Staff Accountant

Position Summary

The Staff Accountant supports the Controller in maintaining accurate, timely, and well-controlled accounting for a diversified real estate platform that develops residential and commercial projects and also serves as the general contractor for its developments and speculative homes. The role combines corporate accounting, project accounting, job cost, development accounting, and financial reporting across multiple entities and projects.

The successful candidate will work closely with the Controller, project managers, development personnel, field operations, purchasing, estimating, and executive management. The position requires the ability to understand both the financial structure of a development and the construction activity occurring within each project.

Accountability Objectives

· Maintain reliable general ledgers and supporting schedules for assigned development, construction, homebuilding, property, and related corporate entities.

· Support the Controller in producing monthly financial statements, project reporting, forecasts, cash requirements, and management analysis.

· Ensure construction and development costs are recorded to the correct entity, project, phase, building, lot, cost code, contract, and funding source.

· Verify the accuracy and completeness of accounts payable, accounts receivable, payroll allocations, commitments, subcontractor activity, owner billings, and job cost.

· Maintain strong reconciliations, documentation, and internal controls across a multi-entity operating environment.

· Provide responsive accounting support to operations while preserving accuracy, consistency, and appropriate approval controls.

Nature of the Position

· Reports directly to the Controller and works under the Controller’s direction on close, reporting, controls, audit support, and special projects.

· Functions as a collaborative link between accounting and the residential development, commercial development, and construction teams.

· Works with project managers and field leadership to resolve cost coding, commitment, billing, budget, and project-status discrepancies.

· Coordinates with lenders, title companies, owners, partners, vendors, subcontractors, auditors, tax professionals, and other outside parties as assigned by the Controller.

· Handles confidential financial, payroll, contract, and project information with discretion.

Principal Responsibilities

1. General Ledger and Financial Close

· Prepare and post recurring and nonrecurring journal entries, including accruals, prepaid expenses, intercompany activity, allocations, depreciation, retainage, work-in-process, and other project-related adjustments.

· Reconcile bank accounts, balance sheet accounts, intercompany balances, loan accounts, escrow accounts, construction-in-progress, retainage, and other assigned accounts each month.

· Assist the Controller with monthly, quarterly, and year-end close schedules and deliverables.

· Prepare financial statements and supporting schedules for assigned entities and investigate unusual balances or period-over-period variances.

· Maintain organized support for journal entries, reconciliations, and financial statement balances.

2. Development and Project Accounting

· Maintain project accounting records by development, phase, building, unit, lot, and cost category, as applicable.

· Track land, due diligence, design, permitting, impact fees, financing costs, sitework, vertical construction, tenant improvements, sales costs, and other development expenditures.

· Assist with project budget-to-actual reporting, cost-to-complete schedules, cash-flow projections, development fee calculations, and project-level variance analysis.

· Support capitalization and cost-allocation decisions by preparing clear schedules for the Controller’s review.

· Assist with lot, unit, building, or phase cost allocations and transfers from construction-in-progress to inventory, fixed assets, or cost of sales, as directed.

· Monitor project funding sources, partner contributions, draws, reimbursements, and intercompany advances.

3. Construction and Job Cost Accounting

· Review invoices, purchase orders, subcontracts, change orders, cost codes, commitments, and job cost postings for completeness and accuracy.

· Reconcile job cost detail to the general ledger and research discrepancies with project managers and accounting personnel.

· Monitor committed costs, approved changes, pending changes, retainage, allowances, contingency usage, and forecasted final costs.

· Support owner and lender billing packages, draw requests, pay applications, lien waiver tracking, and required supporting documentation.

· Review payroll and labor allocations to projects, phases, service work, overhead, or self-performed cost categories, as applicable.

· Assist in maintaining accurate accounting for self-performed general contracting activity, including internal labor, materials, equipment, supervision, general conditions, and contractor fees.

4. Residential and Spec Home Accounting

· Maintain job cost records for speculative homes and residential projects by lot, home, option, allowance, and cost code.

· Review costs incurred against approved budgets and identify missing commitments, overruns, coding issues, or unrecorded liabilities.

· Assist with inventory schedules, cost-of-sales support, closing statements, deposits, sales proceeds, commissions, and project profitability reporting.

· Coordinate with construction, purchasing, and sales personnel to ensure financial records reflect current project activity and expected completion costs.

5. Accounts Payable, Receivable, Payroll and Compliance Support

· Review accounts payable coding and supporting approvals before posting or payment, with particular attention to project, phase, entity, vendor, contract, and cost code.

· Assist with vendor and subcontractor setup, insurance and tax documentation, lien releases, retainage, and payment support requirements.

· Support billing, collections, deposits, receivables reconciliation, and application of customer or owner payments.

· Review project-related payroll allocations and assist with payroll reconciliations and reporting.

· Assist with sales and use tax, property tax, business licenses, contractor reporting, 1099 support, and other compliance activities assigned by the Controller.

6. Reporting, Controls and Audit Support

· Prepare recurring management reports, project dashboards, cash schedules, and variance explanations for the Controller’s review.

· Maintain supporting records that create a clear audit trail from source documents to project reports and the general ledger.

· Assist external auditors, tax professionals, lenders, and other reviewers by preparing schedules and retrieving documentation as directed.

· Identify process gaps, recurring coding errors, control weaknesses, or inefficiencies and recommend practical improvements to the Controller.

· Help document and maintain accounting procedures, close checklists, approval workflows, and project setup standards.

Qualifications

· Bachelor’s degree in Accounting, Finance, or a related field, or comparable practical experience.

· Minimum of two years of accounting experience; construction, real estate development, homebuilding, property accounting, or job cost experience is strongly preferred.

· Working knowledge of generally accepted accounting principles and accrual-basis accounting.

· Understanding of multi-entity accounting, intercompany transactions, project accounting, and construction job cost concepts is preferred.

· Proficiency with accounting software and Microsoft Excel, including reconciliations, lookups, pivot tables, and structured financial schedules.

· Experience with Sage construction accounting products or another construction ERP is preferred; ability to learn new systems is required.

· Clear written and verbal communication skills and the ability to work effectively with accounting, project, field, and executive personnel.

Success Characteristics

CHARACTERISTIC

WHAT SUCCESS LOOKS LIKE

Ownership

Takes responsibility for complete, accurate, and timely work.

Project awareness

Understands the operational activity behind accounting entries.

Detail orientation

Maintains accurate coding, support, reconciliations, and audit trails.

Judgment

Escalates exceptions and provides the Controller with facts and proposed solutions.

Communication

Explains accounting requirements clearly to non-accounting team members.

Prioritization

Balances close deadlines, project needs, draws, payments, and special requests.

Process improvement

Looks for repeatable improvements without bypassing internal controls.

Integrity

Handles confidential information responsibly and consistently.

Measures of Effective Performance

· Month-end responsibilities and reconciliations are completed accurately and in accordance with the Controller’s close calendar.

· Project and entity reports agree to the general ledger and are supported by complete documentation.

· Invoices, payroll, commitments, billings, and project costs are consistently coded to the correct entity and job structure.

· Job cost and budget variances are researched promptly and communicated clearly.

· Construction draws, audit requests, and management reporting schedules are supported with organized and reliable information.

· Accounting questions from project and operating teams are addressed promptly while required controls and approvals are maintained.

Additional Responsibilities

This position description identifies the principal duties of the role but is not intended to be an exhaustive list. The Staff Accountant may be assigned additional accounting, reporting, systems, analysis, or special-project responsibilities by the Controller based on business needs.

Strictly no phone calls or emails from recruitment agencies. Only direct applicants will be reviewed.

Benefits:

• 401(k)
• Dental insurance
• Health insurance
• Life insurance
• Paid sick time
• Paid time off
• Vision insurance

People with a criminal record are encouraged to apply

Education:

• Bachelor's (Preferred)

Experience:

• Construction: 5 years (Preferred)

Work Location: In person

Salary : $70,000 - $85,000