Project Accountant

Position Overview: The Project Accountant is responsible for monitoring, controlling, and reporting on the financial performance of assigned projects from project initiation through closeout. This position ensures project costs, commitments, billings, revenue, and financial transactions are accurate, properly authorized, appropriately allocated, and recorded in a timely manner.

The Project Accountant serves as a key financial partner to Project Managers, Operations, Procurement, Accounts Payable, Accounts Receivable, and Finance. The position provides financial visibility into project performance, identifies cost and billing issues, investigates variances, and helps ensure projects remain financially aligned with approved budgets and contractual requirements.

The ideal candidate will have strong project accounting experience, excellent attention to detail, and the ability to work effectively in a fast-paced, project-driven environment. Experience supporting utility, construction, infrastructure, engineering, field services, or other service-based organizations is strongly preferred.

Key Responsibilities

Project Setup & Financial Administration

• Create and maintain project accounts, jobs, phases, cost codes, and related financial structures within NetSuite.
• Establish project budgets, billing structures, cost classifications, and other financial parameters based on contracts and approved project documentation.
• Maintain accurate project records, including contracts, purchase orders, change orders, amendments, budgets, billing schedules, and supporting documentation.
• Establish and manage appropriate user access and permissions for project-related financial accounts in accordance with company policies.
• Ensure project accounting procedures are consistently followed throughout the project lifecycle.
• Coordinate with Project Managers and Finance to ensure project setup accurately reflects contractual and operational requirements.
• Review project master data and financial information for accuracy and completeness.
Project Cost Management
• Monitor project costs, commitments, accruals, and expenses against approved budgets.
• Review and approve supplier and subcontractor invoices associated with assigned projects.
• Verify invoices against purchase orders, contracts, receipts, project approvals, and applicable billing requirements.
• Review and approve overhead and other indirect charges allocated to projects.
• Review project account totals and investigate unusual, inaccurate, or improperly coded transactions.
• Approve or coordinate transfers of expenses into and out of project-related accounts when appropriate.
• Identify expenses that have been charged to incorrect projects, phases, cost codes, or accounts and coordinate corrections.
• Monitor unbilled project costs and identify items requiring additional review or customer billing.
• Work with Procurement, Accounts Payable, and project personnel to resolve invoice, purchase order, coding, and cost discrepancies.
• Monitor project commitments and forecasted costs to identify potential budget overruns before they occur.
Project Financial Analysis & Reporting
• Prepare and distribute project financial reports, including project cost, profitability, budget-to-actual, and variance reports.
• Investigate project variances and provide explanations and recommendations to Project Managers and management.
• Analyze labor, material, subcontractor, equipment, overhead, and other project costs to identify trends and potential issues.
• Monitor project profitability and provide management with regular updates regarding financial performance.
• Identify projects at risk of exceeding budget or falling below expected profitability.
• Partner with Project Managers to develop corrective actions for unfavorable financial trends.
• Assist with project forecasting, including estimates of costs to complete and expected project margins.
• Provide financial information and analysis to support project management decision-making.
• Identify opportunities to improve project profitability, cost control, and financial performance.
Project Billing & Revenue Support
• Create, review, and/or approve project-related customer billings in accordance with contracts and established billing procedures.
• Ensure billings accurately reflect approved work, contract terms, change orders, reimbursable expenses, retainage, milestones, and other applicable requirements.
• Review project expenses and identify costs that have not been billed to customers when contractually billable.
• Investigate unbilled costs and coordinate with Project Managers, Accounts Receivable, and Operations to determine appropriate billing treatment.
• Identify opportunities for additional billing resulting from change orders, scope changes, additional work, reimbursable expenses, or other contractual provisions.
• Confer with Accounts Receivable regarding unpaid contract billings, disputed invoices, and collection issues.
• Respond to customer requests for additional billing detail and supporting documentation.
• Assist with customer audits, billing reviews, and contract compliance inquiries.
• Review and approve project-related billing adjustments, credits, and write-offs in accordance with company policies and approval requirements.
• Ensure project billing is completed accurately and within established billing deadlines.
Project Closeout
• Monitor projects nearing completion and coordinate financial closeout activities with Project Managers and Operations.
• Confirm that all project costs, invoices, accruals, billings, and revenue have been properly recorded before project closeout.
• Investigate and resolve outstanding project transactions prior to closure.
• Ensure open purchase orders and commitments are appropriately addressed.
• Review final project profitability and financial results.
• Close project accounts in NetSuite upon completion and ensure appropriate documentation is retained.
• Identify lessons learned and recurring financial issues that can improve future project performance.
Compliance, Audit & Reporting
• Prepare and submit government reports, tax-related information, and other project-specific financial reports as required.
• Ensure project accounting practices comply with company policies, contractual requirements, and applicable accounting standards.
• Maintain organized and complete documentation supporting project transactions and financial reporting.
• Compile project information and supporting documentation for internal and external audits.
• Assist with customer, government, and regulatory audits related to project financial activity.
• Support Finance leadership with special projects, reporting, and analysis as needed.
• Maintain confidentiality of financial, contractual, customer, and employee information.
Process Improvement
• Identify opportunities to improve project accounting processes, controls, reporting, and system utilization.
• Assist in developing and documenting standard operating procedures for project accounting activities.
• Recommend improvements to NetSuite workflows, project reporting, billing processes, and financial controls.
• Help establish consistent project accounting practices across departments and project teams.
• Monitor recurring project accounting issues and develop recommendations to prevent them from recurring.
• Participate in implementation and improvement initiatives involving NetSuite and other financial systems.
Qualifications & Requirements
• Associate's or Bachelor's degree in Accounting, Finance, Business, or a related field preferred.
• Minimum of 5 years of direct project accounting, project finance, or related accounting experience.
• Previous experience with NetSuite ERP, including project accounting functionality, required.
• Experience in utility, construction, engineering, infrastructure, field services, or another project-based service environment strongly preferred.
• Demonstrated experience managing financial activity across multiple concurrent projects.
• Strong understanding of project costs, budgets, purchase orders, change orders, billings, accounts payable, accounts receivable, and project profitability.
• Experience with project billing and customer contracts preferred.
• Experience analyzing project financial performance and preparing budget-to-actual and variance reporting.
• Understanding of job costing and cost allocation principles.
• Strong Excel skills, including the ability to analyze large data sets and create financial reports.
• Ability to interpret contracts, purchase orders, invoices, billing documentation, and other financial records.
• Strong organizational skills with the ability to manage multiple projects, deadlines, and competing priorities.
• Exceptional attention to detail and accuracy.
• Strong analytical and problem-solving skills.
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills.
• Ability to work collaboratively with Project Management, Operations, Procurement, Accounts Payable, Accounts Receivable, and Finance.
• Ability to identify financial issues, determine root causes, and drive timely resolution.
• Ability to maintain confidentiality and exercise sound judgment when handling financial information.
Preferred Qualifications
• Bachelor's degree in Accounting or Finance.
• Experience with NetSuite Project Accounting and job costing.
• Experience supporting utility, construction, infrastructure, engineering, or field service projects.
• Experience with government contracts or government-funded projects.
• Experience with project billing, change orders, retainage, and cost-plus or time-and-material billing structures.
• Experience with project forecasting and estimates at completion.
• CPA, CMA, or other relevant accounting certification is a plus but not required.
• Advanced Microsoft Excel skills.
• Experience improving financial processes or implementing ERP system enhancements.
Core Competencies
• Project Financial Management: Ability to monitor project financial performance and maintain strong financial controls throughout the project lifecycle.
• Analytical Thinking: Ability to analyze financial data, identify trends and variances, and develop practical recommendations.
• Attention to Detail: High degree of accuracy when reviewing financial transactions, contracts, invoices, and project records.
• Problem Solving: Ability to investigate discrepancies and resolve complex accounting and billing issues.
• Organization: Ability to effectively manage multiple projects, deadlines, and priorities.
• Communication: Ability to communicate financial information clearly to both accounting and non-accounting personnel.
• Collaboration: Ability to develop productive working relationships across Finance, Operations, Project Management, Procurement, and other departments.
• Accountability: Takes ownership of assigned projects and follows issues through to resolution.
• Adaptability: Comfortable working in a growing, changing, and deadline-driven environment.
• Customer Focus: Demonstrates professionalism and responsiveness when working with internal and external customers.
Mental Requirements
• Ability to analyze complex financial information and identify errors, discrepancies, trends, and potential risks.
• Strong mathematical and analytical reasoning skills.
• Ability to interpret contracts, project documentation, financial reports, invoices, and billing requirements.
• Ability to manage multiple projects and priorities while meeting established deadlines.
• Strong concentration and attention to detail when performing repetitive and highly accurate financial activities.
• Ability to make sound decisions regarding financial transactions, billing, cost allocation, and project accounting issues.
• Ability to investigate problems, determine root causes, and develop appropriate solutions.
• Ability to communicate financial information effectively to individuals with varying levels of accounting and financial knowledge.
• Ability to work effectively under time constraints and respond to changing project requirements.
• Ability to collaborate with multiple departments and maintain effective working relationships.
• Ability to exercise discretion and sound judgment when handling confidential financial and contractual information.
• Ability to adapt to changes in processes, systems, technology, and business priorities.
• Ability to maintain a high level of accuracy and productivity in a fast-paced, project-driven environment.
Physical Requirements.
• Ability to perform primarily sedentary office work, including extended periods of sitting and working at a computer.
• Ability to use a computer, keyboard, mouse, calculator, telephone, and other standard office equipment for extended periods.
• Ability to frequently read and interpret information displayed on computer monitors and contained in financial documents, contracts, invoices, spreadsheets, and reports.
• Ability to communicate effectively in person, by telephone, and through virtual communication platforms.
• Ability to occasionally walk throughout an office or facility to attend meetings and collaborate with other departments.
• Ability to occasionally lift or carry light office materials and files.
• May occasionally travel to company offices, project locations, customer locations, or other business sites as required.
• Travel may involve driving or flying and may require occasional visits to active project or field locations.
FLSA Status: Exempt


Pay Range: $90-100,000 Annually


Reports To: Controller
Note: This job description is intended to provide a general overview of the responsibilities and qualifications for the Project Accountant. The specific duties and requirements may vary depending on the organizations needs.
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