Relocation: Full relocation assistance available
Compensation : $165,000.00 - $180,000.00 + 25% Annual Bonus
Position Overview
We are seeking an experienced Divisional Construction Controller to lead the financial management, accounting operations, and reporting functions for a commercial construction division generating more than $85 million in annual revenue.
This is a critical leadership role requiring a Certified Public Accountant (CPA) with 8-10 years of direct accounting experience in the commercial construction industry and demonstrated expertise in percentage-of-completion (POC) accounting, revenue recognition, work-in-progress (WIP) reporting, job-cost accounting, and divisional financial management.
The Divisional Controller will own the integrity and accuracy of the division's financial statements, oversee month-end and year-end close processes, manage forecasting and financial reporting, and provide actionable financial insight to operational leadership. This individual will work closely with divisional executives, project managers, estimating, and corporate finance to protect margins, improve cash flow, strengthen financial controls, and drive profitable growth.
The ideal candidate combines strong technical accounting expertise with a practical understanding of construction operations, contract economics, project financial performance, and the complexities of managing a high-volume commercial construction business.
Full relocation assistance is available for qualified candidates relocating to Emerson, Georgia.
Key Responsibilities
Construction Accounting & Percentage-of-Completion Expertise
- Lead all divisional accounting activities, ensuring accurate, timely, and compliant financial reporting for a commercial construction operation exceeding $85MM in annual revenue.
- Serve as the division's subject-matter expert in percentage-of-completion accounting and construction revenue recognition in accordance with applicable U.S. GAAP requirements, including ASC 606.
- Own the monthly work-in-progress (WIP) schedule, reviewing estimated costs to complete, percentage of completion, earned revenue, billings, underbillings, overbillings, and projected gross profit by contract.
- Partner with project managers and operational leadership to validate job forecasts, cost-to-complete estimates, contract values, change orders, and projected final margins.
- Identify revenue recognition risks, margin fade, cost overruns, unapproved change orders, and potential contract losses, driving timely corrective action.
- Ensure accurate accounting for retainage, subcontractor costs, committed costs, labor, materials, equipment, and other project-related expenditures.
- Maintain strong controls over job-cost allocations, revenue recognition, project accruals, and construction-related balance sheet accounts.
- Own the monthly, quarterly, and annual financial close processes, ensuring the timely preparation and accuracy of divisional financial statements.
- Prepare and analyze income statements, balance sheets, cash flow reports, and supporting schedules for divisional and corporate leadership.
- Deliver monthly financial performance reviews, highlighting revenue, gross profit, operating expenses, EBITDA where applicable, working capital, and key variances against budget and forecast.
- Develop meaningful financial analysis and reporting that translates construction project data into actionable business insights.
- Ensure consistent application of accounting policies, internal controls, and reporting standards across the division.
- Coordinate annual audits, external financial reviews, tax support, and requests from corporate finance and external auditors.
Budgeting, Forecasting & Financial Planning
- Lead divisional budgeting, periodic forecasting, and financial planning in partnership with operational leadership.
- Analyze revenue projections, backlog conversion, project margins, labor costs, overhead absorption, and operating expenses.
- Monitor financial performance against established budgets and forecasts, identifying risks and opportunities early.
- Develop financial models and scenario analyses to support operational decisions, resource allocation, business planning, and profitability initiatives.
- Provide leadership with forward-looking analysis of divisional financial performance, cash requirements, and projected results.
- Oversee divisional cash flow forecasting, accounts receivable, accounts payable, billing cycles, collections, and working capital management.
- Partner with project teams to improve billing accuracy, accelerate collections, manage retainage, and reduce aged receivables and unbilled revenue.
- Monitor overbillings, underbillings, cash conversion, subcontractor payment obligations, and project-specific financial exposures.
- Establish and maintain effective financial controls to minimize risk, improve liquidity, and protect company assets.
- Identify potential financial and contractual risks affecting project profitability and cash flow, escalating material issues to leadership.
Leadership, Systems & Operational Partnership
- Lead and develop accounting personnel, establishing clear responsibilities, performance standards, and a culture of accountability.
- Collaborate closely with project managers, operations leaders, estimating, procurement, and corporate finance to ensure financial alignment throughout the project lifecycle.
- Establish disciplined financial reporting processes and consistent communication between accounting and field operations.
- Evaluate and improve accounting systems, job-cost reporting, internal controls, and financial processes to support accuracy, efficiency, and scalability.
- Serve as a trusted financial advisor to divisional leadership, challenging assumptions, identifying opportunities for improvement, and supporting profitable decision-making.
Required Qualifications
- Active Certified Public Accountant (CPA) license required.
- Bachelor's degree in Accounting required.
- 8-10 years of direct progressive accounting experience, with substantial experience in commercial construction accounting.
- Demonstrated experience managing financial reporting and accounting for a commercial construction operation generating $85MM or more in annual revenue.
- Expert-level knowledge of percentage-of-completion accounting, ASC 606 revenue recognition, WIP schedules, and contract-level profitability analysis.
- Proven expertise in job-cost accounting, cost-to-complete forecasting, earned revenue, overbillings, underbillings, retainage, and construction contract accounting.
- Demonstrated ownership of month-end close, financial statement preparation, budgeting, forecasting, and variance analysis.
- Strong understanding of U.S. GAAP, internal controls, audit requirements, and construction-specific accounting practices.
- Experience partnering directly with project managers and operations executives to validate project forecasts and improve financial performance.
- Advanced Excel skills and experience with construction ERP, accounting, or job-cost systems.
Preferred Qualifications
- Experience as a Divisional Controller, Construction Controller, Assistant Controller, or senior construction accounting leader.
- Experience within a specialty contractor, commercial general contractor, or multi-project commercial construction organization.
- Experience with multi-entity or divisional reporting, corporate consolidations, and executive-level financial presentations.
- Demonstrated success improving financial controls, forecasting accuracy, cash flow, and project margin visibility.
- Experience supporting business growth, operational expansion, and increasing financial reporting complexity.
Ideal Candidate Profile
The successful candidate will be a technically strong construction accounting professional who combines CPA-level accounting knowledge with the commercial judgment to understand how projects make - or lose - money.
This individual must be comfortable challenging project forecasts, investigating margin fluctuations, identifying revenue recognition issues, and communicating financial risks directly to senior operational leadership. They will bring the discipline to manage a complex construction accounting environment and the business acumen to help a division exceeding $85MM in revenue improve profitability, cash flow, and financial predictability.
Location & Relocation
This position is based in Emerson, Georgia, and offers full relocation assistance for qualified candidates.
Why This Opportunity
- Executive visibility and direct partnership with divisional leadership.
- Ownership of financial reporting and accounting for a significant commercial construction operation.
- An opportunity to influence project profitability, cash flow, financial controls, and business performance.
- A leadership role where technical accounting expertise and commercial decision-making directly impact results.
- Full relocation assistance for the right candidate.