Construction Billing & Accounting Manager

Primary Purpose

The Construction Billing & Accounting Manager is the financial backbone of the company, responsible for managing all aspects of construction billing, job cost accounting, and day-to-day financial operations for a growing plumbing subcontractor. This role ensures that every project is billed accurately and on time, that the company’s books reflect the true financial position of each job, and that our relationships with general contractors are supported by professional, timely, and compliant financial documentation.

Overview

We are looking for an experienced, construction-savvy Construction Billing & Accounting Manager to own the full financial cycle of our plumbing subcontracting business. This is not a junior role — we need someone who understands how money moves in a GC/subcontractor relationship and who can manage everything from AIA pay applications and lien waivers to job costing, payroll, and month-end close.
As Construction Billing & Accounting Manager, you will serve as the primary point of contact for all billing and accounting activity, working directly with ownership, project managers, and GC accounting departments. You’ll own the full AR cycle including preparation and submission of AIA G702/G703 pay applications, schedule of values management, and lien waiver processing. On the accounting side, you’ll manage AP, payroll, QuickBooks, bank reconciliations, and month-end close.
The ideal candidate has hands-on experience in construction accounting — ideally with a plumbing, mechanical, or other trade subcontractor — and is highly fluent in the billing and compliance requirements that come with working for general contractors. You are organized, deadline-driven, and confident managing multiple projects and billing cycles simultaneously.

Essential Functions

Construction Billing & Accounts Receivable

• Prepare, submit, and track AIA G702/G703 pay applications to general contractors on a monthly billing cycle
• Build and manage the Schedule of Values (SOV) for each project in coordination with the Project Manager
• Track billing status across all active jobs and follow up with GC accounting contacts on outstanding pay apps
• Process and submit conditional and unconditional lien waivers in compliance with GC and owner requirements
• Manage the Receivables Tracker across all active jobs and projects, ensuring accurate aging and collections visibility
• Coordinate with Project Managers to verify percentage of completion and approved change orders prior to billing
• Process and track change order billing; ensure all approved change orders are captured in the billing cycle
• Receive, post, and deposit incoming payments; file all A/R invoices and deposit receipts
• Prepare and send preliminary notices and monitor lien rights deadlines as required by project

Job Cost Accounting & WIP Reporting

• Maintain accurate job cost records in QuickBooks for all active projects, including labor, materials, subcontractors, and equipment
• Allocate costs to the correct job and cost code; review and correct miscoded transactions
• Prepare monthly Work-in-Progress (WIP) reports for ownership review, including over/under billing analysis
• Monitor project budgets vs. actuals and flag variances to Project Managers and ownership
• Support project closeout by reconciling final job costs, releasing retainage billing, and closing jobs in the system
• Prepare open A/R and A/P reports; run job cost and profitability reports as requested

QuickBooks & Accounting System Management
Daily:

• Process A/R and A/P invoicing activity and perform account updates as needed
• Reconcile bank accounts and monitor credit card accounts for activity

Monthly:

• Reconcile all credit card accounts
• Complete month-end close by the 10th of each month; submit information to external accountants by the 5th

As Needed:

• Prepare open A/R and A/P aging reports
• Run job cost, profitability, and company financial reports as requested by ownership
• Obtain, verify, and update W-9 information for all vendors and subcontractors
• Maintain organized digital and physical filing systems for all financial records

Accounts Payable

• Review, code, and enter all vendor and supplier invoices for payment, allocating costs to the correct job and cost code
• Manage subcontractor invoicing — verify invoices against subcontract agreements and confirm work completion with Project Managers before approving payment
• Collect and maintain current certificates of insurance (COIs) and W-9s for all subcontractors before processing payment
• Process check runs, ACH payments, and recurring payments on schedule
• File all invoices, check stubs, and payment records in accordance with company document retention standards

Payroll & Compliance

• Process bi-weekly payroll for field and office staff, including prevailing wage and certified payroll reporting when required by project
• Prepare and submit certified payroll reports (Davis-Bacon or state equivalent) to GCs on applicable public or government-funded projects
• Submit 401(k) contribution information to plan administrator on a timely basis
• Maintain payroll records and e-file all required documents in the accounting server
• Ensure compliance with federal and state payroll tax requirements; coordinate with external accountants on quarterly and annual filings

GC Relationship & Contract Compliance

• Serve as the primary accounting point of contact with GC project managers and accounting departments
• Review subcontract agreements to understand billing requirements, retainage terms, and lien waiver obligations before project kick-off
• Track retainage receivable across all projects and initiate retainage billing upon substantial completion or contract terms
• Ensure all billing documentation (pay apps, waivers, COIs, W-9s) is submitted in the format required by each GC
• Maintain organized project files including executed contracts, change orders, pay applications, and correspondence

Requirements

• Deep understanding of construction billing processes including AIA pay applications, schedule of values, lien waivers, and retainage
• Strong working knowledge of job cost accounting, cost coding, and WIP reporting in a project-based business
• Exceptional attention to detail and commitment to accuracy across all billing and accounting functions
• Ability to manage multiple concurrent billing cycles and deadlines without dropping the ball
• Professional and confident communication skills when interacting with GC accounting departments and project teams
• Proactive, self-directed work style — this role owns the function and must operate with minimal oversight
• High degree of discretion when handling sensitive financial, payroll, and contract information

Attributes of a Successful Candidate

• Minimum 5 years of accounting or billing experience, with at least 3 years in a construction subcontractor environment (plumbing, mechanical, electrical, or similar trade preferred)
• Demonstrated experience preparing and submitting AIA G702/G703 pay applications and managing lien waivers
• Proficiency in QuickBooks (Desktop or Online) required; experience with construction-specific software (e.g., Knowify, Buildertrend, Foundation, Sage 100 Contractor) a strong plus
• Experience with certified payroll reporting (Davis-Bacon) preferred
• Associate or bachelor’s degree in Accounting, Finance, or related field preferred; equivalent construction accounting experience considered
• Advanced proficiency in Microsoft Excel; comfortable building and maintaining job cost tracking spreadsheets
• Experience working directly with general contractors and understanding the subcontractor billing relationship
• Familiarity with subcontract agreement review, retainage tracking, and change order billing