Associate Consultant, Project Accounting - Chicago, United States - WSP USA

Description

This Opportunity

Provides professional accounting and financial specialist support to a project team, reviewing and evaluating project charges for accuracy, completing cost transfers, establishing and updating funding as needed, instituting and maintaining project budgets, and ensuring that all project data is current. Generates accurate and concise documentation regarding infrastructure/transportation/professional services projects within Oracle, providing pre-billing information for project manager review, and are accountable for independently reviewing, providing QA/QC on invoices including recommendations to PM and ensuring compliance with the contract. Ensures that responsibilities are delivered and adhered to with a level of quality that meets or exceeds acceptable industry standards, supporting the delivery of future-ready solutions to clients.

Your Impact

• Works independently to manage and analyze the collection, recording, and allocation of project costs and revenue; ensuring accurate project profit and loss calculations, budget vs. actual cost, and developing and providing project financial performance and profitability to project/program management.
• Responsible for lifecycle project accounting from creating project accounts in Oracle, to tracking projects and project budget, validating invoicing, project close-out, and reconciling overall project payables and receivables to project budgets.
• Perform detailed and involved accounting tasks related to managing project contract revenue, billing events, and billing transaction exceptions.
• Partner with the Project Manager and project team to establish the project budget, updating budgets as needed when contract modifications or budget changes arise.
• Generate project financial reports, evaluating the reports for any items that need to be escalated for review by the Project Manager as necessary.
• Authorize access to project accounts, and the transfer of expenses into and out of project-related accounts in compliance with established accounting practices and guidelines.
• Maintain quality control standards and procedures for generating accurate and precise project-related financial records using Oracle, spreadsheets, and software.
• For assigned projects, apply learned accounting expertise relating to project resources, labor and expenses, investigating project variances and submitting variance reports to management.
• Verify contract and change order characteristics, including reading and interpreting contract language, method of compensation, modifications, purchase orders, and subcontract/consultant terms.
• Responsible for ensuring draft invoices from billing are accurate based on the contract requirements agreed upon with the client, identifying any corrections needed, obtaining Project Manager documentation and signature, and finalizing the invoice approval with the Project Manager/billing team and submits the invoice to the client.
• Subcontract management and coordination with Contract Administrators. This includes evaluating subconsultant invoice submittals for accuracy, establish and maintain purchase orders for subconsultants, and request and follow up on subcontractor payment requests with Accounts Payable.
• Identify and record unpaid contract billings, following up on any delinquent accounts receivable and/or unbilled costs.
• Respond to requests for more detail from clients, investigate all project expenses not billed to clients, and review and approve all project-related billings to clients.
• Attend project-related meetings to inform the team regarding the current status of project financials, articulating problem projects and following up on any identified actions as discussed.
• Create and submit government reports related to projects.
• Compile information for review by a more Senior Consultant prior to submitting for internal and external auditors as required.
• Remain current in latest project accounting principles and subject matter.
• Exercise responsible and ethical decision-making regarding company funds, resources and conduct, and adhere to WSP's Code of Conduct and related policies and procedures.
• Perform additional responsibilities as required by business needs.

Who You Are

Required Qualifications

• Bachelor's Degree in Accounting, Business, or closely-related discipline (or demonstrated proven equivalent experience).
• 1 to 3 years of relevant post education experience in accounting, project contracts and change order documents.
• Knowledge of project accounting principles, practices, and methods and their application to project work-related issues.
• Developing an analytical mindset with an ability to exercise sound independent judgement in evaluating situations and making decisions with financial implications to the company.
• Capable interpersonal and communication skills when interacting with others, expressing ideas effectively and professionally to an accounting and non-accounting audience.
• Capable self-leadership with attention to detail, accuracy, multi-tasking, and prioritization of responsibilities in a dynamic work environment.
• Ability to work independently with minimal supervision, as well as part of a team to meet business objectives.
• Proficient with technical writing, office automation and accounting software, technology, math principles, spreadsheets, MS Excel, pivot tables, formulas, data format/sort/filter, predictive models, and tools.
• Critical thinking and problem-solving skills required to apply learned subject matter and technical knowledge to reach conclusions from data collation, documentation, statistical analysis, and arriving at the most effective, economical, and logical solution.
• Awareness of and adherence to WSP USA's Project Delivery Handbook.
• Proven track record of upholding workplace safety and ability to abide by WSP's health, safety and drug/alcohol and harassment policies.
• This is a professional role and as such work deadlines and work hours may extend beyond a typical workday.
• Occasional travel may be required depending on project-specific requirements.

Preferred Qualifications:

• Familiarity with Oracle preferred (but not required).

WSP Benefits:

WSP provides a comprehensive suite of benefits focused on a providing health and financial stability throughout the employee's career. These benefits include coverage related to medical, dental, vision, disability, and life; retirement savings; paid sick leave; paid vacation (or other personal time); paid parental leave; and paid time off for purposes of bereavement, voting, and/or attendance at naturalization proceedings.

Compensation:

Expected Salary (all locations): $57,400 - $94,710

WSP USA is providing the compensation range that the company in good faith believes it might pay and offer for this position, based on the successful applicant's education, experience, knowledge, skills, abilities in addition to internal equity and specific geographic location. WSP USA reserves the right to ultimately pay more or less than the posted range and offer additional benefits and other compensation, depending on circumstances not related to an applicant's sex or other status protected by local, state, and/or federal law.

Expected Salary (Colorado only): $64,700 - $88,880

About WSP

WSP USA is the U.S. operating company of WSP, one of the world's leading engineering and professional services firms. Dedicated to serving local communities, we are engineers, planners, technical experts, strategic advisors and construction management professionals. WSP USA designs lasting solutions in the buildings, transportation, energy, water and environment markets. With more than 15,000 employees in over 300 offices across the U.S., we partner with our clients to help communities prosper.

WSP provides a flexible and agile workplace model while meeting client needs. Employees are also afforded a comprehensive suite of benefits including medical, dental, vision, disability, life, and retirement savings focused on providing health and financial stability throughout the employee's career.

At WSP, we want to give our employees the challenges they seek to grow their careers and knowledge base. Your daily contributions to your team will be essential in meeting client objectives, goals and challenges. Are you ready to get started?

WSP USA (and all of its U.S. companies) is an Equal Opportunity Employer Race/Age/Color/Religion/Sex/Sexual Orientation/Gender Identity/National Origin/Disability or Protected Veteran Status.

The selected candidate must be authorized to work in the United States.

NOTICE TO THIRD PARTY AGENCIES:

WSP does not accept unsolicited resumes from recruiters, employment agencies, or other staffing services. Unsolicited resumes include any resume or hiring document sent to WSP in the absence of a signed Service Agreement where WSP has expressly requested recruitment/staffing services specific to the position at hand. Any unsolicited resumes, including those submitted to hiring managers or other business leaders, will become the property of WSP and WSP will have the right to hire that candidate without reservation – no fee or other compensation will be owed or paid to the recruiter, employment agency, or other staffing service.