Project Accountant

Bell & Associates, Inc.; Fort Myers (FL); Hybrid; USD 70,000 - 95,000; Full time

Job summary

Bell & Associates, Inc. is seeking a Construction Project Accountant to support the financial side of construction projects. The role works with Project Managers, operations, and accounting leadership to monitor project performance from setup through closeout.

The ideal candidate understands job costs, budgets, billings, WIP, change orders, committed costs, and profitability, with hands-on ability to analyze variances and provide accurate project financials.

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in Accounting, Finance, or related field.
• Construction accounting experience.
• Hands-on with job costing, project accounting, WIP, billing, and reconciliations.
• Knowledge of retainage, change orders, committed costs, cost-to-complete, and margins.
• Experience with Project Managers and operations teams.
• Strong Excel skills.
• Experience with ERP or PM systems.
• Strong month-end close knowledge.
• Detail-oriented with multi-project management.

Responsibilities

• Manage accounting for construction projects from setup through closeout.
• Maintain job cost accounting for labor, materials, subs, equipment.
• Monitor budgets, actuals, commitments, and cost-to-complete.
• Prepare and review project billing and retainage.
• Maintain and analyze WIP schedules.
• Track contract values, subcontract commitments and change orders.
• Collaborate with PMs to review costs, budgets, forecasts, billing, profitability.
• Analyze budget-to-actual variances and investigate discrepancies.
• Support month-end close with journal entries and reconciliations.

Skills

Job costing

WIP scheduling

Project billing

Budget tracking

Change orders

Cost-to-complete

Reconciliations

Education

Bachelor's degree in Accounting/Finance

Tools

Excel

ERP systems

Project management software

Job description

Schedule: Full-Time | Onsite with potential for hybrid flexibility after training

The Opportunity

We’re partnering with a well-established and fast growing organization to hire a Construction Project Accountant with strong experience supporting the financial side of construction projects.

This role will work closely with Project Managers, operations, and accounting leadership to monitor project financial performance from setup through closeout. We’re looking for someone who understands how the pieces of construction accounting fit together, including job costs, budgets, billings, WIP, change orders, committed costs, and project profitability.

This is a hands‑on role for someone who can dig into project financials, identify discrepancies, and provide Project Managers and leadership with accurate information on where projects stand financially.

Responsibilities

• Manage the accounting and financial activity for assigned construction projects from project setup through closeout
• Maintain and review job cost accounting, including labor, materials, subcontractors, equipment, and other project costs
• Monitor project budgets, actual costs, commitments, and cost-to-complete forecasts
• Prepare and review project billing, including progress billings, retainage, and supporting documentation
• Maintain and analyze WIP schedules, including over/under billings and project financial status
• Track contract values, subcontract commitments, purchase orders, and change orders
• Partner with Project Managers to review project costs, budgets, forecasts, billing status, and profitability
• Analyze budget-to-actual variances and investigate unusual project activity or discrepancies
• Monitor project margins and identify potential cost overruns, billing issues, or profitability concerns
• Reconcile project-related accounts and ensure costs and billings are recorded accurately
• Support month-end close, including journal entries, accruals, reconciliations, and project reporting
• Assist with revenue recognition and other construction-specific accounting activities
• Maintain accurate project accounting records and supporting documentation
• Support project closeout and ensure outstanding financial items are resolved

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in Accounting, Finance, or a related field
• Previous construction accounting experience
• Hands‑on experience with job costing, project accounting, WIP, project billing, and reconciliations
• Understanding of construction concepts such as retainage, change orders, committed costs, cost-to-complete, over/under billings, and project margins
• Experience partnering directly with Project Managers and operations teams
• Strong Excel skills, including the ability to work with and analyze large amounts of project financial data
• Experience with construction accounting, ERP, or project management systems
• Strong understanding of general accounting principles and month-end close
• Ability to identify discrepancies, research issues, and follow them through to resolution
• Detail-oriented with the ability to manage multiple projects and deadlines simultaneously

Ideal Background

The strongest candidate will be a deg reed accountant who has worked directly within the construction industry and understands both traditional accounting and project-level financials. You should be equally comfortable reconciling an account, reviewing a WIP schedule, analyzing job costs, and sitting down with a Project Manager to discuss why a project is running above or below budget.

This is an opportunity for someone who wants to take ownership of project financials and play an active role in helping operations understand the numbers behind their projects.