Accountant

Job Title: Accountant

Location: Oakland, CA (On-site)

Castellan Real Estate Partners Oakland, California, United States (On-site)

Position Overview:

We are seeking a detail-oriented and reliable Accountant to join our Oakland office. This role will support day-to-day accounting operations, payroll processing, vendor payments, and accounts receivable functions, working closely with internal teams and field staff to ensure timely and accurate financial processes.

Key Responsibilities:

Financial Leadership & Reporting

• Own the monthly close process and prepare timely financial statements (P&L, balance sheet, cash flow).
• Provide accurate reporting on revenue, gross margin, overhead, and profitability by job and business line.
• Develop dashboards and KPIs to support decision-making across the company.
• Support annual budgeting, forecasting, and variance analysis.

Job Costing & Project Accounting

• Maintain and improve job costing processes to ensure accurate tracking of labor, materials, subcontractors, and change orders.
• Partner with project managers to review job performance, margin trends, and billing status.
• Monitor work-in-progress (WIP) reporting and ensure proper revenue recognition (percentage-of-completion, as applicable).
• Ensure correct setup and tracking of jobs, cost codes, and budgets.

Billing, AR/AP, and Cash Flow

• Oversee customer billing, including progress billings, time & material invoicing, and retention.
• Manage accounts receivable and collections to maintain strong cash flow.
• Oversee accounts payable, vendor payments, and subcontractor compliance.
• Lead cash flow forecasting and working capital management.

Payroll & Labor Reporting

• Oversee payroll processes, including prevailing wage, certified payroll (if applicable), and union reporting.
• Ensure accurate allocation of labor costs to jobs and cost codes.
• Work with operations to monitor labor efficiency and productivity metrics.

Controls, Compliance, and Risk Management

• Maintain internal controls and accounting policies to safeguard company assets.
• Ensure compliance with local, state, and federal requirements (sales tax, payroll tax, 1099s, etc.).
• Coordinate with outside CPA firm on annual tax filings and year-end reporting.
• Support insurance audits (workers comp, general liability) and licensing compliance.

Systems and Process Improvement

• Manage and optimize accounting systems and job-costing tools (e.g., QuickBooks, Sage, Foundation, Procore, Service Titan, or similar).
• Improve processes for purchasing, inventory/material tracking, and expense approvals.
• Build scalable workflows that support growth and operational efficiency.

Team Management

• Supervise and mentor accounting staff (AP/AR, payroll, admin support as applicable).
• Establish clear procedures, accountability, and deadlines across finance functions.

Qualifications Required:

• 7 years of progressive accounting experience, including 2 years in a Controller or senior accounting role.
• Strong experience in construction accounting and job costing (electrical contractor experience is a plus).
• Deep knowledge of financial reporting, GAAP fundamentals, and cash flow management.
• Proficiency with accounting software and job-costing tools.
• Strong Excel skills and comfort building financial models and reporting templates.
• Ability to work independently and take ownership of outcomes.

Preferred

• CPA or CMA designation.
• Experience with WIP schedules and percentage-of-completion accounting.
• Familiarity with prevailing wage, union payroll, and certified payroll reporting.
• Experience supporting multi-entity structures or multiple business lines.

Key Traits for Success

• Highly organized, accurate, and detail-oriented.
• Practical and solutions-focused — able to improve processes without overcomplicating them.
• Strong communication skills, able to work effectively with field leadership and project managers.
• Comfortable in a hands-on, family-owned business environment.
• Strong integrity and commitment to confidentiality.

Compensation & Benefits

• Competitive salary, commensurate with experience.
• Benefits package (health insurance, PTO, holidays, retirement plan if applicable).
• Opportunity to play a key leadership role in a well-established, multi-generation company.

Industry

• Real Estate
• Construction
• Civil Engineering

Employment Type

• Full-time