Project Accountant
Location: Harrison, New Jersey
Salary: Up to $90,000, based on experience
Schedule: Full-time, in-office five days per week
Reports To: Controller
Position Overview
Our client, an established construction firm in Harrison, New Jersey, has asked NorthPoint Staffing to assist in finding a sharp, detail-oriented Project Accountant to join its accounting team.
This opportunity is best suited for a junior-level Project Accountant who has a solid foundation in construction accounting and wants to continue developing their knowledge of project budgeting, job-cost reporting, forecasting, and General Conditions.
Reporting directly to the Controller, the Project Accountant will work closely with project managers and other internal team members to help maintain accurate financial information throughout the life of each construction project. The successful candidate must understand how project costs affect the overall budget and be comfortable identifying discrepancies, researching variances, and maintaining accurate supporting documentation.
Key Responsibilities
- Maintain and monitor project budgets, commitments, actual costs, and projected costs.
- Track job costs and confirm that expenses are properly coded and allocated to the correct projects and cost codes.
- Review project expenses against approved budgets and assist with identifying and researching cost variances.
- Maintain and track project General Conditions, including field staffing, temporary facilities, site services, equipment, permits, insurance, safety-related expenses, and other indirect project costs.
- Help project teams understand how General Conditions expenses affect the project budget and anticipated final cost.
- Review vendor and subcontractor invoices for proper approval, coding, documentation, and budget alignment.
- Assist with subcontractor payment applications and confirm that supporting documents are complete.
- Prepare and process owner billings and project-related invoices accurately and on time.
- Maintain records for contracts, subcontracts, purchase orders, commitments, and change orders.
- Track approved and pending change orders and ensure project budgets are updated accordingly.
- Assist with monthly project cost reports, financial reporting, cash-flow projections, and cost-to-complete forecasting.
- Support the preparation and maintenance of work-in-progress reports and schedules.
- Monitor accounts receivable associated with assigned projects and assist with resolving billing or payment issues.
- Work closely with project managers to obtain updated cost information and ensure financial records reflect current project conditions.
- Reconcile project accounts and research discrepancies in job-cost reports.
- Assist the Controller with month-end closing, audits, and other accounting functions as needed.
- Maintain organized and accurate financial records in accordance with company procedures and generally accepted accounting principles.
- Help improve project-accounting processes, reporting practices, and internal controls.
Qualifications
- Approximately two to four years of accounting experience, preferably within construction, general contracting, development, or a related industry.
- Working knowledge of construction job costing, project budgeting, cost codes, commitments, change orders, and cost-to-complete reporting.
- Understanding of construction General Conditions and how these costs are budgeted, tracked, and reported throughout a project.
- Experience reviewing invoices, subcontractor payment applications, owner billings, or project-cost reports.
- Bachelor’s degree in Accounting, Finance, Business, or a related field is preferred.
- Familiarity with construction accounting or project-management software such as Sage 300, Viewpoint, Procore, or a comparable platform is helpful.
- Strong Microsoft Excel skills.
- Excellent attention to detail and the ability to identify inconsistencies in financial information.
- Strong organizational and time-management skills.
- Ability to communicate professionally with accounting personnel, project managers, subcontractors, vendors, and company leadership.
- Comfortable working in a fast-paced construction environment and managing multiple priorities and deadlines.
- Eager to learn, take ownership of assigned responsibilities, and develop into a well-rounded construction accounting professional.
Compensation and Work Environment
The salary is up to $90,000, depending on the candidate’s experience and construction-accounting knowledge. This is a fully in-office position based in Harrison, New Jersey, five days per week. Remote and hybrid arrangements are not available.
EQUAL EMPLOYMENT OPPORTUNITIES NorthPoint Staffing, LLC provides equal employment opportunities to all employees and applicants for employment and prohibits discrimination and harassment of any type without regard to race, color, religion, age, sex, national origin, disability status, genetics, protected veteran status, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, or any other characteristic protected by federal, state or local laws. This policy applies to all employment terms and conditions, including recruiting, hiring, placement, promotion, termination, layoff, recall, transfer, leaves of absence, compensation, and training.