Pave Talent
Regional Operations Controller - Construction Accounting Expert (WIP Focus)
Pave Talent, El Cajon, California, United States, 92021
Regional Operations Controller - Construction Accounting Expert (WIP Focus)
Ready to drive financial clarity and project profitability for a thriving San Diego construction company? Pave Talent is hiring for our client, an established $60M construction company serving the Southern California market. With multiple specialized divisions and a reputation for excellence in their field, this is your opportunity to make an immediate impact in a close-knit, family-oriented environment where employees stay for decades. About Our Client Our client is a mid-sized construction contractor with ~285 employees, managing a high volume of projects across the San Diego region. Known for their second-to-none field teams and long-standing client relationships, they're on a growth trajectory that requires sophisticated financial leadership. The Role & Your Impact As Regional Operations Controller, you won't be stuck in traditional controller tasks - no payroll processing, tax returns, or audit management here. Instead, you'll be the financial partner to operations leadership, focused exclusively on what matters most: WIP analysis, job costing, and project profitability. Your success will be measured by: Delivering accurate, actionable monthly WIP analysis that drives decision-making Reducing project cost variance by improving cost-to-complete forecasting accuracy Building strong partnerships with field teams to ensure real-time cost tracking Identifying and preventing project financial issues before they become problems Streamlining processes to move from "historians looking backward" to proactive financial management What You'll Own Monthly WIP Analysis & KPI Reporting
– Lead comprehensive work-in-progress analysis, diving deep into over/under billings, cost-to-complete accuracy, and gross profit margins to provide leadership with clear visibility into project health. Forensic Project Analysis
– Act as the financial detective, identifying root causes of budget variances whether they stem from estimating, field production, materials, or subcontractor issues, then partnering with operations to implement solutions. Cost-to-Complete Forecasting
– Work hands-on with project managers to build realistic forecasts that account for actual field conditions, not just original bid assumptions, ensuring projects stay profitable. Field Team Partnership
– Build accountability with superintendents and foremen to ensure accurate, real-time cost coding in the project management system (HCSS Heavy Job), creating a culture of financial ownership at the field level. Process Champion & System Optimization
– Drive improvements in how the company tracks commitments, processes change orders, and integrates data between estimating software (HCSS Heavy Bid) and the construction ERP (Viewpoint Vista). Financial Reporting & Journal Entries
– Prepare journal entries to tie WIP to the income statement for corporate consolidation, maintaining accuracy across all project financials. Leadership & Cross-Functional Collaboration
– Manage up to the Operations President, manage out to field teams, and eventually oversee one AR/AP team member as processes mature. Strategic Advising
– Serve as the trusted advisor on all things related to job costing, progress billing, equipment tracking, labor cost allocations, and construction-specific financial procedures. What We're Looking For Required Qualifications: Bachelor's degree in Accounting
(or related field) 5+ years of construction accounting experience
– This is non-negotiable; construction skills are NOT transferable from other industries Deep expertise in WIP analysis
– You should be comfortable explaining KPIs like over/under billings, earned revenue, cost variance, and gross profit margins in your sleep Job cost accounting mastery
– Experience with project-level accounting, progress billing, and cost-to-complete analysis Construction ERP proficiency
– Experience with industry-standard systems (Viewpoint, Spectrum, CMiC, Foundation, etc.); client uses Viewpoint Vista Strong analytical mindset
– Ability to dive into complex project data and surface actionable insights for leadership US work authorization
– Must be authorized to work in the US without sponsorship Preferred Qualifications: Experience with
HCSS Heavy Bid
or
Heavy Job
project management software Background in
civil construction or infrastructure projects Track record of
process improvement
in construction accounting environments Leadership experience (direct or indirect team management) Comfortable working in
Excel for advanced WIP analysis
(ERP generates reports, but you'll need to manipulate data for month-over-month comparisons) Cultural Must-Haves: Go-getter mentality
– You don't wait to be told what to do; you identify problems and solve them Comfortable with ambiguity
– This company is building sophisticated processes, not maintaining them yet Learning agility
– You know when to ask questions vs. when to find answers independently Strong interpersonal skills
– You'll work with everyone from the field crew to the C-suite Thick skin with professionalism
– Construction environments can be rough-and-tumble; you need to be comfortable while maintaining high professional standards Patience with culture change
– This is a family company with 15-40 year tenured employees; you'll drive change thoughtfully, not by steamrolling people Base Salary:
$105,000 - $125,000 (flexible for exceptional candidates) + Annual bonus Work Arrangement:
Full-time on-site for first 90 days (training period), then
hybrid schedule with 3 days on-site, 2 days remote Benefits from Day One:
Comprehensive medical, dental, and vision coverage, 401(k) with company contribution, generous PTO, and annual salary reviews every February Growth Path:
This is a newly created role with high visibility to ownership. Strong performers will have opportunities to expand responsibilities and compensation as the company continues to scale. Stability & Culture:
Join a company where people don't leave—many employees have been here 15+ years. The owners genuinely value their team, and you'll experience that family culture from day one while working alongside highly skilled field professionals who take pride in being the best. Why This Opportunity Stands Out Unlike typical controller roles buried in overhead tasks, you'll spend your time on high-impact financial analysis that directly influences project success. You'll have the
autonomy to redesign processes , the
visibility to drive real change , and the
support of leadership
who understand they need sophisticated financial management to reach their next phase of growth.
#J-18808-Ljbffr
Ready to drive financial clarity and project profitability for a thriving San Diego construction company? Pave Talent is hiring for our client, an established $60M construction company serving the Southern California market. With multiple specialized divisions and a reputation for excellence in their field, this is your opportunity to make an immediate impact in a close-knit, family-oriented environment where employees stay for decades. About Our Client Our client is a mid-sized construction contractor with ~285 employees, managing a high volume of projects across the San Diego region. Known for their second-to-none field teams and long-standing client relationships, they're on a growth trajectory that requires sophisticated financial leadership. The Role & Your Impact As Regional Operations Controller, you won't be stuck in traditional controller tasks - no payroll processing, tax returns, or audit management here. Instead, you'll be the financial partner to operations leadership, focused exclusively on what matters most: WIP analysis, job costing, and project profitability. Your success will be measured by: Delivering accurate, actionable monthly WIP analysis that drives decision-making Reducing project cost variance by improving cost-to-complete forecasting accuracy Building strong partnerships with field teams to ensure real-time cost tracking Identifying and preventing project financial issues before they become problems Streamlining processes to move from "historians looking backward" to proactive financial management What You'll Own Monthly WIP Analysis & KPI Reporting
– Lead comprehensive work-in-progress analysis, diving deep into over/under billings, cost-to-complete accuracy, and gross profit margins to provide leadership with clear visibility into project health. Forensic Project Analysis
– Act as the financial detective, identifying root causes of budget variances whether they stem from estimating, field production, materials, or subcontractor issues, then partnering with operations to implement solutions. Cost-to-Complete Forecasting
– Work hands-on with project managers to build realistic forecasts that account for actual field conditions, not just original bid assumptions, ensuring projects stay profitable. Field Team Partnership
– Build accountability with superintendents and foremen to ensure accurate, real-time cost coding in the project management system (HCSS Heavy Job), creating a culture of financial ownership at the field level. Process Champion & System Optimization
– Drive improvements in how the company tracks commitments, processes change orders, and integrates data between estimating software (HCSS Heavy Bid) and the construction ERP (Viewpoint Vista). Financial Reporting & Journal Entries
– Prepare journal entries to tie WIP to the income statement for corporate consolidation, maintaining accuracy across all project financials. Leadership & Cross-Functional Collaboration
– Manage up to the Operations President, manage out to field teams, and eventually oversee one AR/AP team member as processes mature. Strategic Advising
– Serve as the trusted advisor on all things related to job costing, progress billing, equipment tracking, labor cost allocations, and construction-specific financial procedures. What We're Looking For Required Qualifications: Bachelor's degree in Accounting
(or related field) 5+ years of construction accounting experience
– This is non-negotiable; construction skills are NOT transferable from other industries Deep expertise in WIP analysis
– You should be comfortable explaining KPIs like over/under billings, earned revenue, cost variance, and gross profit margins in your sleep Job cost accounting mastery
– Experience with project-level accounting, progress billing, and cost-to-complete analysis Construction ERP proficiency
– Experience with industry-standard systems (Viewpoint, Spectrum, CMiC, Foundation, etc.); client uses Viewpoint Vista Strong analytical mindset
– Ability to dive into complex project data and surface actionable insights for leadership US work authorization
– Must be authorized to work in the US without sponsorship Preferred Qualifications: Experience with
HCSS Heavy Bid
or
Heavy Job
project management software Background in
civil construction or infrastructure projects Track record of
process improvement
in construction accounting environments Leadership experience (direct or indirect team management) Comfortable working in
Excel for advanced WIP analysis
(ERP generates reports, but you'll need to manipulate data for month-over-month comparisons) Cultural Must-Haves: Go-getter mentality
– You don't wait to be told what to do; you identify problems and solve them Comfortable with ambiguity
– This company is building sophisticated processes, not maintaining them yet Learning agility
– You know when to ask questions vs. when to find answers independently Strong interpersonal skills
– You'll work with everyone from the field crew to the C-suite Thick skin with professionalism
– Construction environments can be rough-and-tumble; you need to be comfortable while maintaining high professional standards Patience with culture change
– This is a family company with 15-40 year tenured employees; you'll drive change thoughtfully, not by steamrolling people Base Salary:
$105,000 - $125,000 (flexible for exceptional candidates) + Annual bonus Work Arrangement:
Full-time on-site for first 90 days (training period), then
hybrid schedule with 3 days on-site, 2 days remote Benefits from Day One:
Comprehensive medical, dental, and vision coverage, 401(k) with company contribution, generous PTO, and annual salary reviews every February Growth Path:
This is a newly created role with high visibility to ownership. Strong performers will have opportunities to expand responsibilities and compensation as the company continues to scale. Stability & Culture:
Join a company where people don't leave—many employees have been here 15+ years. The owners genuinely value their team, and you'll experience that family culture from day one while working alongside highly skilled field professionals who take pride in being the best. Why This Opportunity Stands Out Unlike typical controller roles buried in overhead tasks, you'll spend your time on high-impact financial analysis that directly influences project success. You'll have the
autonomy to redesign processes , the
visibility to drive real change , and the
support of leadership
who understand they need sophisticated financial management to reach their next phase of growth.
#J-18808-Ljbffr