Regional Project Cost Accountant

Job Title:  Regional Project Cost Accountant – Midwest Region
Company: Loenbro, LLC
Business Unit/Department: Finance  & Accounting
Location:  Cedar Rapids, IA (onsite)
Reports to:   Regional Accounting Manager
Employment Type: Full-time
FLSA Classification: Exempt

About Loenbro
Loenbro is a trusted, long-term construction lifecycle partner to thousands of customers across the U.S. Our market spans all industries and our service offerings include Critical Electrical, Mechanical & Structural, Soft Crafts, Inspection, Underground Maintenance and Installation, and Fabrication. Our expertise lies in simplifying the complex and establishing long-standing relationships with our partners. We have a national presence but a local approach—every customer benefits from our capabilities and our care.

At Loenbro, we don’t just offer jobs—we build careers grounded in integrity, teamwork, excellence, and purpose. Join a team where your expertise is valued, your growth is supported, and your work helps maintain and enhance the critical infrastructure that powers communities across the nation.

Job Summary
The Regional Project Cost Accountant is responsible for supporting accurate project setup, job cost accounting, financial reporting, and compliance coordination across Loenbro's Midwest Region. This role serves as a key partner to Finance, Accounting, Operations, and Project Controls teams, ensuring project information is accurately established and maintained within Loenbro's ERP system to support reliable financial reporting, operational visibility, and project performance.

The position plays a critical role in project startup, budget maintenance, change management, job cost tracking, and project closeout activities. The successful candidate will help ensure project transactions are properly recorded, support month-end close processes, and coordinate with cross-functional teams to maintain compliance with project-specific and regional requirements.

This role is ideal for a construction accounting professional who enjoys working in a collaborative, fast-paced environment and thrives in building structure, improving processes, and supporting the continued growth of the business. This role requires working onsite and close collaboration with cross-functional teams; candidates seeking primarily remote work environments may not be a fit.

Essential Job Responsibilities

Vista Project Setup & Master Data Management

• Support Viewpoint Vista project startup, including:
• Contract and job setup in JC and PM
• Phase and cost type structures aligned with Project Controls standards
• Set up and maintain approval groups, HQ roles, PM team assignments, project statuses, and other user- and project-level attributes.
• Maintain project-specific reporting fields to support Vista Analytics, WIP schedules, and regional dashboards.
• Ensure timely project closeout checklists are completed and all items are archived to company standards.

 SharePoint Job Folder Administration

• Create and maintain the standardized project job folder structure in SharePoint at project startup, aligned to Vista job and contract numbers.
• Ensure job folders are established timely to support project kickoff, billing, compliance tracking, and audit requirements.
• Maintain alignment between Vista project setup (JC/PM) and corresponding SharePoint job folders, including naming conventions and required subfolder structures.
• Partner with Project Controls and Operations to ensure required project documentation is stored consistently throughout the project lifecycle.

 Budget & Change Management (Vista JC/ PM)

• Enter and maintain original JC budgets by phase and cost type.
• Process approved change orders and JC budget adjustments, ensuring approved scope, revenue, and cost impacts are accurately reflected.
• Maintain a clear and auditable linkage between contracts, change orders, revised budgets, and forecasts.

Subcontract Administration & Compliance (Vista PM/SL)

• Set up and maintain subcontracts and subcontract amendments in the SL module.
• Ensure alignment between subcontract values, commitment cost types, and job cost budgets.
• Monitor subcontract compliance requirements, including insurance, lien waivers, and required documentation.
• Support project closeout compliance, ensuring all subcontracts are closed and fully billed and paid.

Transactional Accuracy & Month-End Close

• Partner with Accounts Payable, Project Controls, and Operations to ensure Vista AP entries are properly coded to job, phase, cost type, and commitment, and routed through appropriate approval workflows.
• Review Vista EM / credit card transactions to ensure timely posting and accurate job cost coding.
• Support month-end close by validating project transactions prior to close to enable accurate WIP, cost-to-date, and margin reporting.
• Research and resolve miscodings, posting errors, and approval bottlenecks impacting close timelines.

Regional Compliance, Payroll & Risk Coordination

• Maintain working knowledge of regional and project-specific compliance requirements, including sales and use tax, payroll tax implications, prevailing wage determinations, certified payroll requirements, and OCIP/CCIP participation.
• Ensure project setup in Viewpoint Vista appropriately reflects compliance requirements, including labor classifications, payroll flags, tax settings, and insurance indicators.
• Proactively coordinate with Payroll on prevailing wage projects, OCIP/CCIP labor requirements, and jurisdiction-specific payroll considerations.
• Partner with Corporate Tax Compliance to communicate project tax requirements, job locations, and jurisdictional factors necessary for proper tax reporting.
• Coordinate with EH&S and Project Controls to ensure OCIP/CCIP enrollment, safety documentation, and project requirements align with project and subcontract setup.
• Facilitate clear, timely communication across Accounting, Payroll, Tax, EH&S, Project Controls, and Operations to reduce compliance risk and support accurate downstream processing.

 Cross-functional Collaboration & Internal Controls

• Partner with Project Controls, AR, and Billing teams to ensure contract setup supports accurate billing, revenue recognition, and retainage tracking.
• Support internal controls by enforcing standardized Vista project setup, approval routing, and data governance practices.
• Assist with system enhancements, process improvements, and Vista configuration updates related to project accounting.

Minimum Qualifications

Required:

• 3–7+ years of construction or project cost accounting experience
• Strong understanding of:
  • Job cost accounting
  • Budgets, cost tracking, and WIP
• Experience working in a fast-paced, high-volume project environment
• Strong attention to detail and ability to manage multiple projects/priorities
• Ability to work cross-functionally with accounting, operations, and project teams
• Self-starter with ability to identify issues and drive follow-up independently

Preferred:

• Experience with Viewpoint Vista or similar ERP systems (e.g., CMiC, Sage, JD Edwards)
• Bachelor’s degree in Accounting, Finance, Construction Management, or related field
• Exposure to:
  • Change orders
  • Project setup / cost structures
  • Construction compliance processes (nice-to-have)

Physical Demands and Work Environment

The physical demands and work environment described here are representative of those that must be met by an employee to successfully perform the essential functions of this job. Reasonable accommodation may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions.

Work Environment:

• Indoor office setting with controlled temperature. 
• Potential visits to outdoor industrial sites with exposure to weather extremes. 
• Potential exposure to noise, dust, chemicals, or other environmental factors. 
• Travel requirements: minimal

This role requires compliance with all applicable safety regulations, personal protective equipment (PPE) requirements, and Loenbro's Environmental Health and Safety (EH&S) policies.

Benefits

Loenbro offers a competitive salary, comprehensive benefits package, and rewards to those who join our team:

• Medical, dental, and vision insurance
• 401(k) retirement plan with company match
• Paid time off (PTO) and holiday pay
• Life and disability insurance
• Professional development and training opportunities
• Employee assistance program (EAP)

Benefits eligibility may vary based on employment classification and hours worked.

Guided by Core Values (LEAD), grounded in grit and a commitment to excellence, Loenbro betters our families, customers, and local communities. If you’re ready to be part of a company that LEADS by:

• Living with Integrity
• Exceeding Expectations
• Acting with Urgency
• Delivering Excellence

…we want to hear from you.

Loenbro is an Equal Opportunity Employer