Role and industry
Accounting Manager Recruiters for Construction contractors (GCs, CMs, subcontractors)
No postings. No stacks of resumes. No chasing. You interview a short list.
Financial Headhunters: You need an accounting manager who reconciles job costs to prevent project margin erosion.
This is what we do all day: recruit accounting, finance, banking and insurance professionals.
No upfront fee. You pay only if you hire.
Need someone now? Call 305-306-4829.
We offer a candidate replacement guarantee on standard search agreements. The applicable period and exact terms are set out in the signed client recruiting agreement.
- Controller
- CFO
- VP Finance
- FP&A Director
- Accounting Manager
- Director of Accounting
- Assistant Controller
- Tax Director
- Treasury Manager
- Internal Audit Director
- Senior Accountant
- Financial Analyst
- Head of Financial Reporting
- Commercial Lender
- Chief Credit Officer
- Business Systems Finance Lead
- No upfront fee
- Pay only if you hire
- Accounting, finance, banking and insurance
- We reach people who aren’t on job boards
- Replacement terms on standard searches
01
What does this hire really come down to?
Your new Accounting Manager must prepare the work-in-progress schedule. They need to reconcile over and under billings against project progress. They must produce clean financial statements from raw job cost data.
Expect them to own the monthly close process from start to finish. They must explain flux variances to you and manage external audit requirements. They will supervise the transactional accounting staff to maintain ledger integrity.
Ask candidates how they handle WIP adjustments in Sage 300 CRE or Viewpoint. Ask them to describe a specific time they caught a job cost error before it impacted bond capacity. Ask how they manage revenue recognition when project scopes change mid-cycle.
You need to define the exact scope of this accounting manager role early in our initial planning discussion. I need to know if this person will function primarily as a hands-on technical lead who processes the complex monthly close or if you expect them to act as a systems architect who implements new workflows in your ERP. Ask candidates specifically how they reconcile project billings to internal job cost reports. If they cannot explain the flow of revenue recognition from a field estimate to a final invoice, they will struggle with your ledger. Ask how they audit vendor invoices for markup accuracy against the contract terms. A strong candidate should describe a systematic approach to identifying coding errors before they hit the general ledger. Ask them to walk you through their process for preparing a schedule of values for progress billing. Do not accept a generic description of accounts payable. Press them for details on how they verify that the costs on the work-in-progress schedule align with physical job site milestones. If they have only worked in corporate accounting, they often miss the connection between subcontractor change orders and overall project margin. Use this conversation to uncover whether they truly understand how job cost variances impact your cash position. Ask what specific red flags they watch for in a job cost report. If they offer vague responses about cost overruns without explaining the root cause in the accounting entry, you are looking at a reporting clerk, not a manager. Always prioritize someone who demonstrates deep technical ownership of the financial data and shows clear evidence of direct accountability for job-level profitability.
02
What do we check before you see anyone?
We verify their direct experience with construction-specific ERP systems like Sage 300 CRE, Viewpoint Vista, or Foundation. Generic manufacturing experience does not translate well here.
We confirm they understand the relationship between job costs and cash flow. They must show they know why over and under billings dictate the company's bonding health.
We audit their history of managing full-cycle accounting for multi-entity or multi-project structures. They need to show they can handle consolidations.
We look for evidence of past direct communication with auditors. They must have managed a PBC list and cleared audit adjustments independently.
We assess their ability to explain standard cost analysis and inventory accounting. They need to show they can track materials through to final installation on site.
We verify they hold a CPA or equivalent accounting degree. We check for a solid track record of owning the GL rather than just performing data entry.
03
Where do we find them?
We source candidates from mid-sized construction firms, trade subcontractors, and specialty contractors. We also talk to project accountants who are ready to step into an accounting management role.
We target people who have hit a ceiling in their current firm regarding systems integration or process ownership. Someone might move if their current company relies on manual spreadsheets instead of their ERP. Another candidate might look for a change if their current role lacks exposure to complex revenue recognition standards.
04
Which hiring mistakes should you watch for?
- 01Hiring a generalist accountant who lacks specific knowledge of job cost and WIP reporting.
- 02Overlooking the need for technical software proficiency in industry-standard platforms like Procore or Vista.
- 03Accepting a candidate who has never managed the full audit life cycle or interface with bonding agents.
05
The search in three steps
- 01We identify accounting managers within local construction contractors who have verified experience in job cost accounting.
- 02We evaluate their workflow proficiency to confirm they can track bonding capacity and maintain financial accuracy. Can they describe a past instance where their data entry prevented a coding error in a job cost report?
- 03We deliver qualified finalists for your interview, confirming they are ready to transition and work under your specific terms.
06
Which related hiring decisions are worth comparing?
How your Accounting Manager search runs
How does The Six-Step Search work?
One sequence, from a well-defined seat to a shortlist you can judge.
Search Calibration
We start with a call about the seat, the books, the owners and the people the hire will work with. We learn what the role must fix in the first year and what would make a candidate wrong even if the resume looks right.
You get: A written search brief: scope, must-haves, deal-breakers and the pay range, agreed with you.
Market Mapping
We map the companies and institutions where the right people already work: similar size, similar ownership, similar complexity, in your market and in others.
You get: The target list of companies and institutions we will search, reviewed with you before outreach.
Professional Contact Intelligence
We find direct ways to reach the people on the map. Most are employed and not reading job boards, so reaching them takes real research.
You get: Direct routes to people who are not on job boards, researched for your search.
Persistent Personalized Outreach
We call and write to people individually and follow up. Interest varies, so we discuss the actual opportunity rather than promising a particular response.
You get: One-to-one conversations about your actual role, followed up, never a mass email blast.
Live Candidate Qualification
We speak with every candidate before you do. We check scope, systems, reporting lines, compensation expectations, location and why they would move.
You get: Only candidates we have spoken with, checked on scope, systems, pay, location and motive.
Candidate Intelligence and Process Support
You receive a short written brief on each finalist covering what they have done, where they are thin and what they want. Then we help with interviews, references and the offer.
You get: A short written brief on each finalist, plus help with interviews, references, counteroffer risk and the offer.
Questions people ask
Is an initial payment required for you to locate a work-in-progress schedule manager?
No upfront fee. You pay only if you hire.
Do you handle contract roles?
What are your temporary staffing options?
Can you handle remote or bilingual requirements?
We account for specific remote or bilingual needs by qualifying candidates against your unique site or office demands. We adjust our screening criteria to match the actual work environment.
What is the difference between this and a controller?
An accounting manager typically reports to a controller or CFO. The manager focuses on daily ledger health and project accounting, while the controller holds ultimate authority over tax, audit strategy, and financial reporting.
What is the fee for a Accounting Manager search?
No upfront fee. You pay only if you hire. The fee and terms are agreed in writing before we start.
How soon will I see a Accounting Manager shortlist?
It depends on the seat, the location and the pay. We give you an honest read after the calibration call and we do not promise dates we cannot control.
What about counteroffers on a Accounting Manager hire?
We ask every Accounting Manager candidate early why they would move and what their employer might do to keep them. Counteroffer risk goes in the written brief before you make an offer.
What is your guarantee?
We offer a candidate replacement guarantee on standard search agreements. The applicable period and exact terms are set out in the signed client recruiting agreement.
What don't you do?
We do not post your Accounting Manager job and forward whoever applies. We do not send stacks of unscreened resumes, and we do not recruit outside accounting, finance, banking and insurance.
Start a search
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No upfront fee. You pay only if you hire.
We offer a candidate replacement guarantee on standard search agreements. The applicable period and exact terms are set out in the signed client recruiting agreement.
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