Financial Operation Manager

Job Description

Job Description:\n\nFinancial Operations Manager Hands-On Accounting, Job Costing, Billing & Financial Management Position Overview We are seeking an experienced, highly organized, hands-on Financial Operations Manager to take full ownership of the company's day-to-day financial and accounting operations. This is a working management position for a person who can lead our financial processes while personally executing the work. We are looking for someone who is comfortable rolling up their sleeves, entering transactions, setting up jobs, preparing invoices, processing accounts payable, managing accounts receivable and collections, maintaining accurate books, analyzing job costs, and producing timely financial reports. The successful candidate will be responsible for the integrity, accuracy, organization, and timeliness of the company's financial information. This individual will serve as the company's primary financial operations resource and work directly with ownership to provide visibility into cash flow, profitability, outstanding receivables, job performance, expenses, and overall financial health. This is not a delegation-only, supervisory, or administrative position. The person hired must be willing and able to personally perform the day-to-day accounting and financial work. We need an accountable, detail-oriented professional who takes ownership of problems, follows tasks through to completion, identifies discrepancies, and develops practical solutions without requiring constant direction. Key Responsibilities 1. Job Setup and Financial AdministrationEstablish new projects, jobs, contracts, and customers in the accounting and project management systems.Enter contract values, approved change orders, budgets, cost codes, billing schedules, and other required job information.Maintain accurate and complete job records throughout the life of each project.Verify that job setup information is complete and consistent with approved contracts, estimates, proposals, and purchase orders.Maintain organized digital records for contracts, invoices, change orders, vendor documentation, and other financial records.Coordinate with operations and project management to ensure job information is accurate and entered promptly.Track approved changes to contract values, budgets, and project costs. 2. Customer Invoicing and BillingPrepare, review, and issue accurate customer invoices in accordance with contract terms and billing schedules.Manage progress billing, milestone billing, time-and-materials billing, and other applicable billing methods.Prepare and submit invoices with required supporting documentation.Track billable work, approved change orders, retainage, and unbilled work where applicable.Follow up with project managers and operations personnel to obtain missing information required for billing.Verify invoice accuracy, contract compliance, pricing, quantities, and supporting documentation before submission.Maintain a billing calendar and ensure invoices are issued promptly and consistently.Identify billing delays, missed billings, and opportunities to accelerate invoicing and cash flow. 3. Accounts Receivable and CollectionsMaintain accurate customer accounts and accounts receivable records.Monitor outstanding invoices, payment terms, aging reports, and overdue balances.Proactively contact customers regarding past-due invoices and document collection activity.Follow up on disputed invoices, missing documentation, payment delays, and other collection issues.Work directly with customers and internal personnel to resolve billing disputes and secure payment.Escalate significant collection problems, delinquent accounts, and potential credit risks to ownership.Apply customer payments accurately and reconcile customer account balances.Prepare regular accounts receivable aging and collections reports.Provide ownership with clear visibility into expected collections, overdue balances, and potential cash flow issues. 4. Accounts Payable and Vendor ManagementReceive, review, code, enter, and process vendor invoices and employee expense transactions.Verify invoices against purchase orders, contracts, receipts, approvals, and other supporting documentation, as applicable.Assign expenses to the correct general ledger accounts, jobs, cost codes, and departments.Identify duplicate invoices, billing discrepancies, incorrect charges, and unauthorized expenses.Maintain accurate vendor records and resolve vendor account discrepancies.Track payment due dates, discounts, cash requirements, and outstanding obligations.Prepare payment runs and execute payments in accordance with company approval and authorization procedures.Reconcile vendor statements and follow up on missing invoices, credits, and unapplied payments.Maintain complete, organized documentation for all accounts payable transactions. 5. Job Costing and Project ProfitabilityMaintain accurate job cost records for labor, materials, subcontractors, equipment, overhead allocations, and other applicable project expenses.Compare actual job costs against original budgets, estimates, and approved revisions.Monitor committed costs, purchase orders, subcontractor costs, change orders, and remaining budget.Identify cost overruns, unfavorable variances, margin erosion, and potential project losses.Prepare job cost reports showing budget versus actual costs, billed versus unbilled amounts, costs to complete, and projected profitability where the necessary information is available.Work with project managers and operations personnel to investigate cost discrepancies and improve job performance visibility.Track job revenue, direct costs, gross profit, and gross margin.Ensure costs are assigned to the correct jobs and accounting periods.Bring financial risks and profitability concerns to ownership's attention promptly. 6. General Ledger and BookkeepingPersonally maintain the company's day-to-day accounting records and general ledger.Record and classify financial transactions accurately and consistently.Reconcile bank accounts, credit cards, loan accounts, and other balance sheet accounts.Maintain accounts payable, accounts receivable, customer deposits, vendor credits, and other supporting schedules.Record applicable journal entries, accruals, prepaid expenses, depreciation, and other period-end adjustments.Maintain the chart of accounts and consistent accounting classifications.Review transactions for accuracy, completeness, appropriate documentation, and correct accounting treatment.Maintain organized financial files and supporting documentation.Identify and correct bookkeeping errors, discrepancies, and unreconciled items.Maintain accurate books on a timely basis using the company's established accounting policies. 7. Profit & Loss Statements and Financial ReportingPrepare monthly profit and loss statements, balance sheets, cash flow reports, and other financial reports.Provide job-level and company-wide financial reporting.Compare actual financial results against budgets, forecasts, prior periods, and relevant performance targets.Explain material variances in revenue, expenses, gross profit, and operating income.Track revenue, gross margin, overhead, operating expenses, and profitability trends.Prepare monthly financial summaries that explain what is happening financially, why it is happening, and what requires attention.Maintain accurate supporting schedules and reconciliations for financial statement balances.Deliver reports to ownership according to an established monthly reporting schedule.Identify financial trends, irregularities, and potential problems before they become significant. 8. Cash Flow and Financial OversightMaintain a current view of cash balances, upcoming receipts, outstanding obligations, and anticipated cash requirements.Prepare and update a rolling cash flow forecast.Monitor the timing of customer collections and vendor payments.Identify potential cash shortages, working capital constraints, and other financial risks.Help ownership understand the relationship between billing, collections, job costs, expenses, and available cash.Provide advance notice of upcoming financial obligations and unusual cash requirements.Recommend practical improvements to cash management and financial processes. 9. Month-End and Year-End CloseManage and personally complete the routine month-end accounting close.Ensure transactions are recorded in the correct accounting periods.Complete bank and balance sheet reconciliations and review outstanding reconciling items.Prepare required accruals, adjusting entries, and supporting schedules.Reconcile accounts payable, accounts receivable, job costs, and other applicable subledgers to the general ledger.Review financial statements for unusual balances, inconsistencies, and potential errors.Maintain a close checklist and meet established reporting deadlines.Prepare supporting documentation for the company's outside CPA, tax preparer, auditors, or other financial advisers.Coordinate the year-end close and respond to requests for supporting financial information. 10. Internal Controls, Systems, and Process ImprovementMaintain organized, consistent, and reliable financial procedures.Establish and follow procedures for transaction entry, invoice approval, payment processing, reconciliations, and financial reporting.Maintain accurate accounting system data, customer records, vendor records, job records, and cost codes.Identify inefficiencies, recurring errors, and gaps in existing financial processes.Develop practical procedures, checklists, and reporting tools to improve accuracy and accountability.Recommend improvements to accounting software utilization, job costing, billing, collections, and financial reporting.Maintain appropriate separation between transaction preparation, payment approval, and bank authorization.Protect confidential financial, customer, vendor, and employee information. 11. Ownership Reporting and AccountabilityServe as the primary point of contact for day-to-day financial and accounting matters.Work directly with ownership to communicate the company's financial position and performance.Bring issues forward proactively rather than waiting to be asked.Identify discrepancies, investigate root causes, and follow problems through to resolution.Maintain a reliable schedule for invoicing, collections, reconciliations, reporting, and financial close.Provide clear, concise, and accurate answers to financial questions.Take personal responsibility for the quality and timeliness of financial work.Coordinate with operations, project management, vendors, customers, and outside accounting professionals as needed. Required QualificationsSignificant hands-on experience in accounting, bookkeeping, accounts payable, accounts receivable, and general ledger maintenance.Demonstrated experience managing the accounting function for a small or midsize business.Strong experience with job costing, project-based accounting, or contract-based billing, preferably in a construction, contracting, trades, service, or project-driven business.Experience preparing and analyzing profit and loss statements, balance sheets, cash flow reports, and financial reconciliations.Demonstrated experience managing customer invoicing, collections, vendor invoices, and payment processing.Strong understanding of accounting principles, accrual accounting, account reconciliations, and month-end close.Proficiency with accounting software, spreadsheets, and financial reporting tools.Exceptional attention to detail and a high degree of accuracy.Strong organizational skills and the ability to manage multiple deadlines independently.Excellent problem-solving, communication, and follow-through skills.Ability to work independently, exercise sound judgment, and communicate financial issues directly to ownership.Willingness to personally perform routine accounting and data-entry responsibilities rather than delegate them to others. Preferred QualificationsExperience with construction accounting, contract billing, progress billing, retainage, change orders, and project cost codes, where applicable to the business.Experience with job profitability analysis, budget-to-actual reporting, and cost-to-complete forecasting.Experience preparing rolling cash flow forecasts and working capital reports.Experience improving accounting processes and implementing financial controls.Experience working directly with business owners in a small or midsize company. The Type of Person We Are Looking For The ideal candidate is a hands-on financial professional who takes ownership, works independently, and understands that accurate financial information is essential to running a successful business. This person is comfortable working at both the detail level and the big-picture level. They can enter an invoice, reconcile an account, investigate a job cost discrepancy, contact a customer about a past-due balance, prepare a profit and loss statement, and explain the company's financial performance to ownership. We are looking for someone who:Leads by doing and is willing to roll up their sleeves.Takes initiative and does not wait for constant instructions.Owns the entire process rather than completing isolated tasks.Is proactive about billing, collections, cash flow, and financial reporting.Notices discrepancies and investigates them rather than simply recording numbers.Meets deadlines and maintains consistent follow-through.Communicates problems early and presents potential solutions.Values accuracy, accountability, confidentiality, and organization.Is comfortable working directly with the owner of the business. Definition of Success Success in this role means that ownership can rely on the financial information being accurate, current, and complete, with minimal day-to-day intervention required. The successful candidate will ensure that:Jobs are set up correctly and financial records are maintained throughout each project.Customer invoices are issued accurately and on time.Accounts receivable are actively monitored and collections are pursued consistently.Vendor invoices are processed accurately and payments are managed appropriately.Job costs and project profitability are visible and reliable.Bank accounts and balance sheet accounts are reconciled regularly.Monthly financial statements are delivered on schedule.Cash flow risks, overdue receivables, cost overruns, and profitability concerns are identified and communicated promptly.Ownership has a clear understanding of the company's financial condition and performance. Important: This is a hands-on position. Candidates whose primary experience is supervising accounting teams, delegating bookkeeping, or reviewing work performed by others without personally managing the underlying transactions are not the fit we are seeking.