Project Accounting (HVAC)

Project Accountant - Commercial HVAC

Position summary

The Project Accountant owns the financial side of our commercial HVAC projects, from contract setup through final retention. You will partner with Project Managers to track job costs, prepare progress billings, manage change orders and produce accurate work-in-progress (WIP) reporting. Projects range from tenant improvements and equipment replacements to new construction for offices, healthcare, education and industrial clients. Experience with data center or mission-critical cooling is a strong plus.

Location: Gastonia, NC (Charlotte Area) * Type: Full-time * Salary: $60,000-$80,000, based on experience

Key responsibilities

Project setup and job costing

• Set up new jobs in the accounting system: contract value, cost codes, budgets by labor, material, equipment and subcontract
• Review and approve vendor invoices, subcontractor pay applications and material receipts to confirm correct job and cost codes
• Reconcile job cost reports monthly and flag budget overruns or miscoded costs to Project Managers
• Track labor hours and burden against estimate, including prevailing wage and certified payroll jobs

Billing and receivables

• Prepare monthly progress billings using AIA G702/G703 and customer-specific formats, including schedules of values
• Submit pay applications through GC portals (Textura, Procore, GCPay or similar) by each customer's cutoff
• Track retainage receivable and payable, and drive collection of retention at closeout
• Assist with follow up on past-due accounts and prepare conditional and unconditional lien waivers

Contracts, change orders and compliance

• Maintain contract files, insurance certificates, bonds and subcontractor documentation
• Log and track change orders and pending change requests through approval and billing
• Collect and track subcontractor and supplier lien waivers before releasing payment
• Monitor preliminary notice and lien deadlines to protect the company's lien rights

Reporting and month-end close

• Review monthly WIP schedules with percent complete, over/under billings and projected margin
• Support revenue recognition under ASC 606 using cost-to-cost percentage of completion
• Participate in project review meetings and explain cost and billing variances
• Assist with year-end audits, bonding company reviews and sales/use tax filings
• Support job closeout: final billings, retention release, warranty documentation and cost reconciliation

Requirements

• Associate or bachelor's degree in accounting, finance or business, or equivalent experience
• 3+ years of project or construction accounting, ideally with a mechanical, HVAC, electrical or plumbing contractor
• Hands-on experience with AIA billing, retainage, change orders and lien waivers
• Working knowledge of job costing and WIP reporting
• Intermediate to advanced Excel: pivot tables, lookups, reconciliations

Nice to have

• Experience with construction ERP software such as NetSuite, Viewpoint Vista/Spectrum, Sage 300 CRE, Foundation, Trimble or Acumatica Construction
• Familiarity with GC billing portals (Textura, Procore, GCPay)
• Exposure to certified payroll, prevailing wage and union labor reporting
• Understanding of service and maintenance contract billing alongside project billing
• CCIFP (Certified Construction Industry Financial Professional) or progress toward it

Skills that make you successful here

• Accuracy under deadline pressure, especially around the monthly billing cycle
• Comfort asking Project Managers direct questions about cost, schedule and percent complete
• Clear written communication with general contractors, owners and vendors
• Organized enough to manage 20+ active jobs at different stages at once

Work environment and schedule

• Office-based, Monday-Friday, with extended hours during month-end and billing cutoffs
• Occasional job site visits to review progress for billing purposes

Compensation and benefits

• Salary of $60,000 - 80,000, based on experience
• 8 paid holidays plus paid time off (PTO)
• 401(k) with employer match
• Health insurance
• Additional paid benefits, e.g., dental, vision, life insurance, company vehicle or reimbursements, training and certification support