Construction Accounting Specialist

Emerald Electrical Contractors is a growing electrical and communications subcontractor serving commercial, institutional, and industrial clients across Central New York. We are seeking an experienced Construction Bookkeeper to manage day-to-day financial operations, payroll, and compliance reporting in a fast-paced union shop environment.

The ideal candidate brings hands-on experience with Sage 100 Contractor, understands the unique demands of construction accounting — including WIP schedules, job costing, and percentage-of-completion revenue recognition — and is comfortable navigating the administrative requirements of union benefit funds and NYS sales tax rules.

General Accounting & Ledger Management

•      Maintain the general ledger; record and reconcile journal entries on a daily and monthly basis

•      Perform month-end and year-end close procedures including account reconciliations and financial statement preparation

•      Manage subcontractor payments, and customer billings

•      Assist with preparation of WIP schedules, backlog reports, and over/under-billing analysis

•      Maintain job cost records and allocate field labor, materials, and subcontractor costs to individual projects

Payroll

•      Process weekly union and non-union payroll

•      Apply prevailing wage rates, certified payroll requirements, and Davis-Bacon rules where applicable

•      Prepare and submit certified payroll reports (CPR) for public and government projects

•      Track employee hours, overtime, and job allocation; reconcile with field time cards

•      Process payroll tax filings (NYS-45, federal 941, W-2s) on time and accurately

Union Benefits Administration

•      Calculate and submit monthly fringe benefit contributions to applicable union funds (health & welfare, pension, annuity, training, JATC)

•      Reconcile fund remittance reports against payroll; resolve discrepancies with union hall administrators

•      Track employee classifications, apprentice ratios, and benefit eligibility by collective bargaining agreement

Sales Tax Compliance

•      Apply NYS sales and use tax rules to construction contracts, material purchases, and equipment use

•      Distinguish capital improvement projects from repair/maintenance work for correct tax treatment

•      Prepare and file NYS ST-100 / ST-101 sales tax returns on a quarterly basis

•      Review vendor invoices for correct tax charges and process use tax accruals as needed

•      Maintain exemption certificates (ST-120, ST-124, Form ST-8) and project-specific documentation

Software & Reporting

•      Operate Sage 100 Contractor as the primary accounting and job costing platform

•      Generate and distribute job cost reports, cash flow summaries, and aging reports for management review

•      Maintain organized digital and physical filing systems for invoices, contracts, lien waivers, and compliance records

•      Support external accountants and auditors by preparing schedules and providing documentation

•      3 years of bookkeeping or accounting experience in a construction, contracting, or trades environment

•      Proficiency with Sage 100 Contractor (formerly Master Builder) — job cost, payroll, and A/P modules

•      Working knowledge of union payroll, fringe benefit fund reporting, and collective bargaining agreement requirements

•      Solid understanding of NYS sales and use tax rules as applied to construction contracts

•      Experience with certified payroll reporting and prevailing wage compliance (eMedny, LCPtracker, or similar)

•      Strong general ledger skills; comfortable with debits/credits, reconciliations, and journal entries

•      Associate’s degree or higher in Accounting, Business, or a related field — or equivalent experience

•      Proficient in Microsoft Excel; comfortable with pivot tables and basic formulas for reconciliation work

•      Experience with electrical union benefit reporting

•      Familiarity with NYS SUNY Construction Fund or DASNY compliance documentation

•      Experience supporting privately owned construction businesses

•      Knowledge of percentage-of-completion accounting and WIP schedule preparation

•      Notary Public or willingness to obtain

Category

Details

Salary Range

$52,000 – $72,000 annually, DOE

Schedule

Full-time, Monday–Friday

Location

Syracuse, NY — on-site preferred;

Health Insurance

Available; details provided upon offer

PTO

Paid time off and holidays per company policy

Software Access

Sage 100 Contractor, Microsoft 365

Qualified candidates should submit a resume and a brief cover letter describing their experience with construction accounting and Sage 100 Contractor to:

careers@emeraldelectrical.com

Please include “Bookkeeper Application” in the subject line. Applications are reviewed on a rolling basis. Emerald Electrical Contractors, Inc. is an Equal Opportunity Employer.