Senior Associate, Construction Finance

NorthMark Strategies; Stamford (CT); On-site; USD 120,000 - 180,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Lunch stipend

Medical benefits (employer-paid)

Dental and Vision benefits

Parental leave (paid)

401(k) match

Time off – 25 days + holidays

Job summary

NorthMark Strategies LLC is seeking a Senior Associate, Construction Finance, to join the Enterprise Finance team. The role leads budgeting, forecasting, variance analysis, and reporting for a large-scale construction program, partnering with internal teams to drive process improvements and tech adoption.

The candidate should have hands-on construction finance experience, strong analytics, and the ability to present technical cost data to executives and investors.

Qualifications

• 4–6 years of progressive experience in construction project finance or related fields
• Bachelor’s degree in Finance, Accounting, Construction Management, Engineering, or related field; CPA or MBA a plus
• Experience building earned value reporting, budget-to-actual analysis, and rolling cost forecasts for large projects
• Strong GAAP understanding for construction/development accounting
• Advanced Excel and financial modeling skills; ability to build complex 3‑statement models
• Demonstrated interest in AI tools, automation, or technology-enabled finance workflows

Responsibilities

• Own monthly project financial reporting package and consolidate inputs for leadership and the board
• Review contractor cost reports, schedule of values, and change orders for accuracy
• Maintain budget-to-actual tracking across cost categories and explain variances
• Prepare Earned Value Management (EVM) analysis and KPIs
• Maintain rolling 12–18 month cost-to-complete forecasts
• Maintain dashboards and executive summaries for non‑construction stakeholders
• Translate construction cost concepts into financial language for executives
• Support budget and forecast discussions during capital planning and go/no-go decisions
• Collaborate with Accounting on month-end close and GL integrity

Skills

Earned Value reporting

Budget vs Actual

Rolling forecasts

Excel modeling

GAAP knowledge

AI tools awareness

Power BI/Tableau

Stakeholder communication

Education

Bachelor's degree in Finance/Accounting/Engineering/Construction Mgmt

CPA or MBA (plus)

Tools

OneStream/ CPM platform

Power BI/Tableau

MS Dynamics/Workday (ERP)

Advanced Excel

Job description

The Position

NorthMark Strategies is seeking a Senior Associate, Construction Finance , to join the Enterprise Finance team. This role is responsible for driving activities related to budgeting, forecasting, variance analysis, financial modeling, and reporting across a large-scale, complex construction project. The Senior Associate will prepare and develop core finance and operational deliverables, partner with internal functional teams, and contribute to process improvement and technology initiatives. The ideal candidate brings strong analytical skills, hands‑on construction finance experience, and a genuine interest in leveraging technology to improve how the team works.

Responsibilities

Monthly Financial Reporting & Governance

• Own the preparation of the monthly project financial reporting package, consolidating inputs from the general contractor’s project finance team into deliverables for leadership and the board.
• Review and validate the general contractor’s monthly cost reports, schedule of values, and change order logs for accuracy, completeness, and consistency with the contract and approved budget.
• Maintain the budget-to-actual tracking across all cost categories (hard costs, soft costs, FF&E, contingency, owner-direct costs), identifying and explaining variances to project leadership.
• Prepare and present Earned Value Management (EVM) analysis, including Planned Value, Earned Value, Actual Cost, Cost Performance Index, and Schedule Performance Index, to monitor contractor performance against the baseline schedule and budget.
• Maintain a rolling forecast (typically 12–18 months) of cost-to-complete, projected final cost, and cash outflow, stress‑testing contractor forecasts against trend data, change order exposure, and contingency drawdown.
• Maintain monthly dashboards and executive summaries that translate complex construction financial data into clear, decision‑ready insights for non‑construction stakeholders.
• Translate technical construction cost and schedule concepts into financial language appropriate for non‑technical executive and investor audiences.
• Support budget and forecast discussions during capital planning, annual budgeting, and project go/no‑go decisions.

Risk, Controls & Compliance

• Support or lead owner-side audits of contractor cost records, subcontractor buyout logs, and self‑performed work billing.
• Confirm contractor compliance with contract billing terms, retention, insurance, bonding, and lien waiver requirements prior to payment recommendation.
• Partner with legal and risk management on contract interpretation as it relates to cost, billing, and payment provisions.
• Identify and recommend improvements to the owner’s financial reporting templates, cost coding structure, and reporting cadence as the capital program matures.

Technology, AI & Process Innovation

• Own planning and reporting in OneStream or the team’s CPM platform for assigned entities; maintain data integrity and model consistency
• Actively apply AI‑enabled tools and emerging technologies to improve analytical workflows, automate recurring tasks, and accelerate reporting
• Identify process inefficiencies and drive improvement initiatives — automation, standardization, and manual effort reduction within assigned scope
• Build and maintain data visualizations and management reports using Power BI, Tableau, or comparable BI tools
• Support general ledger categorization alignment between FP&A and Accounting; flag and resolve data discrepancies within assigned entities
• Contribute as a knowledgeable participant in broader ERP and platform initiatives (Microsoft Dynamics 365, Workday Adaptive, or similar)

Accounting Collaboration & Quality

• Collaborate with Accounting on month‑end close activities, intercompany reconciliations, and GL integrity for assigned entities
• Ensure GAAP compliance across all financial reporting and analytical outputs
• Set a high bar for accuracy and auditability in all work product; serve as a quality resource for junior team members on shared deliverables.

Requirements

• 4–6 years of progressive experience in construction project finance, capital program controls, real estate development finance, or project accounting. Exposure to both owner‑side and contractor‑side perspectives is a plus
• Bachelor’s degree in Finance, Accounting, Construction Management, Engineering, or a related field; CPA or MBA a plus
• Demonstrated experience building and presenting earned value reporting, budget‑to‑actual analysis, and rolling cost forecasts for large or complex capital projects
• Thorough understanding of different construction contract mechanisms (cost plus, cost plus fixed fee, T&M, FFP, etc)
• Working knowledge of AIA pay application formats and schedule of values methodology
• Strong understanding of GAAP as applied to construction/development accounting (percentage‑of‑completion, cost‑to‑complete, capitalized interest, retainage)
• Advanced Excel and financial modeling skills; demonstrated ability to independently build and maintain complex 3‑statement models
• Demonstrated interest in and experience with AI tools, automation, or technology‑enabled finance workflows
• Experience with Power BI, Tableau, or other data visualization platforms preferred
• Proven ability to own Finance deliverables end‑to‑end with a high degree of independence
• Developing track record of partnering with and presenting to business stakeholders on financial matters
• Foundational accounting knowledge; familiarity with month‑end close or GL management a plus

What We’re Looking For

A technically strong, ownership‑oriented finance professional who takes full accountability for their work and brings intellectual curiosity to the story behind the numbers. You are not waiting to be told what to do — you anticipate needs, flag issues early, and deliver with precision. You treat technology as a force multiplier and approach every deliverable as an opportunity to demonstrate what you’re capable of. At NorthMark, we are looking for someone who takes pride in the craft and is ready to make a meaningful impact.

It is impossible to list every requirement for, or responsibility of, any position. Similarly, we cannot identify all the skills a position may require since job responsibilities and the Company’s needs may change over time. Therefore, the above job description is not comprehensive or exhaustive. The Company reserves the right to adjust, add to or eliminate any aspect of the above description. The Company also retains the right to require all employees to undertake additional or different job responsibilities when necessary to meet business needs.

Must be legally authorized to work in the United States without the need for employer sponsorship, now or at any time in the future.

Benefits & Perks:

• Company-Paid Lunch Stipend : Lunch is provided via GrubHub

• Company-Paid Benefits: 100% Employer-Paid Medical in our High Deductible Health Plan, Dental and Vision benefits for employees and their families, 16 weeks of Paid Parental Leave, Employee Assistance Program, Life insurance, Short-Term Disability and Long-Term Disability

• 401(k): Company will match 100% of your contributions up to 6%

• Optional Employee-Paid Benefits: Medical insurance in our PPO plan and a variety of other benefits such as Health Savings Accounts (with Company Contribution!), Flexible Spending Accounts, Supplemental Life Insurance, Wellhub and more.

• Time Off: 25 days of Paid Time Off plus 12 company holidays

EQUAL OPPORTUNITY EMPLOYER

NORTHMARK STRATEGIES LLC IS AN EQUAL EMPLOYMENT OPPORTUNITY EMPLOYER. THE COMPANY’S POLICY IS NOT TO DISCRIMINATE AGAINST ANY APPLICANT OR EMPLOYEE BASED ON RACE, COLOR, RELIGION, NATIONAL ORIGIN, GENDER, AGE, SEXUAL ORIENTATION, GENDER IDENTITY OR EXPRESSION, MARITAL STATUS, MENTAL OR PHYSICAL DISABILITY, AND GENETIC INFORMATION, OR ANY OTHER BASIS PROTECTED BY APPLICABLE LAW. THE FIRM ALSO PROHIBITS HARASSMENT OF APPLICANTS OR EMPLOYEES BASED ON ANY OF THESE PROTECTED CATEGORIES.