Director of Project Accounting

Who We Are:

At Aventia, we provide a comprehensive suite of environmental consulting, field services, and technology-driven solutions designed to help clients navigate increasingly complex environmental and operational challenges. Established in 2022, Aventia is built on a commitment to creating a better future for our clients, our communities, and our employees. At Aventia, every employee plays a vital role in helping clients succeed while contributing to a more sustainable future.

This role requires a strong, collaborative leader with the ability to lead across business units, geographies, and a hybrid work environment, bringing teams together around shared priorities and business objectives.Position Summary:

The Director of Project Accounting leads all aspects of project financial operations from project setup and budgeting through forecasting, invoicing, reporting, and project closeout. This role provides strategic leadership overall project-level financial operations ensuring accurate revenue recognition, contract compliance, and actionable financial insight across project lifecycles. This role partners closely with Project Managers, Finance, and Operations leadership to optimize project performance and support firm-wide profitability.

Position ResponsibilitiesStrategic Oversight

• Drive the continuous evolution of the project accounting function, aligning financial operations with business goals and fostering a culture of innovation and accountability

• Lead and develop the project accounting team, in partnership with the CFO, setting performance standards, and providing mentorship

• Support the development of financial acumen within project and operations teams through coaching, training, and ongoing business partnership

• Establish and enforce project accounting policies, procedures, and internal controls aligned with GAAP and FAR.

• Drive consistency in revenue recognition, IP analysis, and percent-complete methodologies across all projects and offices

Project Financial Management

• Oversee project setup, budgeting, forecasting, billing, and close-out processes

• Monitor project profitability, backlog, and cash flow; identify risks and recommend corrective actions

• Review and approve complex contract terms, change orders, and billing arrangements

• Ensure timely and accurate invoicing in compliance with contract requirements (T&M, lump sum, cost-plus, etc.)

• Oversee estimates-at-completion (EAC) processes and project forecasting to ensure accurate assessment of project financial performance and margin attainment

• Partner with operations and finance leaders to improve billing efficiency, collections performance, and overall DSO metrics

Reporting & Analysis

• Deliver predictive project performance analytics that identify emerging risks and opportunities and support achievement of profitability targets

• Support month-end and year-end close processes related to project revenue and unbilled/deferred revenue

• Partner with CFO and FP&A on forecasting, budgeting, and long-range planning

Business Development

• Partner with Operations and Business Development teams to support project pricing, fee development, and contract profitability analysis

Collaboration & Process Improvement

• Collaborate with Business Unit leaders to improve project profitability, forecasting accuracy, and operational decision-making

• Serve as a strategic advisor to Business Unit Leads and Project Managers on financial performance, contract compliance, and risk mitigation

• Champion continuous improvement in processes, systems and tools

• Own the automation and dashboard roadmap for project financial reporting, partnering with FP&A and IT on execution

• Support audit requirements related to project accounting

• Lead the integration and standardization of project accounting processes across acquired businesses and operating companies

• Develop and implement training programs that enhance project accounting capabilities across the organization.