Sr. Accountant - Construction

Merritt Contracting INC; Austin (TX); On-site; USD 85,000 - 105,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Medical/dental/vision

401(k) match

PTO & holidays

Disability coverage

Performance bonus

Professional development

Job summary

Merritt Contracting INC is seeking a Senior Accountant to support the financial management of construction operations in Austin. The role emphasizes month-end close, general ledger, job-cost accounting, and project financial reporting, with collaboration across project managers, operations leadership, and executives.

The ideal candidate will have 3+ years of construction accounting experience, strong GAAP knowledge, and advanced Excel skills.

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in Accounting, Finance, or related field.
• 3+ years of progressive construction accounting experience.
• Strong GAAP knowledge and financial statement prep.
• Experience with job-cost and WIP accounting.
• Advanced Excel skills (PivotTables, XLOOKUP, SUMIFS).
• Experience with construction software/ERP (Sage Intacct, Procore).

Responsibilities

• Manage general ledger and ensure timely, accurate transactions.
• Prepare journal entries, reconciliations, and monthly close.
• Monitor job costs by project and analyze variances.
• Assist with WIP schedules and revenue recognition.
• Support audits, tax filings, and bonding requirements.
• Ensure compliance with GAAP and company policies.
• Collaborate with project managers and operations teams.

Skills

Job-cost accounting

GAAP knowledge

Financial analysis

Excel proficiency

Communication

Education

Bachelor's degree in Accounting/Finance

Tools

Sage Intacct

Procore

Construction ERP systems

Job description

Position Summary

The Senior Accountant is responsible for maintaining accurate financial records and supporting the financial management of construction operations. This position plays a key role in the month-end close, general ledger management, job-cost accounting, project financial reporting, WIP accounting, and financial analysis. The ideal candidate has strong construction-accounting experience and can work effectively with project managers, operations leadership, executive management, and clients.

Key Responsibilities

General Accounting & Financial Reporting

• Manage and maintain the general ledger and ensure transactions are recorded accurately and timely.
• Prepare journal entries, accruals, prepaid expenses, fixed-asset schedules, and account reconciliations.
• Perform bank, credit-card, and balance-sheet reconciliations.
• Support the monthly financial close process.
• Analyze financial results and identify unusual or inaccurate transactions.
• Maintain compliance with GAAP and company accounting policies.
• Prepare supporting schedules for audits, tax filings, bonding requirements, and banking relationships.

Construction & Job-Cost Accounting

• Maintain accurate job costs by project, phase, cost code, and cost type.
• Review labor, materials, subcontractor, equipment, and other project costs.
• Monitor actual costs against budgets and approved project forecasts.
• Review committed costs, purchase orders, subcontractor commitments, and change orders.
• Work closely with project managers to resolve job-cost discrepancies.
• Assist with project profitability analysis and cost-to-complete forecasting.
• Monitor project gross margins and identify potential cost overruns or margin issues.

WIP & Contract Accounting

• Assist in preparation of monthly Work-in-Progress (WIP) schedules.
• Analyze earned revenue, billings, costs incurred, and estimated costs to complete.
• Monitor overbillings and underbillings.
• Reconcile contract values, change orders, billings, retainage, and project costs.
• Support AIA/progress billing and subcontractor payment processes.

Accounts Payable & Accounts Receivable

• Monitor accounts receivable, collections, retainage, and outstanding customer balances.
• Work with project teams to resolve billing, collection, and lien waiver issues.
• Record Accounts Receivable invoices in accounting system

Compliance

• Research sales tax requirements by state and jurisdiction.
• Ensure sales tax is calculated and included in project budgets and proposals to the client where required.
• Prepare and submit regular sales tax reports and payments by state and jurisdiction.

Cash Flow & Management Support

• Assist with annual budgets and periodic forecasts.
• Identify opportunities to improve accounting processes and internal controls.
• Support the Controller with financial analysis and special projects.

Required Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in Accounting, Finance, or a related field.
• 3+ years of progressive accounting experience within construction, contracting, engineering, or a related industry.
• Strong understanding of GAAP and financial statement preparation.
• Demonstrated experience with job-cost accounting.
• Experience with WIP schedules and percentage-of-completion accounting.
• Strong Excel skills, including PivotTables, XLOOKUP/VLOOKUP, SUMIFS, and financial reporting.
• Experience with construction accounting software or ERP systems.
• Strong analytical, organizational, and problem-solving skills.
• Excellent attention to detail and ability to meet month-end deadlines.
• Ability to communicate effectively with both accounting and non-accounting personnel.

Preferred Qualifications

• Construction accounting experience with a general contractor.
• Experience with Sage Intacct and Procore or comparable construction ERP/accounting systems.
• Experience with AIA billing, retainage, subcontractor accounting, and change orders.
• Experience preparing WIP schedules for multiple active construction projects.

Required Skills

Technical Skills

• General ledger accounting
• Month-end and year-end close
• Job-cost accounting
• WIP accounting
• Percentage-of-completion accounting
• Financial statement preparation
• Budgeting and forecasting
• Accounts payable/receivable
• Account reconciliations
• Construction billing and retainage
• Advanced Microsoft Excel

Professional Skills

• Strong attention to detail
• Analytical thinking
• Problem solving
• Time management
• Confidentiality and integrity
• Clear written and verbal communication
• Ability to work independently
• Ability to manage competing priorities
• Strong collaboration with project and operations teams

Compensation

Target Salary Range: $85,000–$105,000 annually, depending on experience, construction-industry expertise, and qualifications.

A competitive benefits package includes:

• Medical, dental, and vision insurance with company payment of 70% of cost
• 401(k) with company match
• Paid time off and holidays
• Company paid short-term and long-term disability coverage
• Performance-based bonus
• Professional development opportunities

Reports To: Controller