Project Accountant

About the role

Based at our Coburg head office, the Contracting Accountant leads the commercial and financial management of our flooring contracting business.

You will manage a team of 4 to 6 Contract Administrators who are strong on client relationships and project delivery, and your job is to bring the same strength to the financial side of every project: progress claims, variations, job costing, work in progress and margin reporting.

This is a hands-on role with real scope.

You will coach and upskill your team on the commercial fundamentals, review claims before they go out the door, keep variations priced and approved on time, and give management clear visibility of margin and forecast across the portfolio.

You will partner closely with corporate finance, estimating and operations, and deal directly with builders and clients on commercial matters.

Success looks like projects claimed correctly, costed accurately and delivered at or above budgeted margin, with a team that is growing in commercial confidence.

Key responsibilities

• Lead, manage and develop a team of 4 to 6 Contract
• Administrators, including coaching them on claims, variations, cost tracking and margin awareness
• Own the accuracy and timeliness of progress claims across all contracting projects
• Ensure variations are identified, priced, submitted and approved promptly
• Manage job costing and work in progress (WIP) reporting across the portfolio
• Prepare and present monthly project margin analysis and forecast-to-complete reporting
• Track retentions, bank guarantees and securities, and ensure their timely release
• Review commercial terms of incoming contracts and flag onerous conditions before execution
• Ensure claims comply with contract requirements and Security of Payment legislation timeframes
• Champion Pronto ERP for job costing, claims and project reporting, and continuously improve commercial processes

About you

• Degree in Accounting, Commerce, Finance or a related discipline
• CPA or CA qualification, completed or in progress, highly regarded
• Minimum 5 years' accounting or commercial experience, ideally in construction, contracting, fitout or another project-based environment
• Demonstrated experience with job costing, WIP, progress claims and variations
• Experience leading, supervising or mentoring a team
• ERP system experience (Pronto highly regarded) and advanced Excel skills
• Working knowledge of Security of Payment legislation and standard construction contract terms is a plus
• Strong communication and stakeholder skills, comfortable having constructive commercial conversations with builders, clients and internal teams

Employer questions

Your application will include the following questions:

Which of the following statements best describes your right to work in Australia?

How many years' experience do you have as an accountant?

How many years' experience do you have in the construction industry?

Have you completed a certified practising accountant (CPA) qualification?

Do you have experience using ERP Software?