Project Accountant

McCarthy Building Companies, Inc.; Lancaster (CA); On-site; USD 70,000 - 87,000; Full time

Job summary

McCarthy Building Companies, Inc. seeks a Project Accountant for a project-site role in Lancaster, CA. The candidate will interact with project staff, manage budgets, change orders, and job costing, while ensuring accurate, timely financial reporting and confidentiality.

The role emphasizes collaboration across PMs, finance, and field teams, with oversight of labor compliance, payroll reporting, and subcontractor payments. A construction accounting background is preferred.

Qualifications

• Experience with large projects is a plus.
• Ability to understand complex construction business concepts.
• Must multitask and meet deadlines with attention to detail.

Responsibilities

• Report to the project manager at the project site with flexible daily location.
• Assist project manager with budget, change orders, and SOV alignment.
• Maintain job cost reporting and regular reviews with project leadership.
• Oversee labor compliance, payroll reporting, and apprenticeship ratios.
• Audit and manage LCPtracker and compliance systems.
• Prepare various contract billings (lump sum, cost plus, GMP) to support cash flow.
• Process payables with correct sales/use tax application for the project.
• Track subcontractor payments, lien waivers, and pay applications.
• Support audits and financial reporting requested by leadership.

Skills

Multitasking

Detail orientation

MS Office proficiency

Effective communication

Education

Accounting degree

Tools

Oracle

CMiC

Job costing

Job description

McCarthy Building Companies, Inc. is America's premier, 100% employee-owned commercial construction company. With offices nationwide, we specialize in a wide range of project types that are as diverse and wide-ranging as the communities in which we build. Our innovative teams collaborate with clients and industry partners throughout the project life cycle, starting in the earliest stages of design, throughout construction and beyond project completion. McCarthy’s reputation for tackling the toughest building challenges starts with our focus on developing high-performing individuals and teams. We do this through our award-winning training programs, a best-in-class Total Rewards benefits program, and a focus on equipping diverse teams of employee owners through a connected and inclusive culture aligned with our core values of: Genuine. We, Not I. All In.

How do McCarthy partners define our culture?

• We Live Our Core Values: We do whatever it takes to deliver on our promises with honesty and integrity.
• We are Employee Owned: We are personally invested in building the things people need in our communities.
• We Feel Like a Family: We value genuine connections and help each other succeed in an inclusive environment.
• We are Builders: We respect the work we do and everyone who helps make it happen safely.

Position Summary

The Project Accountant will interact with a variety of project staff at all levels in an ever-changing environment, remaining flexible, resourceful, proactive and efficient with a high level of professionalism and confidentiality. This position requires strong financial acumen, attention to detail, and effective collaboration to ensure success of our construction projects. The ideal candidate will provide accounting, analysis, compliance and financial partnership to a project team, and perform various accounting tasks to ensure accurate and timely financial reporting. This role is based on a project site in Lancaster, CA.

Responsibilities

• Report to the project manager at the project site. Daily location is subject to project needs and will be determined on a week to week basis.
• Start/end times for this position reflect typical, regular project working hours
• Understand and implement the construction contract requirements
• Assist project manager preparing and reconciling project budget, change orders, budget transfers to align with contractual agreement and customer SOV
• Assist the project manager with job cost maintenance and reporting including regular reviews with project leadership and prepare associated expenditure transfers or budget transfers
• Provide assistance in complying with various other contract requirements, i.e., labor compliance, certified payroll reporting, minority participation reporting:
  • Labor Compliance Oversight
    • Lead labor compliance for federal, state, and local prevailing wage regulations.
    • Serve as the primary point of contact for owner, agency, and third-party labor audits.
    • Responsible for internal controls.
    • Manage subcontractor payment status, holding payment if noncompliant.
  • Certified Payroll Administration
    • Oversee submission, review, and audit of certified payroll reports.
    • Validate wage determinations, fringe calculations, classifications, and apprenticeship ratios.
    • Identify discrepancies, enforce corrective actions, and mitigate risk exposure.
    • Ensure full documentation integrity and retention in accordance with state and federal regulations.
  • LCPtracker & Compliance Systems Management
    • Manage and audit LCPtracker, including subcontractor onboarding, data validation, discrepancy resolution, and reporting.
    • Provide compliance training/guidance to project teams and subcontractors.
    • Implement process improvements for reporting accuracy
• Prepare lump sum, cost plus, cost-plus GMP contract billings, ensuring all allowable costs are billed in a timely manner to ensure positive cash flow for the project
• Work with the project team to assure timely payment receipt
• Elevate awareness of financial implications that can be addressed or reversed
• Process and/or supervise payables processing with an accurate application of the sales and use tax requirements for the jurisdiction of the project
• Provide new vendor set-up information, coordinate payments, and daily issuances as needed
• Track subcontractor payments, lien waivers and account balances. Oversee timely receipt of pay applications with subcontractors and suppliers. Process subcontractor applications when appropriate
• Ensure all project costs (equipment, material, supplies, misc.) are processed
• Conduct project cost, other analyses, and reporting for the project team, Operations and Finance Leadership
• Understand what is impacting the project costs, identify anything that is improperly impacting an assigned project
• Assist with preparation of financial, ad hoc, and/or specialized reporting requested by group leaders or joint venture partners
• Understand the relevant components of labor cost in the geographic area of the project
• Oversee project time keeping from Project staff
• Represent McCarthy’s best interests in working with project auditors
• Assist with annual and special audits as necessary
• Assist Project Administrators on trade-contractor invoice holds caused by noncompliant insurance, inconsistent contract values, and incorrect software entry (Oracle/CMiC)

Qualifications

• Oracle, CMiC and job costing experience is a plus
• Large project experience desired
• Experience with Joint Ventures
• Accounting degree strongly preferred
• Ability to understand increasingly more complex construction business concepts
• Must be able to multitask, meet critical deadlines with detail orientation and organizational skills sufficient to support multiple concurrent projects
• Must have excellent computer skills and be able to demonstrate proficiency with MS Office products (Word, Excel, PowerPoint, etc.) typing 50+WPM.
• Effective communication and active listening skills with those of diverse organizational levels and backgrounds

McCarthy is proud to be an equal opportunity employer, including disability and protected veteran status.

For California locations only, the salary range for this position is: $70,000-$87,000, depending on experience and location. This does not include possible bonus and other benefits which can impact total compensation. Compensation offered may vary based on work location, experience, qualifications, specialty, training, and market and business considerations, among other factors.

NOTICE TO EXTERNAL SEARCH FIRMS: McCarthy’s Talent Acquisition Team is the only authorized representative permitted to engage with external search firms, staffing agencies, or other third-party recruiting partners. McCarthy maintains an Approved Agency List for recruiting partners, which is reviewed and updated annually.

McCarthy will only consider submissions from agencies with a signed fee agreement in place for the current year. McCarthy does not accept unsolicited resumes, candidate submissions, or referrals from agencies that do not meet these requirements.

If a candidate is submitted without an active agreement, McCarthy will have no obligation to pay any fees and reserves the right to contact, engage, interview, or hire such candidate(s) without any financial or other responsibility to the submitting agency. Unsolicited resumes, including those sent directly to hiring managers or other employees, will be considered the property of McCarthy.