[Hiring] Project Accounting Director @Orion Group

Role Description

The Director of Project Accounting is the corporate owner of how project revenue is accounted for and reported across the Orion network, reporting directly to the VP, Corporate Controller.

• More than 30 of our operating companies run project work, representing $500M+ of annual project revenue across roughly 1,000 open percentage-of-completion jobs at any given time.
• This role brings a common approach to how that revenue is recognized and reported, respecting local practices while raising the bar everywhere.
• This is a leadership and change management role that runs on technical credibility.
• Corporate sets the standard; we design it, teach it, and earn its adoption across operating companies whose finance leaders do not report to you.
• This is a builder's seat; you will be the first person at Orion to own this function and shape it rather than inherit it.

The judgment areas that define this role include:

• Job costing and cost-to-complete discipline on multi-month projects.
• ASC 606 application across various contract structures.
• Contract modifications and claims.
• Retainage management.
• Loss contract identification.
• Warranty reserves and deferred revenue.
• WIP reporting, over- and under-billings.

Qualifications

• 8+ years in project or contract accounting, including experience at a corporate or multi-entity level.
• Hands-on experience with multi-month project work.
• Strong command of ASC 606 as applied to construction and service contracts.
• Demonstrated success in setting standards adopted by finance leaders outside your reporting line.
• Multi-entity experience in an acquisitive or decentralized environment.
• Working fluency across ERP environments and direct involvement in at least one implementation or conversion.
• Proficiency across Microsoft Office and AI platforms.
• CPA is a plus, not a requirement.
• Willingness to travel to operating companies.

Requirements

• Project and contract accounting depth.
• Influence at scale through a leadership layer.
• Field credibility.
• Teaching instinct.
• Verification discipline.
• Ownership mentality.
• Systems fluency.
• Comfort with ambiguity and a fast pace.
• Low ego, high collaboration.

Key Responsibilities

• Design and document the network approach to project accounting.
• Serve as the accounting depth owner for project revenue in external audit.
• Map how each project-revenue operating company recognizes revenue today.
• Build a risk view across project revenue and use it to sequence where the standard lands first.
• Lead adoption across the operating companies in partnership with the Group VPs of Finance.
• Build and deliver the training that brings operating company finance teams onto the standard.
• Establish reporting on adoption status, WIP quality, estimate revision patterns, and margin trends.
• Review consolidated project revenue and WIP each month.
• Build and run the project accounting playbook for newly acquired companies.

What Success Looks Like (first 12 months)

• Current-state map complete across project-revenue operating companies.
• Network project accounting standard documented, approved, and adopted by operating companies representing 80%+ of project revenue.
• Project-revenue operating companies reporting WIP monthly on a common schedule.
• Job-level exception reporting live, with estimate revision and margin trends visible.
• Warranty reserve and deferred revenue risk view complete.
• Training delivered to operating company finance leaders.
• Acquisition onboarding playbook live and applied to every deal closing after month six.
• Project revenue positions documented and supported in the annual audit.

Reporting Structure

This position reports directly to the VP, Corporate Controller and partners with the Group VPs of Finance to reach the operating companies.

Work Location and Schedule

This is a full-time role based in New York, New York. Remote candidates will be considered for the right fit. Travel of 30-40% to operating companies is expected, particularly during the initial rollout.

Compensation

The salary for this role will be determined based on experience, qualifications, and alignment with organizational needs.

Our Values

• Own It: Take responsibility for your results and empower others to own theirs.
• Act With Care: Strive to do work you can be proud of today and in 100 years.
• Be Agile: Have a growth mindset, embrace continuous improvement, and keep reinventing yourself.
• Win Together: Serve the team, learn from each other, and collectively raise the bar.