Project Accountant - Trades Experience Needed
Berkeley, CA
Full Time
Experienced
- Do you have experience as a Project Accountant or are you a Project Manager with accounting experience?
- Can you start your workday on-site in Berkeley by 7:00 a.m.?
- Are you currently (or recently) working in a position related to the trades?
- If so, answered “Yes” to at least two questions, please keep reading…….
ABOUT THE OPPORTUNITY
Professional Tree Care Co. of Berkeley is seeking an experienced Project Accountant overseeing the accounting side of complex and large-scale contracts. The ideal candidate will have either worked as a Project Manager in a trades industry AND worked directly with billing or worked as a Project Accountant who focused on project profitability, ideally in the trades. She/They/He should be skilled at handling progress billing, cost tracking, and financial analysis for multiple ongoing projects. This position works closely with our operations team to ensure accurate financial reporting and effective project delivery.
Examples of trades that disburse field crews include commercial or large-scale residential electrical, construction, plumbing, H.V.A.C., or solar contracting.
ABOUT THE COMPANY
Since 1980, The Professional Tree Care Company has been trusted for tree services throughout Northern California. Based in Berkeley, CA, we service commercial, residential, and public works projects from Mendocino to Monterey, and from San Francisco to Sacramento.
What makes us unique? We recycle 100% of material removed from job sites at our own Green Waste Recycle Yard, custom mill logs and create organic mulch - and (soon) electricity - from the wood chips. We also have the staff, equipment, resources, and experience to perform tree services at any scale.
Are you seeking stability? We celebrated our 45th anniversary this year. Many of our managers have been with us 10+ years; some over 20. We like to hire folks who seek a work home; people eager to work hard, learn, and make friends along the way.
WHY YOU’RE A GREAT FIT FOR THIS POSITION
- You’ve done something similar before and have a strong understanding of job costing, progress billing, and the ability to plan, track and control a project’s funding so it is completed on-time, on-budget, with accurate reporting and a happy client
- You LOVE accounting, have great attention to detail, and enjoy keeping projects organized
- You have experience with Sage Intacct/Sage 50 Accounting, Intuit QuickBooks Online, Xero, or FreshBooks or another foundation accounting software
- You’re great at MS-Excel, have used MS-Project or something similar
- You’re naturally organized and enjoy keeping projects on target
- You have excellent written and verbal communication skills and enjoy working with a field-based team
- A bachelor’s degree in accounting, finance, economics, business, or a related field
- 3-to-5 years of experience in this or a similar field dealing with commercial projects/project accounting
- Familiarity with schedule of values, billing for stored materials on-site or in bonded storage, billing interim milestones a plus
- Having a better than average memory is a HUGE plus
- You have experience as a team leader/supervisor and trainer
- Create job progress reports daily and deliver them to the CEO/President and Commercial Project Manager.
- Create and deliver weekly job costing/profitability reports and deliver them to our CEO/President, General Manager, Director of Field Operations and Director of Finance so they may pass information along to our CAEs (Certified Arborists/Estimators)
- Review large-scale estimates and contracts with our President/CEO and Commercial Bidder to ensure all relevant charges are included
- Prepare and manage progress billing including lien waivers and supporting documentation
- Track contract values, change orders, labor costs, subcontractor billing and other project-related expenses
- Monitor budgets, analyze variances, and forecast project profitability
- Reconcile job costs, verify subcontractor invoices, and ensure billing accuracy
- Finalize billing and financial documentation
- Maintain compliance with company accounting policies and contract terms
- May be required to attend 5:00 a.m. (PST) meetings via phone from time-to-time
- Work alongside our CEO and (future) Project Manager to transition to a new project management software that ties into our current accounting system, Sage Intaact, and, ideally, ADP.
COMPENSATION AND FURTHER DETAILS
The person who is accepts this role must be thoroughly satisfied with a salary of between $85,000.00 and $110,000.00 based on fit to the position and company culture.
This is a full-time, permanent position that must be worked on site at our headquarters at 2828 8th Street, Berkeley, CA. We currently do not have a remote/WFH option.
The winning candidate will receive benefits and perks including: 401(k), PTO (Paid Time Off/Vacation), holidays, sick days, an employee discount, employee referral bonus, training funds, and full health coverage paid at 100% including medical, dental, and optical insurance after 90 days of employment.
Who should NOT apply:
- Accounting folks with NO experience doing Project Accounting OR Project Management experience with a strong accounting element
- Folks who live more than 45 minutes from our office at 2828 8th Street, Berkeley, CA. (Traffic in the morning can be maddening and this position does not have a work-from-home option.) NOTE: If you currently live outside the 45-minute radius and will be moving, please indicate so on your resume or cover letter
- Anyone seeking a salary beyond what’s in our 2026 budget of $85K-to-$110K
NO Recruiting or Staffing Agencies, please
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