Senior Construction Accountant & Financial Analysis Consultant—Foundation Software

We are seeking a Senior Construction Accountant & Financial Analysis Consultant with expertise in Foundation Software to support a Financial Clarity and turnaround advisory engagement for two related specialty-contractor companies. The consultant will work under the direction of AEG’s Principal and Engagement Partner to assess the reliability of the clients’ accounting records, financial statements, job-cost reporting, cash-flow information, debt obligations, accounting procedures, and internal finance-team structure. The ideal candidate will have substantial experience with construction or specialty-contractor accounting and a strong working knowledge of job costing, work-in-progress reporting, balance-sheet reconciliations, payroll and labor-cost allocation, multi-entity accounting, cash-flow analysis, and management reporting. Experience with Foundation Software is strongly preferred. This role combines technical construction accounting, financial analysis, and project-based advisory support. The consultant will prepare technical findings and supporting analyses, while AEG’s Principal will retain responsibility for client strategy, final recommendations, proposal scope, and executive-level advisory communication. Initial Engagement Objectives The consultant will help AEG determine: Whether the financial statements can be relied upon for management decisions Whether balance-sheet accounts and reconciliations are complete and accurate Whether job-cost reports agree with the general ledger Whether the companies’ current workload and margins can support financial stabilization Whether sufficient cash is available to meet payroll, vendor, tax, and debt obligations How bank debt and repayment requirements affect financial viability Whether the current accounting structure and staffing model are appropriate How the companies’ PEO transition should be integrated into the accounting process What accounting corrections, process improvements, and reporting systems are required What ongoing accounting, Controller, and CFO-level services should be recommended Primary Responsibilities Financial-Statement and General-Ledger Assessment Review financial statements for two related legal entities. Evaluate the accuracy and consistency of profit-and-loss statements, balance sheets, and trial balances. Review the chart of accounts and financial-statement classifications. Identify unusual, unsupported, negative, stale, or potentially inaccurate balances. Evaluate whether financial information is being recorded consistently between reporting periods. Assess the completeness and reliability of the monthly-close process. Document findings requiring correction, clarification, or additional investigation. Balance-Sheet and Reconciliation Review Review the status and quality of bank and credit-card reconciliations. Evaluate accounts receivable and accounts payable balances. Review customer deposits, retainage, payroll liabilities, taxes, loans, credit cards, fixed assets, and equity accounts. Compare general-ledger balances with available supporting schedules and third-party statements. Identify missing reconciliations, unsupported balances, old outstanding items, and other exceptions. Prepare or supervise preliminary reconciliation and exception schedules. Recommend priorities for cleanup and correction. Construction Job-Cost and WIP Analysis Evaluate the clients’ current job-cost accounting structure. Review how direct labor, labor burden, materials, subcontractors, equipment, and other project costs are assigned. Assess whether job-cost information agrees with the general ledger. Review available work-in-progress, backlog, contract, billing, and project-profitability reports. Analyze estimated versus actual job performance when sufficient information is available. Identify projects or service categories with weak or declining margins. Evaluate the accuracy of labor and overhead allocation procedures. Identify gaps that prevent reliable project-level or crew-level profitability reporting. Recommend improvements to job-cost and WIP procedures. Foundation Software Assessment Review the clients’ use of Foundation Software for general ledger, job costing, payroll, accounts payable, and financial reporting. Assess available system configurations, modules, reports, and workflows. Determine whether current Foundation reports provide adequate financial and operational visibility. Identify reporting, coding, integration, or workflow deficiencies. Evaluate how payroll, job-cost, PEO, and general-ledger information flow through the system. Recommend system or process improvements. Coordinate with an external Foundation Software specialist when advanced configuration support is required. Cash-Flow and Working-Capital Analysis Review current cash balances and short-term financial obligations. Analyze accounts-receivable aging and expected collection timing. Review weekly payroll requirements, vendor obligations, PEO funding, tax payments, and debt service. Assist with development of a rolling 13-week cash-flow forecast. Identify potential cash shortages and liquidity risks. Evaluate working-capital requirements associated with active projects and backlog. Compare projected cash flow with actual performance. Support development of base, downside, and recovery scenarios Budgeting, Forecasting, and Viability Analysis Assist with development of a 12-month operating budget and rolling financial forecast. Calculate break-even revenue and gross-profit requirements. Analyze revenue, backlog, margins, labor costs, overhead, and debt-service requirements. Evaluate whether the companies’ current and projected workload can support financial stabilization. Model the financial impact of staffing changes, cost reductions, delayed collections, margin improvements, and debt payments. Support development of management and lender-ready financial schedules. Clearly document assumptions, limitations, and data dependencies. Debt and Bank-Reporting Support Compile available loan agreements, statements, payment schedules, and bank correspondence. Prepare a consolidated debt-obligation schedule. Identify missing or unclear repayment terms requiring client or lender clarification. Analyze the effect of scheduled debt payments on cash flow. Assist in preparing lender-reporting schedules and financial-support packages. Provide technical information to AEG’s Principal for client and lender discussions. Avoid direct representations to the bank unless specifically authorized by AEG. Multi-Entity and Shared-Cost Analysis Review the financial relationship between the two legal entities. Evaluate shared administrative and general costs. Assess the consistency and reasonableness of shared-cost allocations. Identify intercompany balances and transactions. Determine whether entity-level and combined management reporting can be prepared reliably. Recommend procedures to maintain legal-entity separation while improving consolidated management visibility. Payroll, Labor, and PEO Accounting Review payroll accounting and labor-cost allocation procedures. Assess how weekly payroll costs are assigned to jobs, departments, and entities. Review payroll clearing, tax, benefits, and workers’ compensation accounts. Evaluate the accounting impact of the companies’ transition to a professional employer organization. Determine how PEO invoices, payroll costs, taxes, benefits, and administrative fees should be recorded. Identify the accounting duties that remain with the internal finance team after PEO implementation. Recommend controls over payroll approvals, employee changes, funding, and reporting. Accounting Staffing and Internal-Control Assessment Document the responsibilities of the Controller, payroll/accounts-payable employee, bookkeeper, receptionist, PEO, external accounting firm, and AEG. Evaluate whether duties are appropriately assigned based on skill level and risk. Assess segregation of duties over payroll, vendor setup, payments, reconciliations, and journal entries. Identify duplicated, missing, or incompatible responsibilities. Evaluate whether certain duties can be consolidated, reassigned, automated, or outsourced. Assist AEG in developing a recommended future-state accounting-team structure. Do not independently recommend employee termination or communicate staffing conclusions directly to client personnel. Financial Dashboard and Management Reporting Assist in identifying reliable key performance indicators. Prepare supporting schedules for management dashboards. Analyze revenue, gross profit, operating profit, cash, receivables, labor, overhead, backlog, debt, and job performance. Help establish budget-versus-actual and forecast-versus-actual reporting. Identify financial exceptions and trends requiring management attention. Prepare technical commentary and findings for review by AEG’s Principal. Support recurring monthly or quarterly Financial Reviews. Findings, Recommendations, and Deliverables Maintain a detailed findings and issues log. Categorize findings by severity, financial effect, and implementation priority. Prepare technical workpapers and supporting schedules. Draft accounting and financial-analysis portions of the Financial Findings Report. Develop a prioritized cleanup and implementation roadmap. Participate in internal review meetings with AEG. Participate in client findings meetings when requested. Revise analyses and schedules based on AEG review. Maintain complete documentation supporting conclusions. Initial Project Deliverables The consultant may be responsible for preparing or supporting: Financial-statement integrity assessment Balance-sheet exception and reconciliation schedule Accounts-receivable and accounts-payable analysis Debt and bank-obligation schedule Entity-level and combined financial analysis Job-cost and WIP readiness assessment Foundation Software process assessment PEO accounting-impact assessment Cash-flow and working-capital analysis Break-even and viability calculations Accounting-staff responsibility matrix Internal-control findings Financial reporting and dashboard recommendations Technical findings report Prioritized stabilization and implementation roadmap Required Qualifications Bachelor’s degree in accounting, finance, or a related field At least five years of progressive accounting experience At least three years of direct construction or specialty-contractor accounting experience Strong knowledge of job costing and project-based accounting Experience reviewing balance sheets and reconciliation workpapers Experience with WIP, backlog, contract, or project-profitability reporting Strong understanding of payroll and labor-cost allocation Experience with multi-entity accounting and shared-cost allocations Advanced proficiency in Microsoft Excel Experience developing or supporting budgets and cash-flow forecasts Ability to analyze incomplete or inconsistent financial information Ability to clearly document assumptions, exceptions, and conclusions Strong written and verbal communication skills Ability to work independently while following AEG review and approval procedures Demonstrated discretion when handling confidential financial and personnel information Strongly Preferred Qualifications Direct experience with Foundation Software Experience supporting commercial painters, waterproofing contractors, fireproofing contractors, specialty contractors, or other construction companies Experience with companies generating approximately $4 million to $10 million in annual revenue Experience with financially stressed or turnaround-stage businesses Experience preparing reports for banks or lenders Experience with 13-week cash-flow forecasting Experience with percentage-of-completion accounting Experience with retainage, progress billing, change orders, and labor-burden allocation Experience working with PEO payroll arrangements CPA, CMA, CCIFP, or similar professional credential A professional credential is preferred but is not required when the candidate has substantial relevant construction-accounting and Foundation Software experience Technical Skills The successful consultant should be able to: Navigate construction-accounting systems Export and analyze general-ledger data Review trial balances and supporting schedules Trace financial-statement balances to source reports Analyze job-cost and WIP data Build clear and auditable Excel workpapers Prepare cash-flow and debt schedules Identify material financial-reporting risks Maintain secure and organized electronic documentation Explain technical accounting matters in practical business language Performance Expectations Success in this role will be measured by: Accuracy and completeness of workpapers Ability to identify material accounting and reporting issues Quality of construction-accounting analysis Reliability of job-cost, WIP, debt, and cash-flow schedules Clear documentation of assumptions and limitations Timely completion of assigned work Efficient use of authorized hours Professional collaboration with AEG and client personnel Protection of confidential information Practical, well-supported technical recommendations