Senior Cost Accountant
8 days ago
Salinas
Job DescriptionSenior Cost Accountant Location: Salinas, CA Salary Range: $85,000–$100,000 DOE Full Time, Onsite Direct Hire Our client, a well-established California-based construction company, is seeking a Senior Cost Accountant to join their team in Salinas, CA. This onsite role offers an opportunity to take ownership of cost accounting for civil, utility, power, and renewable energy construction projects across California and the West Coast.As a respected leader in infrastructure, utility, and renewable energy construction, our client is known for delivering highquality, safe, and sustainable projects that support critical public and private developments. You’ll work closely with executive leadership and project teams to ensure accurate job costing, improve financial visibility, and drive profitability across transportation, infrastructure, and renewable projects. If you excel at turning complex financial data into clear insights, streamlining processes, and providing strategic support to field operations, this position offers a chance to make a measurable impact in a dynamic and growing organization that values integrity, teamwork, and continuous improvement. Why You’ll Love This Role • Be a strategic partner to operations - your insights will directly influence project profitability and success., • Work in a stable, well-established company grounded in integrity, quality, and long-term growth., • Collaborate with skilled teams building critical infrastructure and renewable energy projects that serve communities statewide., • Oversee all cost accounting and job cost activities for construction projects, ensuring accuracy and compliance with industry and company standards., • Prepare WIP schedules, profit and loss statements, balance sheets, and cash flow reports to reflect project and company performance., • Manage contract accounting, vendor negotiations, and ensure competitive pricing for materials and services., • Support month-end and year-end close processes, internal and external audits, and financial planning for California operations., • Lead efforts to streamline accounting workflows and improve reporting accuracy and efficiency., • Collaborate with project managers and operations staff to analyze budgets, costs, and forecast margins., • Mentor project accountants, promote consistency in cost coding and WIP practices, and uphold accounting best practices., • Bachelor’s degree in Accounting, Finance, or related field required. CPA a plus not a must!., • Minimum 8 years of progressive cost accounting experience in the construction industry., • Background in heavy civil, utility, power, or renewable energy projects strongly preferred., • Advanced proficiency in Foundation, Sage, or other construction ERP/job cost systems., • Skilled in Excel (pivot tables, lookups, complex formulas)., • Experience in contract negotiation and vendor management., • Strong leadership, analytical, and problem-solving abilities to turn data into actionable insights.