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