Construction Project Accountant

Job Description

Job Description

PART-TIME CONSTRUCTION PROJECT ACCOUNTANT

Francis Construction Group, LLC is seeking an experienced, detail-oriented Part-Time Construction Project Accountant to manage project billing, payment documentation, accounts receivable, and subcontractor compliance for our active construction projects.

This is not an entry-level bookkeeping position. The ideal candidate has direct construction-accounting experience and can independently prepare accurate billing packages, track outstanding payments, manage lien waivers, and coordinate financial documentation with project managers, subcontractors, clients, architects, and accounting personnel.

ABOUT FRANCIS CONSTRUCTION GROUP

Francis Construction Group is a Chicago-based general contractor and certified MBE/DBE firm serving public, institutional, and commercial clients. We also self-perform excavation, demolition, earthwork, and site-related services.

Our work is guided by accountability, transparency, and a commitment to doing what we say we are going to do.

KEY RESPONSIBILITIES

Project Billing and Accounts Receivable

• Prepare and submit monthly construction payment applications, including AIA G702 and G703 forms.
• Prepare pencil copies, continuation sheets, schedules of values, contractor sworn statements, and supporting billing documentation.
• Review contract billing requirements and ensure each submission is complete, accurate, and timely.
• Track contract amounts, change orders, retainage, previous billings, stored materials, and remaining balances.
• Maintain accurate accounts receivable and retainage schedules by project.
• Monitor payment status and professionally follow up with owners, general contractors, architects, lenders, and other responsible parties.
• Apply customer payments correctly in QuickBooks and reconcile payments to individual invoices and pay applications.
• Identify billing discrepancies, rejected submissions, short payments, and overdue balances and work toward timely resolution.
• Assist with preparing cash-flow and project receivables reports for management.

Lien Waivers and Payment Documentation

• Prepare conditional and unconditional partial and final lien waivers.
• Collect, review, and organize subcontractor and supplier lien waivers.
• Confirm that waiver amounts agree with invoices, payment applications, sworn statements, and payments issued.
• Maintain waiver logs and identify missing, incorrect, or expired documentation.
• Prepare owner and contractor sworn statements when required.
• Maintain complete and organized documentation for each project and billing period.

Subcontractor and Vendor Compliance

• Review subcontractor invoices and payment applications for accuracy and required supporting documentation.
• Verify that subcontractor billing aligns with approved contracts, purchase orders, change orders, and schedules of values.
• Track subcontractor contracts, change orders, insurance certificates, W-9 forms, certified payroll reports, and other compliance documents.
• Coordinate with project managers before subcontractor and vendor payments are released.
• Assist with pay-when-paid tracking and maintain documentation connecting customer receipts to subcontractor payments.
• Help ensure that required closeout documents and final waivers are received before final payment.

Job Cost and Project Accounting

• Maintain accurate job-cost records in QuickBooks Online.
• Review project expenses for proper job, cost-code, and account classification.
• Reconcile project billing records with QuickBooks and internal project reports.
• Track commitments, approved change orders, pending change orders, costs to date, billed-to-date amounts, and project balances.
• Assist management with reviewing project profitability, underbillings, overbillings, and cost-to-complete information.
• Work with project managers to resolve missing receipts, unapproved costs, duplicate invoices, and coding errors.
• Support month-end close and provide project documentation to the company’s CPA or outside accounting professionals.

Administrative and Compliance Support

• Maintain organized electronic project-accounting files.
• Assist with certified payroll and prevailing-wage documentation when required.
• Support audits by gathering requested payroll, subcontractor, billing, waiver, and job-cost records.
• Protect confidential company, employee, customer, and financial information.
• Recommend practical improvements to billing, collections, waiver tracking, and project-accounting procedures.

REQUIRED QUALIFICATIONS

• At least five years of construction-accounting or construction-project-billing experience.
• Direct experience preparing AIA G702/G703 payment applications.
• Strong knowledge of lien waivers, contractor sworn statements, retainage, schedules of values, change orders, and progress billing.
• Experience with QuickBooks Online or comparable construction-accounting software.
• Strong Microsoft Excel skills.
• Ability to reconcile detailed financial information and identify discrepancies.
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills.
• Strong organizational skills and careful attention to deadlines.
• Ability to work independently, manage competing priorities, and follow through without constant supervision.
• Ability to communicate professionally with clients, subcontractors, project managers, and company leadership.

PREFERRED QUALIFICATIONS

• Experience with certified payroll, prevailing-wage projects, or union construction.
• Experience billing public, institutional, or grant-funded construction projects.
• Familiarity with MBE/DBE documentation and workforce-compliance reporting.
• Experience working for a general contractor or self-performing construction contractor.
• Familiarity with LCPtracker or similar compliance platforms.
• Experience supporting financial audits and construction closeout documentation.

POSITION DETAILS

• Position Type: Part-time
• Expected Schedule: Approximately 20–25 hours per week, depending on project and billing activity
• Location: Chicago, Illinois
• Work Arrangement: On-Site
• Compensation: Commensurate with construction-accounting experience
• Schedule: Must be available during regular business hours for coordination with project managers, clients, and subcontractors. Additional availability may be required near monthly billing deadlines.

WHAT SUCCESS LOOKS LIKE

The successful candidate will take ownership of project billing and financial documentation from preparation through payment. Billing packages will be accurate and submitted on time, lien waivers and sworn statements will be properly maintained, outstanding receivables will be actively monitored, and management will have reliable information about each project’s billing and payment status.

HOW TO APPLY

Please submit your resume along with a brief explanation of your construction-accounting experience. Your response should specifically describe your experience with:

• AIA G702/G703 payment applications
• Contractor sworn statements and lien waivers
• Construction accounts receivable and retainage
• QuickBooks Online
• Job-cost accounting
• Certified payroll or prevailing-wage projects, if applicable

Francis Construction Group, LLC is an equal opportunity employer. Employment decisions are made without regard to race, color, religion, sex, national origin, age, disability, veteran status, or any other characteristic protected by applicable law.