Senior Associate, Construction Finance

Madison-Davis; Houston (TX); On-site; USD 120,000 - 180,000; Full time

Job summary

Madison-Davis, LLC in Houston seeks a Senior Associate, Construction Finance to own budgets, forecasts, and financial models for a complex development project.

You will partner with contractors and internal stakeholders to evaluate costs, project performance, and financial risks, delivering clear insights and auditable GAAP-compliant deliverables.

This role emphasizes hands-on construction finance, advanced Excel, and using automation/AI to improve reporting, dashboards, and analytical workflows.

Qualifications

• 4-6 years of experience in construction finance, capital project controls, development finance, or project accounting.
• Bachelor's degree in Finance, Accounting, Construction Management, Engineering, or related field; CPA or MBA preferred.
• Demonstrated experience preparing earned value reporting, budget variance analysis, and construction cost forecasts.
• Strong understanding of construction contract structures, including cost-reimbursable, time-and-materials, and fixed-price arrangements.
• Knowledge of AIA payment applications and schedules of values.
• Knowledge of construction and development accounting, including percentage-of-completion, capitalized interest, and retainage.
• Advanced Excel skills and ability to develop integrated three-statement financial models.
• Practical experience using AI tools, automation, or technology to improve finance workflows.
• Experience with Power BI or Tableau preferred.
• Ability to communicate financial findings to technical and nontechnical stakeholders.
• Foundational knowledge of general ledger accounting and month-end close; owner-side and contractor-side exposure preferred.
• Authorization to work in the United States without current or future employer sponsorship required.

Responsibilities

• Prepare monthly project financial reports and executive presentations using contractor and internal financial data.
• Review contractor cost reports, payment schedules, and change orders against approved budgets and contractual terms.
• Track spending across construction and development cost categories, investigating variances and emerging risks.
• Develop earned value analysis to assess project cost and schedule performance.
• Maintain rolling forecasts for remaining project costs, anticipated total spending, and cash requirements.
• Build financial models and scenario analyses to support capital planning and project investment decisions.
• Support contractor cost audits and assess billing compliance, retainage, and required payment documentation.
• Partner with legal and risk teams to evaluate financial provisions within construction contracts.
• Improve planning systems, reporting templates, dashboards, and analytical workflows through automation and AI.
• Collaborate with Accounting on close activities, intercompany reconciliations, account classification, and data accuracy.
• Maintain accurate, auditable financial deliverables consistent with applicable GAAP requirements.

Skills

Construction finance

Earned value

Budget variance

Financial modeling

Advanced Excel

Power BI

Automation AI

Stakeholder comms

GAAP knowledge

Contract structures

Education

Bachelor's degree in Finance/related

CPA or MBA preferred

Tools

Power BI

Tableau

Job description

ABOUT THE ROLE

An investment organization is seeking a Senior Associate, Construction Finance, to support financial planning and oversight for a complex construction project. This role will own project budgets, forecasts, financial models, and management reporting while partnering with contractors and internal stakeholders to evaluate costs, project performance, and financial risks. The ideal candidate brings hands‑on construction finance experience and the ability to translate detailed project information into clear financial insights. This position offers significant ownership of deliverables and opportunities to improve reporting through automation, AI tools, and data visualization.

RESPONSIBILITIES

• Prepare monthly project financial reports and executive presentations using contractor and internal financial data.
• Review contractor cost reports, payment schedules, and change orders against approved budgets and contractual terms.
• Track spending across construction and development cost categories, investigating variances and emerging risks.
• Develop earned value analysis to assess project cost and schedule performance.
• Maintain rolling forecasts for remaining project costs, anticipated total spending, and cash requirements.
• Build financial models and scenario analyses to support capital planning and project investment decisions.
• Support contractor cost audits and assess billing compliance, retainage, and required payment documentation.
• Partner with legal and risk teams to evaluate financial provisions within construction contracts.
• Improve planning systems, reporting templates, dashboards, and analytical workflows through automation and AI.
• Collaborate with Accounting on close activities, intercompany reconciliations, account classification, and data accuracy.
• Maintain accurate, auditable financial deliverables consistent with applicable GAAP requirements.

QUALIFICATIONS

• 4 6 years of experience in construction finance, capital project controls, development finance, or project accounting.
• Bachelor s degree in Finance, Accounting, Construction Management, Engineering, or a related discipline;CPA or MBA preferred.
• Demonstrated experience preparing earned value reporting, budget variance analysis, and construction cost forecasts.
• Strong understanding of construction contract structures, including cost-reimbursable, time-and-materials, and fixed-price arrangements.
• Working knowledge of AIA payment applications and schedules of values.
• Knowledge of construction and development accounting, including percentage-of-completion, capitalized interest, and retainage.
• Advanced Excel skills and experience independently developing integrated three-statement financial models.
• Practical experience using AI tools, automation, or technology to improve finance workflows.
• Experience with financial planning platforms and business intelligence tools such as Power BI or Tableau preferred.
• Ability to independently manage deliverables and communicate financial findings to technical and nontechnical stakeholders.
• Foundational knowledge of general ledger accounting and month-end close;owner-side and contractor-side exposure preferred.
• Authorization to work in the United States without current or future employer sponsorship required.