Role and industry
Senior Accountant Recruiters for Construction contractors (GCs, CMs, subcontractors)
No postings. No stacks of resumes. No chasing. You interview a short list.
Financial Headhunters: You need a senior accountant who tracks project costs to maintain bond capacity and billings.
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?
This role hinges on producing accurate work-in-progress schedules. You must manage revenue recognition cycles for construction projects. The core task is turning project data into financial statements.
You need to handle job cost analysis daily. This involves heavy reconciliation of sub-ledger data against the general ledger. I look for someone who tracks billings against actual costs to prevent project margin erosion.
I ask candidates specific questions. How do you handle unbilled receivables in a high-volume environment? What is your process for reconciling complex over and under billing accounts? Describe a time you identified a significant budget variance early in a project cycle.
You need to determine if a candidate can handle the messy reality of construction accounting. Ask for a specific example of how they managed a project that went over budget. Press them on how they corrected the WIP report after the issue became visible. Do not accept vague answers about general ledger balancing. Watch for confusion when you ask about the difference between accrual-based job costing and cash-based reporting. A strong candidate describes their exact steps for documenting a change order and how that change order moved through the sub-ledger. If they cannot explain how their data entry impacts the project margin, they lack the required technical depth. Discuss their methodology for identifying unbilled receivables at the end of a fiscal quarter. You want a clear explanation of how they verify the documentation before the billing goes out. Probe their experience with lien waivers and how they caught incomplete submittals in the past. Ask them to explain a situation where the general ledger and the project cost system did not match. See how they performed the reconciliation to fix the disconnect. Look for candidates who ask about the complexity of your current software setup. They should want to know if you are using a legacy system or something modern like Sage 300 CRE or Viewpoint Vista. If they have never dealt with multi-entity structures or complex owner billing requirements, they will struggle with your daily volume. Ask how they communicate financial findings to non-financial project managers who do not want to see spreadsheets. A candidate who relies only on email and static reports will create friction. You need someone who can translate financial risks into plain English for the operations team. Evaluate their ability to spot a potential revenue recognition error before the monthly closing process finishes. Listen for precise descriptions of technical accounting tasks, not abstract concepts.
02
What do we check before you see anyone?
We first walk through your project accounting setup to identify the exact volume of monthly payment applications and subcontracts your team processes. We require candidates to explain the precise steps they take to audit a subcontractor invoice against the original contract value and current change orders. You need someone who prioritizes immediate data integrity over administrative consistency. A core trade-off we analyze is whether you prefer a candidate who fixes historical job cost errors during their first week or one who protects your cash flow from day one by strictly auditing new project billings before payment.
- 01We verify technical proficiency in industry software like Sage 300 CRE, Viewpoint Vista, Spectrum, or Foundation.
- 02We check for specific experience with ASC 842 lease accounting as it applies to heavy construction equipment.
- 03We confirm the candidate has experience generating and auditing the WIP report which informs your bonding capacity.
- 04We audit their history of managing multi-entity consolidations if your organizational structure requires separate project vehicles.
- 05We validate their understanding of job cost accounting logic versus standard corporate accounting workflows.
- 06We screen for a clear grasp of lien waivers and insurance compliance documentation within the payment application process.
03
Where do we find them?
We source candidates from established general contractors, construction management firms, and specialty trade subcontractors. We look for individuals currently in project accounting or regional accounting roles who have outgrown their current scope.
A senior accountant is often ready to move when their current firm lacks a clear path to assistant controller. We also find talent when the firm moves to new ERP platforms, creating a skill mismatch. Another trigger is a shift in ownership or structural changes in the firm that reduce their project oversight.
04
Which hiring mistakes should you watch for?
- 01Prioritizing general ledger experience over specific construction cost accounting workflows.
- 02Failing to vet proficiency in specific job-costing software tools like Viewpoint or Procore.
- 03Ignoring the candidate's actual interaction with project managers versus their ability to sit solely behind a desk.
05
The search in three steps
- 01We define the project accounting volume and software requirements for your specific site or division.
- 02We conduct phone screens to verify technical knowledge of over/under billings and WIP reporting.
- 03We deliver qualified candidates for your direct review based on your feedback from initial interviews.
06
Which related hiring decisions are worth comparing?
How your Senior 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
Are there fees to find an accountant who produces construction work-in-progress schedules?
No upfront fee. You pay only if you hire.
Does this role include managerial decision rights?
This is a senior individual contributor role. Decision rights are generally limited to accounting processes, while project managers maintain authority over field operations.
What if the candidate is not a CPA?
While CPA certification is a common indicator of accounting rigor, practical construction accounting experience is the primary requirement for this role.
Is this a direct-hire position?
Permanent contingency is our default model. If you need contract, temp-to-perm, or seasonal help, we can provide that on request under specific terms.
How soon will I see a Senior 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 Senior Accountant hire?
We ask every Senior 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 Senior 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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