Project Accountant (55900)

Project Accountant

GRAFTEL - ROSELLE, IL 60172

Overview

Salary Range $75,000.00 - $90,000.00 Salary/year Position Type Full Time Indirect Category Finance & Accounting

Description

Applied Technical Services, LLC (ATS) is a leading provider of critical testing, inspection, certification, and compliance services. The Company serves clients across a diverse set of large and stable end markets including manufacturing, power generation, aerospace, medical, and defense. ATS was founded in 1967 and is headquartered in Marietta, GA. Today the Company employs nearly 2,100 team members in over 95 locations across the United States.

Our purpose is to create a safe and reliable world, and our mission is to deliver assurance through precise technical and professional services.

Position Overview The Project Accountant works closely with Project Managers and Level III Technicians to manage the day-to-day financial operations of active projects. This role is responsible for maintaining accurate job-cost accounting, timely cost tracking, disciplined expense reconciliation, and contract-compliant invoicing. The Project Accountant supports field leadership in monitoring performance and protecting project margins. This position reports directly to the Vice President of Field Services.

Key Responsibilities

• Project Financial Control & Job-Cost Management
• Maintain accurate job-cost records for all active projects.
• Track, validate, and record labor, materials, equipment, subcontractor charges, and employee expenses across all projects.
• Ensure timely and accurate cost coding to support corporate accounting and reporting.
• Reconcile expenses and resolve discrepancies prior to reporting or billing.
• Proactively monitor budget-to-actual performance, identify variances early and flagging risks to project managers and the VP of Field Services.
• Support forecasting, cost-to-complete estimates, and margin analysis.
• Billing & Documentation
• Compile and review billing documentation, including labor summaries, material receipts, subcontractor invoices, expense reports, and approved change orders.
• Prepare and submit accurate, timely invoices in accordance with contract requirements.
• Maintain organized and audit-ready billing and project files.
• Financial Reporting & Operational Support
• Prepare project financial reports, including budget vs. actual comparisons, trend analysis, forecasts, and margin tracking.
• Provide clear financial visibility to Project Managers and field leadership, highlighting overruns and cash-flow impacts.
• Partner with field teams to ensure timely submission of timesheets and supporting documentation.
• Maintain complete, accurate, and audit-ready financial files for every project.
• Accounts Receivable & Cash Flow Monitoring
• Track invoice submissions, status, payment terms, and outstanding balances.
• Follow up on overdue payments and escalate when needed.
• Provide internal updates on cash-flow impacts and collection status.
• Process & Compliance
• Maintain consistent job-cost accounting, expense reconciliation, and billing procedures across all projects.
• Support audits by keeping financial documentation organized and complete.
• Recommend improvements that reduce errors, speed up billing cycles, and improve financial accuracy.

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in Accounting, Finance, or equivalent hands-on experience.
• Strong understanding of job-cost accounting, T&M project structures, and financial controls with 2 – 3 years of related experience preferred.
• Skilled in Excel and adaptable to various job-cost accounting methods.
• Detail-oriented, organized, and able to manage multiple active projects.
• Strong communication skills with field teams, leadership, customers, and vendors.
• Able to enforce deadlines for timesheets, expense reports, and cost submissions.

EOE/AA/M/F/Vet/Disability

ATS is an equal opportunity employer where employment is based upon personal capabilities and qualifications without discrimination due to race, color, religion, gender, age, national origin, disability, veteran status, or any other protected characteristic as established by law.

U.S. Persons" Only: A requirement of this position is access to information that is subject to U.S. export controls under the U.S. International Traffic in Arms Regulations ("ITAR"). Accordingly, the company will consider only "U.S. Persons" for this position. A "U.S. Person" includes (a) U.S. citizens or nationals; (b) U.S. lawful permanent residents (i.e., "green card" holders); (c) persons granted refugee status; or (d) persons granted asylum in the United States. This information is collected solely for purposes of complying with U.S. export control requirements and will not be used to unlawfully discriminate in the hiring process.