Property Accountant & Office Manager
8 days ago
Philadelphia
The ledgers of a development firm tell its whole story: every acquisition, every draw request, every closing. Ours now follow a portfolio of more than 600 residential units held across 60 special-purpose entities, with $40MM of new development in the pipeline behind them. We are hiring a Property Accountant with a real estate background to keep those books impeccable, and to run the office with the same steady hand. \n \n Design Pro Development LLC is a private residential developer, builder, and property owner headquartered in Philadelphia. For more than a decade we have acquired, designed, constructed, and managed real estate across the city and its most storied suburbs: bespoke single-family estates in Montgomery and Bucks Counties, boutique condominiums in Old City, and multifamily communities in the neighborhoods where we began. Our portfolio is valued in excess of $140 million and continues to compound; our latest offering, The Curator on Quarry, closed out as Old City’s top-selling condominium at 95 percent presold. The standard we keep is printed beneath our name: built without compromise. \n \n The firm runs on a modern operating stack, with AppFolio and QuickBooks for the books, Asana for operations, Buildertrend in the field, and Claude for daily drafting and analysis. We invest in our tools deliberately and expect the people who join us to use them fluently. \n \n This is a dual mandate, weighted roughly two thirds to real estate accounting and one third to office operations, reporting directly to our Director of Finance and Operations. Twelve months in, you will own the monthly close across the portfolio, produce investor-ready financial statements on schedule and without prompting, keep AppFolio accurate to the penny, and have the office running on a rhythm the whole team can rely on. The seat suits an accountant who would rather run the entire finance and operations function of a growing firm than hold one narrow role in a large department, and who has the property accounting experience to begin with confidence in the first week. \n \n The standing scope of the role follows. It is detailed by design; a serious candidate deserves to know precisely what the work is. \n I. Property & Portfolio Accounting \n\n • General Ledger. Maintain the general ledger across 60+ property-owning entities: journal entries, accruals, intercompany allocations, and monthly bank reconciliations prepared in accordance with GAAP.\n, • Month-End Close. Run a disciplined close calendar, reconciling rent rolls, security deposits, and operating accounts for a rental portfolio of roughly 500 units overseen with third-party property managers.\n, • Accounts Payable & Receivable. Own AP and AR end to end: coding, approvals, vendor payments, collections, and annual 1099 reporting.\n, • Commercial Recoveries. Reconcile CAM charges and lease billings for the firm’s commercial spaces.\n, • Systems Ownership. Serve as the day-to-day owner of AppFolio: the chart of accounts, vendor records, and the accuracy of every figure it reports.\n\n II. Development & Construction Accounting \n\n • Job Costing. Maintain job cost ledgers for active development projects: budgets, commitments, change orders, and work-in-progress schedules.\n, • Construction Draws. Prepare construction loan draws and payment applications, assembling lien waivers, invoices, and lender backup so funding never waits on paperwork.\n, • Budget Discipline. Track project budgets against actuals and flag variances early, in writing, with a recommendation attached.\n, • Transactions. Support acquisitions, refinancings, and dispositions: settlement statements, prorations, and post-closing entries.\n\n III. Reporting, Budgeting & Investor Relations \n\n • Financial Statements. Prepare monthly, quarterly, and annual financial statements by entity and consolidated across the portfolio.\n, • Investor Reporting. Produce reporting packages for the firm’s private investors and family offices, and support capital calls and distributions with clean, well-documented schedules.\n, • Budgets & Forecasts. Assist in preparing annual budgets and forecasts, then monitor performance with variance analysis and plain recommendations.\n\n IV. Compliance, Controls & Audit \n\n • Audit Readiness. Keep the books audit-ready at all times: organized support, documented internal controls, and disciplined document retention.\n, • Tax & Lender Coordination. Coordinate with our CPA firm on returns and filings, and with lenders on covenant and compliance reporting.\n, • Obligations of Ownership. Administer real estate tax, insurance, and municipal obligations alongside the Director of Finance and Operations.\n, • Extended Team. Direct and review the work of our third-party offshore bookkeeping team.\n\n V. Office Operations & Administration \n\n • Front of House. Open the office each morning and keep it presentable, stocked, and composed; greet investors, contractors, and guests; answer and direct the main line.\n, • Mail & Document Routing. Receive and route daily mail and correspondence: contracts, invoices, permits, and notices, each logged, tracked, and walked to signature so nothing stalls.\n, • Administrative Support. Support the Director of Finance and Operations and, as needed, the development and capital markets teams: scheduling, document preparation, expense tracking, and correspondence.\n, • Vendors & Records. Coordinate office vendors and service calls; maintain orderly files and records, physical and digital alike.\n, • Occasions. Lend a hand on closings, company events, and special projects as they arise.\n\n VI. Technology & AI \n\n • Fluency. Work daily in AppFolio, QuickBooks, Asana, Buildertrend, and Claude, and keep each of them current.\n, • Leverage. Use AI throughout the work of the role, in drafting, reconciling, summarizing, and scheduling, and bring forward better methods when you find them.\n\n \n What We Require \n\n • Real Estate Accounting. Three or more years of accounting experience in real estate, property management, construction, or development. This requirement is firm: the work begins in the ledgers of a real property portfolio on day one.\n, • Education. A bachelor’s degree in accounting, finance, real estate, or a closely related field.\n, • The Craft. Command of full-cycle month-end close and financial statement preparation, with a working knowledge of GAAP.\n, • The Desk. Advanced Excel, proficiency across Microsoft Office and Google Workspace, and a record of learning new systems quickly.\n, • Modern Habits. An established ease with AI tools and an appetite for using them well.\n, • Judgment. Exacting attention to detail, composure under competing deadlines, and unfailing discretion with confidential financial and personnel matters.\n, • Presence. A professional, courteous manner with colleagues, investors, vendors, and guests; reliable transportation and consistent punctuality for standard business hours on site.\n\n What Distinguishes a Candidate \n\n • Hands-on experience with AppFolio, Yardi, or a comparable property management platform.\n, • Construction draw and job cost experience on active development projects.\n, • CPA or CMA, earned or in progress.\n, • Prior office coordination or executive support experience; familiarity with Asana.\n\n A Welcome Bonus: Photography \n None of this is required, but if you are handy with a camera we will gladly put that eye to work: interiors and exteriors of finished residences, active sites, and completed units for our listings, marketing, and investor materials. Comfort with a DSLR or mirrorless camera and light editing in Lightroom or Photoshop is a welcome bonus, nothing more, and candidates without it are encouraged to apply. \n \n\n • Base Salary. $70,000 annually, with eligibility for performance-based bonuses.\n, • Health & Insurance. Comprehensive medical, dental, and vision coverage; short-term and long-term disability; life insurance.\n, • Retirement. 401(k) retirement plan with company match.\n, • Time Away. Paid time off and company holidays.\n, • Trajectory. A clear path to expanded responsibility as the portfolio grows, in a firm small enough that your work is seen and consequential enough that it matters.\n\n \n This is a full-time, in-office position at our headquarters at 1516 N 5th Street, Suite 507, Philadelphia, PA 19122, with easy parking. Because the role carries front-of-office coverage and daily document routing, consistent on-site presence is essential; measured flexibility may be considered once the role is fully established. \n \n Send a résumé and a brief letter describing your real estate accounting experience, any office operations background, and the way you use AI in your work to logan@designprodev.com, alex@designprodev.com, and erica@designprodev.com. Qualified candidates will be contacted to schedule an interview within three business days of a complete application. \n \n Design Pro Development LLC is an equal opportunity employer. We welcome applicants from all backgrounds and are committed to a diverse and inclusive work environment.