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cogentanalytics

Accounting Manager - Construction

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The Accounting Manager is accountable for the accuracy, timeliness, and integrity of the company's complete financial function — accounts receivable, billing, accounts payable, job costing, tax compliance, financial reporting, and the supervision of the finance and admin team. This role uses Sage/Peachtree as the system of record for all financial entries and is the company’s primary resource for financial statements, WIP reporting, tax filings, and year-end close.

Key Responsibilities

1. Job Setup, Billing & Accounts Receivable

The Accounting Manager is accountable for accurate, timely billing on all jobs and active management of AR collections through closeout.

This includes accountability for:

  • Setting up new jobs in Sage, creating sales orders, and adding jobs to the Billing Log, Job Information List, Certified Payroll spreadsheets, and applicable sales tax lists.

  • Entering change orders in Sage and updating the Billing Log and Job Information List as COs are received.

  • Preparing AIA invoices using the billing method required by the GC (AIA Excel, Procore, Textura, GC Pay, or other platforms); completing all required documents including waivers, sworn statements, and MBE forms.

  • Processing lien waivers sent by GCs for incoming payments; recording vendor payments on the Lien Releases spreadsheet and preparing lower-tier waivers.

2. Financial Statements, WIP & Job Costing

The Accounting Manager is accountable for producing accurate monthly financial statements, the WIP report, and the supporting journal entries that reflect the company’s true financial position.

This includes accountability for:

  • Preparing the Work in Progress (WIP) Report and making journal entries to adjust over/underbilled jobs.

  • Preparing and posting journal entries for payroll accrual, prepaid real estate tax, prepaid insurance, miscellaneous accruals, and reclassifications.

  • Maintaining the fixed assets schedule for additions/deletions and posting monthly depreciation entries.

  • Preparing for the year-end accounting review: providing Sage reports, bank statements, reconciliations, WIP and closed job reports, fixed asset data, prepaid/accrued expense reports, loan statements, payroll documents, 1099s, and other requested items.

  • Working with outside accountants to answer questions, post final year-end entries, and distribute final year-end financial statements.

3. Tax Compliance & Regulatory Filings

The Accounting Manager is accountable for all tax filings and regulatory submissions required across the company’s operating jurisdictions.

This includes accountability for:

  • Filing Maryland, DC, and Virginia monthly sales and use tax returns.

  • Filing Delaware quarterly gross receipts tax returns.

  • Filing Form 5500 Annual Return/Report of Employee Benefit Plan (related to 401K).

  • Filing Form 720 Excise Tax Return (related to employee health insurance).

  • Preparing and filing 1099s annually.

  • Paying quarterly estimated corporate tax payments.

  • Updating the 941 Reconciliation spreadsheet for bi-weekly payrolls and preparing quarterly reconciliation to the 941 reports.

4. Cash Management & Accounts Payable

The Accounting Manager is accountable for daily cash monitoring, vendor payment management, and bank reconciliations.

This includes accountability for:

  • Monitoring cash daily via online banking; handling fraud protection issues.

  • Processing transfers between operating, savings, and payroll accounts as needed.

  • Reconciling bank statements monthly; ordering checks and deposit slips as needed.

  • Selecting payables and conducting bi-weekly check runs; posting payments twice per month.

5. Team Supervision & Finance Function Development

The Accounting Manager is accountable for supervising and developing the Billing Clerk, AP Clerk, Payroll Clerk, and Admin while ensuring cross-training coverage for all critical functions.

This includes accountability for:

  • Providing guidance and direction to the Billing Clerk, AP Clerk, Payroll Clerk, and Admin on all accounting and administrative tasks.

  • Ensuring all team members are cross-trained on critical functions so no single point of failure exists.

  • Conducting regular performance check-ins and providing documented feedback to team members.

  • Coordinating with HR on hiring, onboarding, and performance documentation for direct reports.

Qualifications

  • 5+ years of accounting experience with full-cycle AR, AP, financial statements, and tax filings. Construction or project-based experience strongly preferred.
  • 2-year degree in Accounting required. Bachelor’s degree in Accounting, Finance, or Business preferred.
  • Experience with Sage/Peachtree required. Advanced Excel required. Proficiency with AIA billing platforms (Procore, Textura, GC Pay). Familiarity with ADP, Microsoft Office Suite.
  • Experience with AIA billing, certified payroll, lien waiver procedures, WIP reporting, and job cost accounting. Form 5500 and 720 compliance experience.
  • Ability to provide guidance and direction to a small team of 3–4. Track record of building cross-training coverage.
  • High attention to detail. Deadline-driven. Able to manage multiple recurring filing obligations simultaneously. Clear communication on financial matters to non-financial managers.