Senior Cost Accountant

Our client is seeking an experienced Senior Cost Accountant to own job costing, project profitability analysis, and WIP reporting across our fabrication and field erection operations. This role partners closely with project management and production leadership, leveraging our Tekla PowerFab fabrication management system to track and protect margin from bid through project close-out. The ideal candidate brings deep construction cost accounting expertise and can mentor junior staff.

Key Responsibilities

Job Costing & Project Profitability

• Own the job cost accounting process across structural steel, fabrication, misc. metals & railing, and stair tower lines
• Analyze estimated vs. actual labor hours and material costs by job and piece mark; investigate and report variances
• Track man-hours per ton and productivity trends against bid assumptions
• Monitor material cost variance, with particular focus on steel price volatility against fixed-price bids
• Develop and refine standard costs and cost allocation methodologies across cost centers

WIP & Revenue Recognition

• Prepare and own monthly WIP schedules and percentage-of-completion revenue recognition
• Analyze over/under billings and proactively flag margin fade to leadership
• Lead change order cost analysis (approved vs. pending) and ensure timely capture
• Partner with project managers on project forecasts and cost-to-complete estimates

Reporting & Analysis

• Prepare project profitability reports and management dashboards
• Support budgeting, forecasting, and bid-margin analysis
• Provide cost insights to estimating and operations to improve future bids
• Monitor backlog, DSO, retention receivable, and the cash gap from financing steel purchases against slow receivables

Systems & Process

• Serve as finance lead for extracting and reconciling cost, labor, and material data from Tekla PowerFab
• Drive improvements to job-costing processes and PowerFab-to-GL integration
• Strengthen internal controls around project accounting

Compliance & Leadership

• Ensure compliance with GAAP and construction-specific accounting standards
• Support external audits, surety/bonding requirements, and OCIP/Non-OCIP insurance reporting
• Mentor and review the work of junior accounting staff

Requirements

Education

• Bachelor's degree in Accounting or Finance (required)
• CPA, CMA, or Chartered Accountant strongly preferred

Experience

• 5+ years of accounting experience, with at least 3 years in construction, steel fabrication, or manufacturing cost accounting
• Demonstrated expertise in job costing and percentage-of-completion / WIP accounting
• Experience supporting surety/bonding and audit processes

Skills

• Advanced Microsoft Excel (complex models, pivot tables, data analysis)
• Strong command of construction/job-cost accounting software (Sage 300 CRE, Foundation, Viewpoint, or similar); Tekla PowerFab experience a significant plus
• Strong analytical, problem-solving, and communication skills
• Ability to translate cost data into actionable insight for non-finance leaders

Key Competencies

• Ownership mindset and high accuracy
• Strong cross-functional collaboration with shop, field, and project management
• Leadership and mentoring ability
• Sound judgment with confidential financial information

Benefits

• Work remotely Monday - Friday, 40 hours a week (no weekends)
• Vacation: 10 business days a year
• Holidays: 5 National Holidays a year
• Company Holidays: 5 Company Holidays a year (Christmas Eve, Christmas Day, New Year's Eve, New Year's Day, Zipdev Day)
• Parental Leave
• Health Care Reimbursement
• Active Lifestyle Reimbursement
• Quarterly Home Office Reimbursement
• Payroll Deduction Purchase Plans
• Longevity Bonus
• Continuous Learning Bonus
• Access to Training and Professional Development Platforms
• Did we mention it's REMOTE?!!

One of our core values at Zipdev is "Be authentic." that's why we encourage you to answer the application form in your own words; we are interested in getting to know you, not a digital assistant.

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