Manager of Project Accounting

Vaco
$125,000.00 - $160,000.00 / yr
United States, North Carolina, Chapel Hill
Mar 04, 2025
Position: Manager of Project Accounting Company Overview: A growing company in the renewable energy and construction industry is seeking a Project Accounting Manager to join its finance team. The company specializes in utility-scale energy projects, supporting a broad portfolio of infrastructure initiatives across North America. Backed by private investment, the organization is experiencing strong growth and is implementing operational improvements under new leadership. Location and Work Environment: On-site presence preferred 4-5days per week Collaborative office environment with close interaction between field and office teams Leadership & Team Structure: Reports to the Vice President of Finance. Works closely with the CFO and leadership team. Collaborates with project managers, finance, and operations teams. Accounting team includes AP, AR, senior and staff accountants. Position Highlights: Newly strengthened leadership team driving strategic improvements. Strong growth trajectory projected for the coming year. Opportunity to make an impact in a fast-evolving organization. Consultant support likely to assist with system transitions and backlog management. Role Summary: The Project Accounting Manager will play a critical role in ensuring accurate financial reporting, forecasting, and project cost management. This individual will partner with business unit leaders and project managers to establish best-in-class project accounting practices. The role requires strong analytical skills, a proactive approach to financial oversight, and the ability to communicate effectively with senior leadership. Key Responsibilities: Collaborate with project managers and operations leaders to develop project controls strategies that align with company goals. Ensure timely and accurate calculation of revenue in compliance with GAAP. Conduct monthly variance analysis of project-level actuals versus budget and forecasts. Reconcile business line revenue against forecasted projections. Oversee backlog forecasting and ensure timely revenue reporting. Review executed contracts and change orders for accounting implications. Analyze project expenses and provide variance explanations in collaboration with operations. Improve budgeting and forecasting models to enhance financial accuracy. Implement and maintain internal controls to ensure compliance with accounting standards. Support audit requests and ad-hoc financial analyses, including labor expenditures and working capital assessments. Project & Financial Oversight: Attend project meetings, including kick-off sessions, to ensure accurate financial setup and reporting. Monitor project financial health, including revenues, gross profit, receivables, and unbilled amounts. Work with the Vice President of Finance to consolidate financial results and draft key reports. Develop and distribute executive summaries with key performance metrics. Lead process improvements in project accounting operations, including system upgrades and reporting frameworks. Establish KPIs to monitor department performance and identify areas for enhancement. Qualifications & Skills: Bachelor's degree in Accounting, Finance, or a related field. Experience in renewable energy or construction industries preferred. Strong proficiency in Microsoft Excel (lookups, pivots, formula statements). Experience with financial reporting tools such as Power BI or Microsoft DataVerse is a plus. Excellent written and verbal communication skills. Ability to manage multiple tasks and meet deadlines in a fast-paced environment. Proven ability to lead process improvements and drive efficiencies. This role presents an opportunity to contribute meaningfully to a company that is expanding its impact in the renewable energy sector. The ideal candidate will bring a strategic mindset, strong accounting expertise, and a passion for process improvement. Vaco values a diverse workplace and strongly encourages women, people of color, LGBTQ+ individuals, people with disabilities, members of ethnic minorities, foreign-born residents, and veterans to apply. EEO Notice Vaco is an Equal Opportunity Employer and does not discriminate against any employee or applicant for employment because of race (including but not limited to traits historically associated with race such as hair texture and hair style), color, sex (includes pregnancy or related conditions), religion or creed, national origin, citizenship, age, disability, status as a veteran, union membership, ethnicity, gender, gender identity, gender expression, sexual orientation, marital status, political affiliation, or any other protected characteristics as required by federal, state or local law. Vaco LLC and its parents, affiliates, and subsidiaries are committed to the full inclusion of all qualified individuals. As part of this commitment, Vaco LLC and its parents, affiliates, and subsidiaries will ensure that persons with disabilities are provided reasonable accommodations. If reasonable accommodation is needed to participate in the job application or interview process, to perform essential job functions, and/or to receive other benefits and privileges of employment, please contact HR@vaco.com . Vaco also wants all applicants to know their rights that workplace discrimination is illegal. By submitting to this position, you agree that you will be giving Vaco the exclusive right to present your as a candidate for the foregoing employment opportunity. You further agree that you have represented information about yourself accurately and have not affirmatively misrepresented your qualifications. You also agree to maintain as confidential, to the fullest extent permitted by law, any information you learn from Vaco about the position and you will limit disclosure of information about the position only to the extent necessary to perform any obligations in furtherance of your application. In exchange, Vaco agrees to exercise reasonable efforts to represent you through all solicitation, job screening and resume dispersal. Privacy Notice Vaco LLC and its parents, affiliates, and subsidiaries ("we," "our," or "Vaco") respects your privacy and are committed to providing transparent notice of our policies. California residents may access Vaco's HR Notice at Collection for California Applicants and Employees here. Virginia residents may access our state specific policies here. Residents of all other states may access our policies here. Canadian residents may access our policies in English here and in French here. Residents of countries governed by GDPR may access our policies here. Pay Transparency Notice Determining compensation for this role (and others) at Vaco depends upon a wide array of factors including but not limited to: the individual's skill sets, experience and training; licensure and certification requirements; office location and other geographic considerations; other business and organizational needs. With that said, as required by local law, Vaco believes that the following salary range referenced above reasonably estimates the base compensation for an individual hired into this position in geographies that require salary range disclosure. The individual may also be eligible for discretionary bonuses.