Senior Project Accountant

Work Location: 2895 Greenspoint Parkway, Ste. 600, Hoffman Estates, IL Employment Type: Full-time Why this role matters If you love the intersection of projects + numbers + people, this is your seat at the table. As a Senior Project Accountant, you’ll be the trusted financial partner to Project Managers—owning the accuracy behind project setup, WIP, billing, reporting, and closeout—while also training and mentoring the next generation of project accounting talent. You’ll bring structure, clarity, and momentum to the project financial lifecycle in a fast-paced environment. You’ll report to the Director of Project Accounting and play a key role in strengthening process consistency, improving cash flow outcomes, and elevating the team’s capability. This is more than just a numbers role—it’s your chance to contribute to a collaborative, growth-focused team where your precision and initiative will help drive our success. We offer a supportive work culture, competitive salary and benefits, and real opportunities for professional development. What You'll Do Manage the full project accounting lifecycle for a portfolio of projects—from setup through closeout. Ensure projects are configured correctly in Deltek: contract terms, billing terms, rate tables, budgets, labor categories, and key project attributes. Monitor and maintain financial integrity: budget vs. actuals, labor postings, WIP/unbilled, AR aging support, and project status. Prepare and/or review invoices across common billing types (T&M, lump sum, NTE, cost-plus, retainers, etc.). Partner with PMs to ensure invoices are accurate, timely, and aligned with contract requirements—including required backup and portal submissions. Serve as a point of escalation for complex project accounting questions—digging in, finding root causes, and driving clean resolution. Deliver clear reporting and insights to PMs and leadership (WIP, unbilled, project performance, trends, and risks). Identify process gaps and recommend improvements that reduce rework, improve accuracy, and support scalability. Train and onboard Project Accounting Assistants and Project Accountants on Deltek workflows, billing standards, and best practices. Provide coaching, quality reviews, and practical guidance that builds confidence and consistency. Contribute to SOPs, checklists, and tools that help the whole function run smoother. What we're looking for Required 5+ years of project accounting experience in the A&E industry (or closely related professional services). Hands-on ERP experience with Deltek (Vantagepoint/Vision). Strong knowledge of core project accounting concepts: project setup, WIP/unbilled, billing, project reporting, and closeout. Proven ability to manage multiple priorities and deadlines with high accuracy. Strong communication skills and a service mindset—able to partner effectively with PMs and leadership. Attention to Detail: Strong ability to manage multiple projects while ensuring accuracy in reporting and compliance. Analytical Skills: Ability to interpret financial data, provide insights, and collaborate effectively with project teams and clients. Bonus Skills Experience across a variety of A&E contract/billing structures and client invoice portals. Advanced Excel skills (pivots, lookups, reconciliations, analysis). Experience in improving processes or training programs in a project accounting environment. You’ll thrive here if you… Love turning messy project data into clean, billable, accurate outcomes Enjoy being the person people trust when the question is “what’s really going on with this project?” Like mentoring others and raising the bar for the team Care about details, but also see the bigger picture—cash flow, client experience, and operational health What you can expect A role with real visibility and influence on project performance and billing outcomes Strong partnership with project managers and leadership Opportunity to shape processes, improve consistency, and help develop the next wave of project accounting talent Competitive compensation and benefits (tailored to your experience and location) Compensation & Benefits At Walker Consultants, we are committed to maintaining fairness and equity in our pay practices. For this role, the estimated base salary range is $80,000 – 120,000 per year. The final salary offered may vary based on factors such as experience, qualifications, skills, location, internal equity, and other considerations permitted by law. We value open conversations about compensation and welcome the opportunity to discuss more about base salary and Walker’s total rewards philosophy during the recruiting process. We offer a robust total compensation and rewards package designed to support our employees’ well-being, growth, and diverse needs, including: Annual discretionary bonus program Opportunity to purchase Walker stock – Walker is 100% employee-owned! Medical, dental, vision, company-paid life insurance Mental wellness benefits Health Savings Account with company contribution 401(k) with company match Flexible Spending Accounts and Commuter Spending Accounts 529 college savings plan A minimum of 3 weeks of Paid Time Off per year 9 paid holidays per year, including 3 paid floating holidays 5 days of bereavement leave and PTO Donation Bank to help during difficult times 100% compensation replacement during short-term disability leaves Paid parental leave that allows an additional week of paid time alongside short-term disability leave and/or applicable state paid leave programs Paid community involvement hours Tuition and licensure reimbursement, and sponsorship of professional memberships Internal conferences and professional development opportunities Employee Resource Groups and Affinity Groups Why Walker Consultants? Over the past 60 years, Walker has become recognized as a leader in the parking industry and provides a wide range of engineering, planning, and architecture services to facilities of all kinds. Walker also provides Forensic, Restoration, Building Envelope, and Vertical Transportation Consulting Services, a fast-growing part of our business in the last 10 years. Walker hires exceptional people to remain among the top-performing firms in the business. We reward our employees for their effective contributions, challenge them, and provide professional development opportunities and the autonomy needed to grow. As a learning organization, our senior experts routinely share their knowledge in a collaborative environment, ensuring that best practices are carried forward to the next generation of leadership. Walker is proud to be an employee-owned firm with an open-book philosophy that highly values integrity, honesty, and fairness. We encourage new ideas and contributions. We work hard and have fun doing what we love. This is who we are. Join Us! We know that great talent comes in many forms. If you're excited about this role but don’t meet every single requirement, we still encourage you to apply! You might just be the right person for this role—or another opportunity on our team. At Walker Consultants, we are committed to fostering an inclusive workplace where everyone can thrive. We welcome and encourage applications from individuals of all abilities. If you require any accommodations during the application or interview process, or in the workplace, please let us know—we will work with you to ensure a fair and accessible experience. Walker Consultants is an Equal Opportunity Employer (EOE). We invite all qualified applicants to apply and do not discriminate against individuals because of their race, color, religion, national origin, gender, physical or mental disability, veteran status, or age. #J-18808-Ljbffr