Cost Accountant

Job Description

Job Description

General Purpose:

The Cost Accountant is responsible for the financial administration of industrial contracting projects, ensuring accurate job cost tracking, timely and compliant billing, and strong financial reporting to support project managers and leadership. This role plays a key part in maintaining fiscal accountability, supporting field operations, and upholding customer and contract requirements.

Essential Duties and Responsibilities:

Project Billing & Financial Reporting

• Prepare and submit monthly project billings with complete backup documentation, including time approvals, lien waivers, certified payroll, and insurance certificates.
• Ensure compliance with contract terms, schedules of values, and approved change orders.
• Track accounts receivable and follow up on outstanding invoices.
• Prepare project specific financial reports, cost summaries, and revenue projections.

Job Costing & Budget Tracking

• Maintain accurate job cost coding, including phase codes and cost types.
• Monitor labor, equipment, materials, subcontractor costs, and committed costs against project budgets.
• Assist project managers with cost to complete forecasting, variance analysis, and monthly cost reviews.
• Support month end close processes and project reconciliation.

Purchase Orders & Vendor Management

• Create and track purchase orders to ensure costs are aligned with project budgets.
• Review and code AP invoices and resolve discrepancies with vendors and field teams.
• Maintain vendor compliance documentation including certificates of insurance, W9s, and contract-specific requirements.

Documentation & Compliance

• Maintain well organized project financial files and documentation.
• Ensure all billing-related documents meet customer and regulatory requirements.
• Support field teams with compliance items that tie into billings (e.g., safety documentation or required certifications).

Systems & Tools

• Enter, review, and monitor job cost transactions within the accounting system.
• Perform data validation and quality checks using Excel reports and system exports.

Qualifications:

Education & Experience

• Associate's or Bachelor's degree in Accounting, Finance, Business Administration, or related field preferred.
• 2–5 years of accounting experience, ideally within construction or industrial contracting.
• Experience with job costing, project billing, or construction financial systems.

Skills and Competencies

• Strong attention to detail and accuracy in all financial work.
• Ability to manage multiple deadlines in a fast paced, project driven environment.
• Excellent communication and relationship building skills with field and office teams.
• Proficiency in Microsoft Excel, including pivot tables, VLOOKUP, and data validation.
• Hands on experience using Viewpoint Vista (Spectrum/Vista) or another construction job cost accounting system, including:
  • Cost entry and cost code management
  • Purchase order creation and commitment tracking
  • AP invoice routing and coding
  • Billing module usage (T&M billing, progress billing, AIA formats)
• Understanding of job cost structures, phase codes, certified payroll, lien waiver requirements, and industrial project billing workflows,
• Ability to analyze cost data and communicate findings clearly.

Work Environment

• Primarily office based with occasional project site visits.
• Must be comfortable handling confidential financial and personnel information.

"To perform this job successfully, an individual must be able to perform each activity, duty, and responsibility satisfactorily. The requirements listed are representative of the knowledge, skill, and/or ability required. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions."