ACoS)
• Direct accounting experience with a construction company or contractor
• Strong knowledge of construction job costing, WIP reporting, and percentage-of-completion accounting
• Hands-on union and prevailing-wage payroll compliance experience
• Experience leading ERP implementations, migrations, or consolidations
• Ability to design scalable accounting processes, controls, and reporting
• Experience working with project managers and executives on profitability and cash flow

Responsibilities

• Lead core accounting operations: GL, AP/AR, project billing, reconciliations, month-end close, financial reporting
• Oversee construction accounting: job costing, WIP schedules, % complete, cost-to-complete, margin tracking
• Manage certified payroll and multi-union wage requirements
• Analyze financial statements, investigate variances, identify risks, report to leadership
• Manage intercompany accounting, reconciliations, eliminations
• Lead ERP implementations and data migrations; plan, test, and realize improvements
• Establish accounting policies, internal controls, reporting standards, and workflows
• Prepare budgets, forecasts, cash flow projections, and financial models
• Partner with PMs and operations to monitor costs, billing, cash flow, margins, profitability
• Provide financial analysis and actionable recommendations to drive operational decisions
• Identify opportunities to improve reporting accuracy and efficiency
• Build scalable accounting systems to support growth

Skills

Construction accounting

ERP implementations

Payroll compliance (union & prevailing

Project costing & WIP

Financial reporting

Internal controls & policies

Cost-to-complete analysis

Cross-functional partnering

Analytical skills

Team leadership

Tools

ERP systems

Job description

A growing project-based contractor serving the South Bay and Central Coast is seeking an experienced Controller to lead its accounting and financial operations. This role calls for a strong construction accounting background, hands-on union and prevailing-wage payroll compliance experience, and a proven track record leading ERP implementations and building scalable financial processes.

The ideal candidate is comfortable owning a broad range of accounting functions, strengthening financial controls, and partnering with project managers and executive leadership to drive profitability and growth. Clean energy or renewable energy experience is a plus but not required.

Key Responsibilities

• Lead core accounting operations, including general ledger, AP/AR, project billing, reconciliations, month-end close, and financial reporting.

• Oversee construction accounting, including job costing, WIP schedules, percentage-of-completion accounting, cost-to-complete analysis, and margin tracking.

• Manage union and prevailing-wage payroll compliance, including certified payroll, fringe benefit reporting, and multi-union wage requirements.

• Analyze financial statements, investigate variances, identify financial risks, and communicate findings to leadership.

• Manage intercompany accounting across affiliated entities, including transaction tracking, reconciliations, and eliminations.

• Lead ERP implementations and system transitions, including migration planning, data conversion, testing, integration, and post-launch improvements.

• Establish accounting policies, internal controls, reporting standards, and efficient workflows.

• Prepare budgets, forecasts, cash-flow projections, and financial models to support planning and decision-making.

• Partner with project managers and operations leaders to monitor project costs, billing, cash flow, margins, and profitability.

• Deliver financial analysis and recommendations that inform operational and strategic decisions.

• Identify opportunities to improve reporting accuracy, internal controls, and accounting efficiency.

• Build scalable accounting systems and processes to support continued growth while owning core financial functions.

• 5+ years of progressive accounting or finance experience as a Controller, Assistant Controller, or in a comparable senior accounting role.

• Required: direct accounting experience with a construction company or contractor.

• Strong knowledge of construction job costing, WIP reporting, and percentage-of-completion accounting.

• Hands-on experience with union and prevailing-wage payroll compliance, including certified payroll, fringe benefit reporting, and multi-local wage requirements.

• Proven experience leading an ERP implementation, accounting system migration, conversion, or consolidation.

• Experience developing or improving accounting processes, financial controls, and reporting systems.

• Demonstrated ability to manage intercompany transactions, reconciliations, and eliminations.

• Strong financial statement analysis skills, including identifying discrepancies, investigating variances, and explaining performance.

• Experience in a small-to-midsized business and the ability to work independently across a broad range of finance responsibilities.

• Excellent analytical, organizational, communication, and problem-solving skills.

• Ability to collaborate effectively with project managers, operations teams, and executive leadership.

Preferred Experience

• Clean energy or related infrastructure experience (beneficial but not required).

• Competitive base salary commensurate with experience.

• Health insurance and retirement plan options.

• Paid time off and company-sponsored benefits.

• The opportunity to build, improve, and lead a growing finance function.

• Direct involvement in strategic financial planning and operational decisions.

• Exposure to complex construction, infrastructure, and clean-energy projects.

• Professional development and long-term career advancement.

• A collaborative environment within a growing clean-energy and infrastructure business.