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# Accountant - Job Description & Qualification Tasks
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**Primary Responsibility:** To manage the company's financial records, processes, and reporting, ensuring accuracy, compliance, and providing timely financial data to support business decisions.
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**Prerequisites:**
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- Bachelor's degree in Accounting, Finance, or related field (or equivalent experience)
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- Basic understanding of accounting principles and financial statements
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- Proficiency with computer systems and willingness to learn specialized software
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**Career Path:** This is a standalone professional role with opportunities for advancement to Senior Accountant, Accounting Manager, or Controller based on company growth and individual performance.
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---
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## Assessment Methods
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- Accuracy audits on monthly reconciliations and financial reports (99%+ accuracy required)
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- Written exam on company financial procedures and construction accounting (80% passing score)
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- Timeliness metrics for payroll, payment runs, and financial reporting
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- Review of work by external CPA or financial auditor
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- Supervisor evaluation of attention to detail, problem-solving, and professionalism
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- Successful completion of year-end audit with zero material findings attributable to accounting errors
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---
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**Key Tasks for Qualification**
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- 1. **General Ledger & Reporting:** Perform monthly bank and credit card reconciliations with zero unreconciled items.
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- 2. **General Ledger & Reporting:** Generate and analyze the monthly Profit & Loss (P&L) and Balance Sheet reports.
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- 3. **Accounts Payable (AP):** Process and enter all vendor invoices, ensuring accurate cost coding against specific projects or overhead accounts.
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- 4. **Accounts Payable (AP):** Manage the weekly payment run, verifying all disbursements against outstanding AP.
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- 5. **Accounts Receivable (AR):** Generate and distribute client invoices based on project completion milestones or service contracts.
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- 6. **Accounts Receivable (AR):** Follow up on all overdue receivables (30, 60, 90+ days) and report on the aging schedule.
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- 7. **Project Financials:** Assist the Project Managers in generating weekly Work In Progress (WIP) reports, accurately tracking costs to date for active jobs.
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- 8. **Compliance & Payroll:** Run bi-weekly payroll, ensuring compliance with all tax withholdings and deductions.
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---
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## Foundational Training (Before Role-Specific Courses)
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1. **Company Financial Systems Overview:** Understanding the company's chart of accounts, financial structure, and reporting requirements.
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2. **Accounting Software Training:** Comprehensive training on the specific accounting software platform used (QuickBooks, Sage, SAP, etc.).
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3. **Construction/Project-Based Accounting Principles:** Understanding job costing, Work In Progress (WIP), percentage of completion, and project profitability analysis.
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4. **BAS Industry Cost Structures:** Overview of typical BAS project costs (labor, materials, subcontractors, overhead allocation) to understand the business context.
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---
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## Required Training Course List
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1. **Accounting Software Mastery:** Deep dive into the General Ledger (GL), Accounts Payable (AP), and Accounts Receivable (AR) modules.
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2. **Monthly Reconciliation Procedures:** Step-by-step process for bank, credit card, and sub-ledger reconciliation.
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3. **Financial Statement Generation and Analysis:** Generating and interpreting monthly P&L and Balance Sheet reports.
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4. **Accounts Payable Processes:** Accurate invoice processing and cost coding (Project vs. Overhead).
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5. **Vendor Management and Disbursement:** Managing payment runs and verification procedures.
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6. **Accounts Receivable & Collections Strategy:** Invoicing generation, payment tracking, and managing the aging schedule.
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7. **WIP Reporting and Project Cost Accounting:** Generating accurate cost-to-date reports for active construction projects.
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8. **Payroll Processing and Compliance:** Bi-weekly payroll execution, tax withholding, and deduction management.
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9. **Service Fusion Financial Integration:** Understanding how field time, expenses, and materials flow into the accounting system.
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10. **Tax Compliance for Construction:** Sales tax, use tax, and contractor-specific tax requirements.
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11. **Prevailing Wage Requirements:** (If applicable) Understanding Davis-Bacon and state prevailing wage compliance.
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---
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## Optional/Advanced Training
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- Advanced Excel for financial analysis and reporting
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- QuickBooks Advanced Certification (or equivalent for your platform)
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- Construction Financial Management Association (CFMA) courses
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- Certified Construction Industry Financial Professional (CCIFP)
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- Financial forecasting and budgeting techniques
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- Internal controls and fraud prevention
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- Multi-company or multi-entity accounting
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- Fixed asset management and depreciation
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## Cross-Training Opportunities
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- Shadow Project Managers to understand job costing and change order impact
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- Attend project kick-off meetings to understand revenue recognition milestones
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- Work with Warehouse Manager on inventory valuation and material cost tracking
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- Review Service Fusion workflows to understand field data capture
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- Participate in contract review meetings to understand billing terms
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- Observe estimating process to understand how project budgets are built
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---
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## Qualification Checklist
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Before being considered fully qualified, the Accountant must demonstrate:
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- [ ] Complete 6 consecutive months of error-free bank reconciliations
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- [ ] Generate accurate monthly financial statements for 12 consecutive months
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- [ ] Process 200+ vendor invoices with 99%+ accuracy in cost coding
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- [ ] Manage 50+ weekly payment runs with zero payment errors
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- [ ] Generate and collect on 100+ client invoices with proper documentation
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- [ ] Maintain accounts receivable aging with proactive collections (90%+ current)
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- [ ] Produce accurate WIP reports for 20+ projects
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- [ ] Execute 25+ payroll runs with 100% compliance and zero errors
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- [ ] Pass written exam on company financial procedures (80%+)
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- [ ] Successfully support a complete fiscal year-end audit
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- [ ] Receive supervisor sign-off on all 8 key qualification tasks
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---
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## Timeline Expectations
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**Typical Duration:** 6-12 months to full qualification
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- Months 1-2: Foundational training, software proficiency, shadowing senior accountant
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- Months 3-6: Handling routine tasks with supervision, building accuracy and speed
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- Months 7-12: Full independence on most tasks, managing month-end close process
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- Ongoing: Continuous professional development and advanced certifications
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**Note:** Timeline may be shorter for candidates with prior construction accounting experience or relevant certifications (CPA, CMA, etc.).
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## Recommended Videos
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- [Job description of Accountant - Roles, Responsibilities & Skills](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s11R1_y-D4Q)
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- [A Day in the Life of an Accountant | Indeed](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F_f42G-K7K8)
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- [A Day In The Life of An Accountant!](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7X-qD1mJq0I)