Senior Construction Accountant

Merit General Contractors; San Antonio (TX); On-site; USD 90,000 - 120,000; Full time

Job summary

Merit General Contractors is seeking a Senior Construction Accountant to lead accurate project accounting across multiple commercial construction jobs, from setup and budgeting to billing, cost tracking, forecasting, and close.

The role partners with Project Managers, Estimators, Operations, and leadership to provide timely financial reporting, analyze profitability and cash flow, enforce internal controls, and improve accounting processes.

Qualifications

• 5–7+ years of progressive accounting experience, with substantial experience in commercial construction accounting.
• Bachelor’s degree in Accounting, Finance, Business, or related field preferred.
• Advanced proficiency in Microsoft Excel, including formulas, lookups, pivot tables, and financial analysis.
• Experience with construction & accounting software such as Yardi, Sage, Procore, or similar.

Responsibilities

• Manage accounting activities for multiple commercial construction projects from project setup through final closeout.
• Establish and maintain accurate job cost structures, cost codes, budgets, commitments, contracts, and project records.
• Monitor project costs, committed costs, actual costs, billings, revenue, and projected costs to complete.
• Prepare and analyze job cost reports, cost-to-complete reports, project financial statements, and profitability analyses.
• Review project financial performance and identify variances, trends, risks, and potential issues requiring management attention.
• Maintain accurate accounting for change orders, subcontractor commitments, owner contracts, retainage, and other project-related transactions.
• Review subcontractor and vendor invoices for accuracy, proper coding, contract compliance, and appropriate approvals.
• Manage subcontractor pay applications, lien waivers, retainage, and compliance documentation.
• Monitor accounts receivable, collections, retainage receivables, and project cash flow.
• Research and resolve billing, payment, and account discrepancies.
• Ensure proper documentation and accounting treatment for project transactions.

Skills

Analytical skills

Attention to detail

Budgeting

Financial reporting

Education

Bachelor’s degree in Accounting, Finance, Business, or related field

Tools

Yardi

Sage

Procore

Job description

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The Senior Construction Accountant is a key member of the Accounting team responsible for the accurate and timely accounting, financial reporting, job costing, and analysis of the company’s commercial construction operations. This position requires a strong understanding of the complete construction accounting lifecycle, from project setup and budgeting through billing, payables, cost tracking, forecasting, monthly close, and project closeout. This individual serves as a financial partner to Project Managers, Estimators, Operations, and executive leadership, providing accurate financial information and actionable insight into project performance, profitability, cash flow, and risk.

KEY RESPONSIBILITIES

Construction & Project Accounting

• Manage accounting activities for multiple commercial construction projects from project setup through final closeout.
• Establish and maintain accurate job cost structures, cost codes, budgets, commitments, contracts, and project records.
• Monitor project costs, committed costs, actual costs, billings, revenue, and projected costs to complete.
• Prepare and analyze job cost reports, cost-to-complete reports, project financial statements, and profitability analyses.
• Review project financial performance and identify variances, trends, risks, and potential issues requiring management attention.
• Maintain accurate accounting for change orders, subcontractor commitments, owner contracts, retainage, and other project-related transactions.
• Review subcontractor and vendor invoices for accuracy, proper coding, contract compliance, and appropriate approvals.
• Manage subcontractor pay applications, lien waivers, retainage, and compliance documentation.
• Monitor accounts receivable, collections, retainage receivables, and project cash flow.
• Research and resolve billing, payment, and account discrepancies.
• Ensure proper documentation and accounting treatment for project transactions.

Financial Reporting & Month-End Close

• Participate in the monthly close process for construction operations.
• Prepare journal entries, accruals, account reconciliations, and supporting schedules.
• Prepare monthly financial statements and management reporting.
• Analyze actual results against budget, forecast, prior periods, and project expectations.
• Support WIP schedules, percentage-of-completion accounting, revenue recognition, and cost-to-complete estimates.
• Ensure financial reporting complies with GAAP and applicable construction accounting practices.
• Support year-end close, external audits, tax reporting, and other financial reporting requirements.

Forecasting, Analysis & Business Partnership

• Assist with project forecasting, cash flow projections, and annual budgeting.
• Analyze project profitability, gross margins, labor and material costs, and other key performance indicators.
• Identify financial trends and provide recommendations to improve project and company performance.
• Work closely with Project Managers to understand operational drivers behind financial results.
• Provide financial insight to leadership regarding project risk, profitability, working capital, and cash flow.
• Assist in developing and improving financial reporting and project performance dashboards.

Controls, Compliance & Process Improvement

• Maintain strong internal controls over construction accounting processes.
• Ensure compliance with company policies, GAAP, contractual requirements, and applicable tax regulations.
• Maintain accurate and audit-ready project documentation.
• Identify opportunities to improve accounting processes, systems, reporting, and workflow efficiency.
• Assist with accounting system implementations, enhancements, and process automation as needed.
• Develop and maintain accounting procedures, checklists, and standard operating practices.
• Assist with bonding, insurance, lender, audit, and other financial information requests.

Team & Organizational Support

• Serve as a subject-matter resource for construction accounting processes and best practices.
• Provide guidance and mentorship to junior accounting staff.
• Handle confidential financial and company information with discretion and integrity.
• Perform other duties and special projects as assigned.

REQUIRED QUALIFICATIONS

• 5–7+ years of progressive accounting experience, with substantial experience in commercial construction accounting.
• Bachelor’s degree in Accounting, Finance, Business, or related field preferred.
• Advanced proficiency in Microsoft Excel, including formulas, lookups, pivot tables, and financial analysis.
• Experience with construction & accounting software such as Yardi, Sage, Procore, or similar.

CORE VALUES & COMPETENCIES

• Strong analytical, organizational, and problem-solving skills.
• Exceptional attention to detail and accuracy.
• Ability to manage multiple projects, deadlines, and competing priorities.
• Strong written and verbal communication skills.
• Ability to work effectively with both accounting and non-accounting professionals.

SUCCESS IN THIS ROLE

Success in this position is demonstrated by accurate and timely financial reporting, strong project cost control, reliable forecasting, effective collaboration with Project Managers and Operations, disciplined accounting processes, and the ability to identify financial issues before they become larger business problems.

The ideal candidate is not simply a transactional accountant, but a construction accounting expert and financial business partner who understands what is happening in the field and can translate project activity into meaningful financial information for management.