Accounting - Project Accounting Manager

Position Summary

The Project Accounting Manager is responsible for leading the day-to-day operations of the Project Accounting Team, ensuring accurate project setup, billing, assisting AR team with collections, as well as financial reporting. This role partners closely with Project Managers, Practice Directors, Finance and other cross-functional teams to provide financial guidance, improve processes, and support successful project execution.  The Project Accounting Manager develops and mentors a team of Project Accountants while ensuring compliance with company policies and accounting standards, identifying opportunities to improve efficiency, accuracy, and overall client experience.  This role plays a key leadership role in strengthening financial controls and providing timely financial insights that support strategic business decisions.

Essential Job Functions & Accountabilities

Client & Project Support

Partner with billing coordinators and project managers to ensure a seamless, highly effective customer/client experience. Work with project managers to ensure timely receipt of subconsultant invoices and client payments. Track unbilled hours and maintain accurate hours by project Coordinate with accounts receivable regarding client accounts, collections and resolving any billing discrepancies that may arise. Prepare, review, and send invoices to clients in a timely and accurate manner.

Project Accounting & Financial Oversight

Lead and manage the day-to-day operations of the project accounting team, driving process improvements, identifying and implementing best practices to meet diverse contract requirements to ensure operational efficiency. Analyze actual versus forecasted billing projections and provide insight to stakeholders. Create and distribute project accounting reports and financial analysis. Ensure revenue and work in progress are accurately recorded by month-end close. Resolve complex project accounting issues, taking ownership of escalated inquiries, and exercising sound judgement to ensure timely and effective project resolutions. Ensure revenue is appropriately recognized in compliance with company policies. Preparation of ad hoc reports and special projects as required.

Team Leadership & Development

Supervise and provide guidance and coaching to team members, promoting growth and development. Assigns & prioritizes Project Accounting workload to team members. Foster a collaborative and high-performance work environment, supporting performance management and team development. Provide quality control review of project accounting work to ensure accuracy and consistency through controls and review standards Work with the Billing Coordinator Team Lead to promote a cohesive and collaborative function.

Policy Process & System Oversight

In partnership with the Project Accounting Director, create, manage, update and enforce policies and procedures related to the project accounting function ensuring consistency and compliance with established billing policies and practices. Identify opportunities to streamline accounting processes and improve efficiency. Drive automation initiatives to reduce manual tasks and enhance accuracy. Assist with internal and external audits related to project financials and compliance. Participate in special projects and initiatives as required.

Core Competencies

Communication

Keeps others well informed and prioritizes audiences, accuracy, and timeliness. Facilitates efficient, consistent workflow and exchange of information. Adjusts communication based on needs and make-up of audience.

Integrity

Leads by example, challenges assumptions, and creates candid feedback loops. Aligns personal actions and words, extends and receives trust, and upholds commitments. Maintains the confidence of clients and colleagues, especially when handling sensitive information.

Quality Orientation

Creates a sense of urgency to tackle problems and rewards responsiveness. Recognizes opportunity for improvement, creating and supporting processes and feedback to improve results. Holds others accountable for doing their best work.

Teamwork/Inclusion

Promotes a culture of collaboration across roles and teams. Navigates difficult conversations with diplomacy and leverages cooperative efforts to resolve conflict. Confronts exclusionary behavior and participates productively in discussions of diverse, sensitive, societal topics.

Continuous Learning

Pursues challenging assignments and new knowledge. Encourages experimentation when faced with new challenges. Examines mistakes, clarifies lessons learned, and applies them to future work.

Functional/Technical Expertise

Leverages areas of expertise to contribute to team and company goals. Promotes an environment where people openly share their expertise, experiences, opinions, ideas, and perspectives. Maintains knowledge, skills, and abilities relevant to success throughout job functions.

Leadership

INSPIRES THE ORGANIZATION

Personifies the values of the organization and champions organizational culture and vision, earnestly supporting and mobilizing decisions made by organizational leadership. Navigates ambiguity and change in a positive way, proactively seeking support from leadership when needed.

FOCUSES ON CLIENT EXPERIENCE

Fosters positive client relationships and coaches others to do the same, striving for best-in-class service and internal and external client satisfaction. Anticipates and responds proactively to changes in client needs, priorities, and/or expectations, ensuring quality results.

DEVELOPS THE STRENGTHS OF OTHERS

Demonstrates empathy and builds strong relationships with colleagues. Seeks and shares productive feedback with candor to help others grow, celebrating the effort, progress, and everyday wins of colleagues.

DRIVES ACCOUNTABILITY, QUALITY, AND INNOVATION

Expects and drives high-quality results and welcomes innovative strategies, especially in times of change.

Models financially responsible behaviors and coaches' others to be fiscally mindful as employee-owners.

Required Education, Experience, Licenses & Technical Competencies

Bachelor’s degree in accounting, finance, or a related field required. Minimum of 8 years of progressive experience in project accounting required. Proficiency in accounting software and ERP systems (Del-Tek, SAP, Oracle, etc.) required Demonstrated ability to partner with cross-functional leadership to align efforts and meet organizational goals required Strong strategic thinking and analytical, problem-solving, and communication skills required Ability to manage multiple priorities in a complex environment required Proven leadership skills with experience in managing and developing teams preferred Must demonstrate proficiency in core competencies as described and characterized in this job description.

Physical & Other Requirements

Other duties as assigned. Prolonged periods of sitting or standing at a desk and working on a computer. Ability to read, write and communicate in English.