Project Accountant (Construction Accounting)

Chamberlain Advisors; Milwaukee (WI); On-site; USD 65,000 - 90,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Parking

Healthcare

Dental Insurance

Vision Insurance

401K

Job summary

Chamberlain Advisors seeks a Project Accountant for a construction-focused client. The role partners with Project Managers to manage the full accounting lifecycle for commercial projects, including billing, job costing, and reconciliations.

The ideal candidate has a strong analytical mindset, attention to detail, and communication skills to support accurate financial insight and timely project decisions.

Qualifications

• Degree in accounting/finance or related field (or equivalent experience).
• 2–5 years in accounting, preferably in construction.
• Experience with project accounting or job costing.

Responsibilities

• Prepare and process invoices for services from design to construction.
• Monitor project billing and ensure timely invoicing.
• Review job costing and financial activity for accuracy.
• Assist with project forecasting and cost variance analysis.
• Maintain project accounting structures and depreciation entries.

Skills

Analytical thinking

Attention to detail

Prioritization

Written and verbal communication

Education

Associate's or Bachelor's degree in Accounting/Finance/Business Admin

Equivalent combination of education and experience

Tools

Sage 300

hh2 Time Reporting

Procore

Construction ERP systems

Microsoft Excel

Job description

Job Title: Project Accountant (Construction Accounting)

Location: Milwaukee, WI

Type: Direct-Hire, Full-Time

Compensation: Competitive salary ($65K+, plus discretionary annual bonus), Parking, Access to Healthcare, Dental, and Vision Insurance Plan of Choice, and 401K

Summary

Chamberlain Advisors is currently seeking an experienced Project Accountant for our client, a nationally recognized design-build organization specializing in commercial construction and renovation projects. This role serves as a key financial partner to Project Managers and leadership by supporting the complete accounting lifecycle for commercial construction and design projects.

The Project Accountant is responsible for project billing, job costing, construction accounting, accounts receivable support, sales and use tax reporting, financial reconciliations, and project financial analysis. This position also plays an important role in maintaining project financial integrity by monitoring costs, supporting collections, managing electronic time reporting, and ensuring accounting records remain accurate throughout the project lifecycle.

The ideal candidate possesses strong analytical abilities, exceptional attention to detail, and enjoys collaborating across departments to provide financial insight that supports successful project execution.

What You Will Be Accountable For

• Prepare and process invoices for market analysis, due diligence, design, and construction services.
• Monitor project billing activity to ensure timely and accurate invoicing.
• Review project financial activity and analyze job costing reports for accuracy.
• Monitor labor, expenses, and billable costs to ensure proper project allocation.
• Assist with project financial forecasting by identifying discrepancies between projected and actual project costs.
• Review monthly project snapshots within Procore and investigate cost variances.
• Create new project/job numbers and establish project accounting structures.
• Post job cost journal entries and perform cost code corrections and transaction reclassifications as necessary.
• Monitor project accounts receivable balances.
• Partner closely with Project Managers to support customer collection efforts.
• Track outstanding balances and assist in resolving billing discrepancies.
• Monitor project financial balances including: Accounts Receivable, Accounts Payable, Unbilled Revenue, Unearned Revenue
• Help maintain healthy project cash flow through proactive financial monitoring.
• Prepare daily bank deposits.
• Generate Positive Pay files for banking security.
• Prepare prepaid expense and depreciation journal entries.
• Maintain depreciation schedules and supporting accounting documentation.
• Assist with month-end and year-end accounting activities.
• Support annual financial audits and state sales/use tax audits.
• Prepare and file multi-state Sales and Use Tax returns.
• Ensure compliance with applicable state tax regulations.
• Maintain supporting documentation for tax filings and audit requests.
• Assist with year-end preparation and distribution of 1099s.
• Administer the hh2 electronic time reporting system.
• Train new employees on electronic time entry procedures.
• Add new employees, projects, and job codes into the system.
• Monitor employee time submissions to ensure accurate project costing.
• Support project accounting setup and ongoing project maintenance.
• Partner with Project Managers to provide financial support throughout the project lifecycle.
• Participate in internal project meetings and occasional client meetings.
• Collaborate with Accounting leadership on special projects and process improvements.
• Support continuous improvement initiatives that enhance accounting accuracy and operational efficiency.

What Qualifications You Need

• Associate's or Bachelor's degree in Accounting, Finance, Business Administration, or a related field.
• Equivalent combination of education and relevant experience will also be considered.
• 2–5 years of accounting experience, preferably in a construction environment.
• Experience supporting project accounting or job costing environments.
• Strong understanding of: Accounts Receivable, Project Billing, General Ledger, Journal Entries, Financial Reconciliations
• Sage 300 (or similar ERP/accounting software)
• Microsoft Excel (Intermediate to Advanced)
• Microsoft Office Suite (Microsoft Word, Microsoft Outlook)
• hh2 Time Reporting
• Adobe Acrobat
• Experience preparing sales and use tax filings.
• Strong analytical, organizational, and problem-solving skills.
• Excellent attention to detail with the ability to prioritize multiple deadlines.
• Strong written and verbal communication skills.

Preferred

• Procore or Construction ERP systems
• Microsoft Teams
• Experience supporting commercial construction or design-build organizations.
• Knowledge of job costing principles.
• Experience partnering directly with Project Managers.
• Understanding of WIP (Work-in-Progress) accounting concepts.
• Experience with project financial reporting and cost analysis.
• Familiarity with project collections and construction billing.

Why Work with Chamberlain?

Chamberlain Advisors is a veteran-owned business that provides human capital solutions across a wide range of industries and engagement types. Chamberlain candidates benefit from our unique hiring and interviewing process which has been designed to increase the likelihood that they will be successful in their job searches. This is achieved through our 5-step recruitment process, ensuring a top-of-the-line candidate experience.

Equal Employment Opportunity

Chamberlain Advisors provides equal employment opportunities (EEO) to all employees and applicants for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, national origin, age, disability, or genetics. In addition to federal law requirements, Chamberlain Advisors complies with applicable state and local laws governing nondiscrimination in employment in every location in which the company has facilities. This policy applies to all terms and conditions of employment, including recruiting, hiring, placement, promotion, termination, layoff, recall, transfer, leaves of absence, compensation, and training. Chamberlain Advisors expressly prohibits any form of workplace harassment based on race, color, religion, gender, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, national origin, age, genetic information, disability, or veteran status. Improper interference with the ability of Chamberlain Advisors' employees to perform their job duties may result in discipline up to and including discharge.