Role and industry
Project Accountant Recruiters for Real estate developers, owners, REITs and homebuilders
No postings. No stacks of resumes. No chasing. You interview a short list.
Financial Headhunters: When project accountants fail to catch billing errors your firm suffers rejected bank draw requests and inaccurate WIP schedules for active developments.
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?
Who manages cash movement and tracks subcontractor compliance on construction projects? How do they catch billing errors before the bank rejects a draw request? They must reconcile WIP schedules against actual job costs while maintaining subcontractor compliance.
The work is transactional and high-pressure. They will verify AIA G702/G703 forms, track retainage, and process lien waivers. They must know how to manage change order tracking and coordinate with project managers on cost-to-complete reviews.
Ask them: How do you handle a subcontractor who misses a lien waiver submission before the payment deadline? Describe a time a project was over-billed and how you corrected the WIP schedule. How do you track percentage-of-completion revenue under ASC 606?
Scope clarity happens when you define specific project stages. Ask if they managed the full cycle from initial budget setup to final project closeout. A project accountant should explain the handoff process between the estimating team and the accounting department. Check if they have handled complex change order processing where multiple revisions occurred before final approval. Ask them to describe a specific time they identified an unapproved cost overrun before the month-end close. Evidence for this role requires reviewing their past work on draw packages. Ask them to provide a redacted sample of a draw request they personally prepared. Look for signs of organized documentation. A skilled candidate produces clean G702 and G703 forms with matching lien waivers and proof of insurance attached. If they cannot produce a sample, ask them to walk through the exact steps they take to audit a subcontractor application before it reaches your desk. Do not accept vague descriptions of general accounting duties. Force them to detail how they handle retainage release tracking and the specific project software functions they use to lock job codes. Watch for candidates who rely on manual workarounds in Excel. You need someone who uses system features for reporting. If they blame manual processes for past errors, they lack the technical capability to manage your specific project environment.
02
What do we check before you see anyone?
We verify technical and operational history for every candidate.
Direct experience with Sage 300 CRE, Viewpoint Vista, Spectrum, or Foundation. We confirm they have worked in these systems, not just attended a training session.
Understanding of the specific accounting differences between vertical property management and horizontal development projects. They must clarify if they have managed capitalized interest or JV waterfalls.
Verification of project-level audit trails. They must prove they can create a clean folder of supporting documents for every draw request they have managed.
Knowledge of subcontractor compliance workflows. We test their ability to manage COI expiration dates and lien waiver requirements for multiple projects simultaneously.
Competency with percentage-of-completion accounting. We look for evidence they have tracked revenue recognition against total project budgets throughout the lifecycle of a build.
Ability to communicate project variances. They must show they can sit with a project manager and explain why costs are trending over budget.
03
Where do we find them?
We look for candidates in specialized commercial general contractors and residential development firms. Candidates move because their current firm lacks the project volume to keep them challenged or their current systems are manual and broken. We also target those working in property accounting firms who want to move into development-side cost accounting to expand their technical skillset. We look for CCIFP certification as a marker of specialized dedication to the field.
We avoid candidates who have only worked in corporate manufacturing accounting, as the AIA billing cycle is foreign to them. We filter out those who have not handled high-volume subcontractor payment applications or retainage accounting.
04
Which hiring mistakes should you watch for?
- 01Hiring a general ledger accountant who lacks direct AIA billing or construction-specific job cost experience.
- 02Ignoring the difference between a property accountant who handles rent rolls and a project accountant who manages construction draws.
- 03Missing proof of experience balancing multi-entity ledgers and generating detailed audit trails for project expenses.
05
The search in three steps
- 01Screening candidate portfolios for project size and specific software proficiency in Sage or Viewpoint.
- 02Technical interviews focused on draw request accuracy, lien waiver collection, and cost-to-complete reconciliation.
- 03Final candidate presentation for client review including a summary of their project accounting experience and certifications.
06
Which related hiring decisions are worth comparing?
How your Project Accountant 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 a fee required to start finding an accountant who reconciles construction draw requests?
No upfront fee. You pay only if you hire.
Do you provide temporary or contract accountants?
We offer contract and temp-to-perm services for busy seasons or backfill needs. Terms for these engagements are defined in a separate agreement.
What is the difference between a property accountant and a project accountant?
Property accountants manage rent rolls, lease accounting, and CAM reconciliations. Project accountants manage AIA billing, job cost coding, and construction draws.
Can you find candidates for remote or hybrid roles?
Yes, we screen for candidates willing to work in your required office setup. We adjust our search to find those with the necessary remote project accounting experience.
How soon will I see a Project Accountant 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 Project Accountant hire?
We ask every Project Accountant 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 Project Accountant job and forward whoever applies. We do not send stacks of unscreened resumes, and we do not recruit outside accounting, finance, banking and insurance.
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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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