Cost Accountant

Vaco; Richmond (VA); On-site; USD 100,000 - 110,000; Full time

Job summary

A Cost Accountant position in Plano, TX within a growing construction subsidiary of a larger parent company. You will help build out the subsidiary's accounting function, enhance cost visibility, and provide financial insight into project performance and profitability.

The ideal candidate has a strong foundation in cost accounting, job costing, and financial analysis, with cross-functional collaboration across project management, operations, and finance leadership in a fast-paced environment.

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in Accounting, Finance, or related field.
• 2+ years of cost accounting or project accounting experience.
• Experience in construction or project-based environments preferred.
• Understanding of job costing, cost allocation, budgeting, and variance analysis.
• Exposure to percentage-of-completion accounting, WIP schedules, and project financial reporting strongly preferred.

Responsibilities

• Analyze project costs, labor, materials, subcontractor expenses, and overhead to ensure accurate cost allocation and reporting.
• Maintain and enhance job costing processes to provide visibility into project budgets, actual costs, commitments, and estimated costs to complete.
• Partner with project managers and operational leadership to monitor project financial performance, identify cost variances, and recommend corrective actions.
• Support percentage-of-completion (POC) accounting, work-in-progress (WIP) schedules, and project profitability analysis.
• Prepare and analyze cost reports, variance analyses, and financial forecasts to support project-level and business-wide decision-making.
• Monitor labor productivity, material usage, subcontractor costs, and other key cost drivers affecting project margins.
• Assist with month-end close activities, including journal entries, accruals, account reconciliations, and cost-related reporting.
• Reconcile project cost detail to the general ledger and investigate discrepancies to ensure accurate financial reporting.
• Support budgeting and forecasting processes by providing historical cost data, trend analysis, and updated project cost estimates.
• Evaluate existing cost accounting procedures and implement improvements to reporting, controls, and processes as the business scales.
• Collaborate with corporate finance and accounting teams to align reporting practices with parent company standards and requirements.
• Develop and maintain financial reports and analytical tools that improve visibility into project costs, gross margins, and operational performance.

Skills

Cost accounting

Job costing

Financial analysis

Advanced Excel

ERP systems

Cross-functional collaboration

Education

Bachelor's degree in Accounting/Finance

Tools

ERP software

Job description

Cost Accountant

Plano, TX

Compensation: $100-110K + Bonus

We are seeking a Cost Accountant to join a growing construction subsidiary of a larger, well-established parent company. With significant growth driven by increasing demand in the data center market, the organization is investing in its finance and accounting infrastructure to support continued expansion.

This role will play a key part in building out the subsidiary's accounting function, strengthening cost visibility, and providing financial insight into project performance and profitability. The ideal candidate brings a strong foundation in cost accounting, job costing, and financial analysis, with the ability to work cross-functionally with project management, operations, and finance leadership in a fast-paced, high-growth environment.

Key Responsibilities

• Analyze project costs, labor, materials, subcontractor expenses, and overhead to ensure accurate cost allocation and reporting.
• Maintain and enhance job costing processes to provide visibility into project budgets, actual costs, commitments, and estimated costs to complete.
• Partner with project managers and operational leadership to monitor project financial performance, identify cost variances, and recommend corrective actions.
• Support percentage-of-completion (POC) accounting, work-in-progress (WIP) schedules, and project profitability analysis.
• Prepare and analyze cost reports, variance analyses, and financial forecasts to support project-level and business-wide decision-making.
• Monitor labor productivity, material usage, subcontractor costs, and other key cost drivers affecting project margins.
• Assist with month-end close activities, including journal entries, accruals, account reconciliations, and cost-related reporting.
• Reconcile project cost detail to the general ledger and investigate discrepancies to ensure accurate financial reporting.
• Support budgeting and forecasting processes by providing historical cost data, trend analysis, and updated project cost estimates.
• Evaluate existing cost accounting procedures and implement improvements to reporting, controls, and processes as the business scales.
• Collaborate with corporate finance and accounting teams to align reporting practices with parent company standards and requirements.
• Develop and maintain financial reports and analytical tools that improve visibility into project costs, gross margins, and operational performance.

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in Accounting, Finance, or a related field.
• 2+ years of experience in cost accounting, project accounting, job costing, or a related accounting function.
• Experience in construction, engineering, industrial services, manufacturing, or another project-based environment preferred.
• Understanding of job costing, cost allocation, budgeting, and variance analysis.
• Exposure to percentage-of-completion accounting, WIP schedules, and project financial reporting strongly preferred.
• Advanced Excel skills, including pivot tables, lookups, and financial data analysis.
• Experience working with an ERP or project accounting system.
• Strong analytical skills with the ability to identify trends, investigate discrepancies, and communicate financial findings.
• Excellent attention to detail, organization, and ability to manage competing priorities in a growing business.
• Strong communication and collaboration skills, with the ability to work effectively with both finance and non-finance stakeholders.