Director of Project Accounting
wissMorris Plains (NJ)
$150-$180k
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Posted yesterday
wissMorris Plains (NJ)
SENIORITY
Manager
SALARY
$150-$180k
About the role
A Wiss client in the professional services industry is seeking to add a Director of Project Accounting to their growing team across the U.S. The Director of Project Accounting leads all aspects of project financial operations from project setup and budgeting through forecasting, invoicing, reporting, and project closeout. This role provides strategic leadership overall project-level financial operations ensuring accurate revenue recognition, contract compliance, and actionable financial insight across project lifecycles. This role partners closely with Project Managers, Finance, and Operations leadership to optimize project performance and support firm-wide profitability. Experience managing multi-location teams is critical for success. If you want to know about the requirements for this role, read on for all the relevant information. Compensation is outlined below. The position requires 2-3 days in the office and occasional travel to other U.S. locations.
Core Responsibilities: Strategic Oversight:
- Drive the continuous evolution of the project accounting function, aligning financial operations with business goals and fostering a culture of innovation and accountability
- Lead and develop the project accounting team, in partnership with the CFO, setting performance standards, and providing mentorship
- Support the development of financial acumen within project and operations teams through coaching, training, and ongoing business partnership
- Establish and enforce project accounting policies, procedures, and internal controls aligned with GAAP and FAR.Drive consistency in revenue recognition, IP analysis, and percent-complete methodologies across all projects and offices
- Project Financial Management:
- Oversee project setup, budgeting, forecasting, billing, and close-out processes
- Monitor project profitability, backlog, and cash flow; identify risks and recommend corrective actions
- Review and approve complex contract terms, change orders, and billing arrangements
- Ensure timely and accurate invoicing in compliance with contract requirements (T&M, lump sum, cost-plus, etc.)Oversee estimates-at-completion (EAC) processes and project forecasting to ensure accurate assessment of project financial performance and margin attainment
- Partner with operations and finance leaders to improve billing efficiency, collections performance, and overall DSO metrics
- Reporting & Analysis:
- Deliver predictive project performance analytics that identify emerging risks and opportunities and support achievement of profitability targets
- Support month-end and year-end close processes related to project revenue and unbilled/deferred revenue
- Partner with CFO and FP&A on forecasting, budgeting, and long-range planning
- Business Development:
- Partner with Operations and Business Development teams to support project pricing, fee development, and contract profitability analysis
- Collaboration & Process Improvement:
- Collaborate with Business Unit leaders to improve project profitability, forecasting accuracy, and operational decision-making
- Serve as a strategic advisor to Business Unit Leads and Project Managers on financial performance, contract compliance, and risk mitigation
- Champion continuous improvement in processes, systems and tools
- Own the automation and dashboard roadmap for project financial reporting, partnering with FP&A and IT on execution
- Support audit requirements related to project accounting
- Lead the integration and standardization of project accounting processes across acquired businesses and operating companies
Develop and implement training programs that enhance project xhqgsiq accounting capabilities across the organization.
Qualifications/Education
Required:
- Bachelor's degree in Accounting, Finance, or related field 10+ years of progressive project accounting experience, with at least 5 years in a leadership role
- Experience in A/E, consulting, or professional services project accounting
- Strong command of revenue recognition, contract accounting, and WIP management
- Experience with ERP systems (Deltek Vision/Vantagepoint preferred)
- Proven ability to lead, develop, and scale a high-performing team
Preferred:
CPA or MBAExperience with government contracting and FAR/DCAA compliance
Familiarity with multi-entity or multi-office operations
Skills & Attributes:
- Strategic thinker with strong analytical and problem-solving skills
- Partners with Operations while serving as an independent voice for financial discipline
- Builds business acumen across project and operations teams, not just within Finance
Target Compensation: Salary - $150-$180k + discretionary bonus and comprehensive benefits and 401K
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