01 Project Accountant

The Christman Company

Job Description:

Build More with Your Career at Christman

Are you interested in becoming an employee-owner with a leading national general contractor that will provide you with opportunities to Build More in your professional career? The Christman Company is looking for Project Accountant in our Grand Rapids/Lansing region. The Project Accountant position is responsible for supporting the project team throughout the completion of a project. This includes providing regular updates regarding project profitability, sub-contractor compliance and any outstanding risk management issues requiring the team’s attention. This is a critical role in the organization and has the ability to have a significant impact on the organization's success.

What You Will Do:

As Project Accountant, your primary daily responsibilities of this role include, but are not limited to:

• Support Construction Operations with Accurate Financial Data

• Assist Project Managers with project cost projections and reconciliations through project cost reports.

• Support executive project financial status review through Project Financial Status Reports (PFSR).

• Ensure Compliance with Company Risk Management Practices

• Collect and track signed contracts, builder’s risk insurance policies, trade contractor insurance, waivers, sworn statements, bonds, and notice of furnishings.

• Maintain accurate and detailed project financial records including client, trade contractor, and project information files to a quality level expected by auditors.

• Serve as a Personal Point-of-Contact with Trade Contractors 

• Provide orientation conversations for trade contractors working with Christman for the first time.

• Answer questions and provide information regarding payments and contract compliance.

• Process Project Financial Transactions 

• Manage and process all financial transactions performed in the normal course of a construction project between our company, the project owner, and trade contractors using our database system.

• Manage project start up; load project budgets, issue subcontracts, and perform all other activities required to appropriately structure accounting systems for the project type.

• Process owner invoices; reconcile job costs, load schedule of values, billing rates, and other information needed to support the contractual invoicing procedure and company risk management and accounting standards.

• Process trade contractor invoices; reconcile trade contractor invoices, batch, cut and post trade contractor payments, and print checks.

• Project changes: manage and process all financial transactions generated by changes to the original project contract and scope (owner change order and trade contractor change orders).

• Project close-out: manage final billing adjustments, subcontract finalization, archiving, and other processes that confirm complete execution of the project contract.

• Complete assigned and required training for this role..

Expected Hours of Work: Full-time position, onsite in our Lansing or Grand Rapids office.

Travel: Minimal travel required. Majority of travel done during work hours; overnight stays may be required.

What You Will Bring to the Team:

Required experience, knowledge, and skills for this role include:

• Associate’s degree in business, accounting, or related field.

• Two (2) or more years of accounting/project accounting experience.

• -or-

• Equivalent combination of the above education, training, and experience.

Preferred experience, knowledge, and skills for this role include:

• Associate or bachelor’s degree in accounting or business.

• Detailed knowledge of project contracts and change order documents.

• Knowledge of the construction industry and industry terminology.

• Three (3) years of experience in project accounting.

Additional Eligibility Qualifications

• Proven ability to maintain the highest levels of integrity, and handle, update, and maintain sensitive information in a confidential, timely, and professional manner.

• High level of accuracy and advanced attention to detail.

• Excellent communication and writing skills.

• Ability to work independently, take initiative, set priorities and see projects through to completion. Employ problem-solving skills and analysis and report probl