## About CAPM
Chicago Area Plumbing & Mechanical, Inc. is an established plumbing and mechanical subcontractor serving commercial, institutional, and industrial clients across the Chicago region. Our union workforce spans Plumbers Local 130 UA, Pipefitters Local 597, Laborers Local 4, and Operators Local 150, and we deliver quality work on complex projects across healthcare, education, transportation, and commercial construction. We're an owner-led firm with deep roots in the Chicago trades.
## The Role
We're hiring a **Senior Accountant** to own CAPM's entire accounting function. This is a full-time, on-site role reporting directly to ownership. You will not simply *lead* the close — you will **be** the accounting department: defining and enforcing accounting policy, owning every standard and every workpaper, and serving as the single internal authority on financial recordkeeping and reporting at CAPM.
You'll partner with **external CPAs** (annual review and tax preparation) and **external accounting and finance advisors** as needed, but the accounting function itself is yours to architect and run. The right candidate has hands-on construction accounting experience, is comfortable owning a close cycle end-to-end, and can move fluidly between detailed reconciliations and big-picture cash, backlog, and bonding conversations with ownership, lenders, sureties, and bond agents.
## What You'll Do
- **Accounting policy and controls**: define, document, and enforce CAPM's accounting policies — revenue recognition methodology, capitalization thresholds, cost allocation rules, lease classification criteria, allowance methodology, and internal controls over financial reporting; serve as the company's authority on technical accounting questions
- **Month-end close**: own the close calendar, journal entries, accruals, intercompany activity, and account reconciliations through trial balance
- **WIP schedule**: own the monthly WIP package using **cost-to-cost percentage-of-completion** methodology under ASC 606 — maintain estimated cost to complete (ETC) in coordination with project managers, calculate earned revenue and gross profit, reconcile billings to revenue (CIE / BIE positions), run **job fade analysis**, and identify projects requiring loss provisions
- **Job costing**: maintain the job cost system end-to-end — cost code structure, **labor burden rates by trade and local**, internal equipment rates, committed cost tracking through Procore, and monthly variance analysis against original budget and current ETC
- **Billing and AR**: manage **AIA G702/G703 progress billings**, change order documentation, retention tracking and release, and stored materials documentation; on private work, maintain the **lien waiver register** (conditional/unconditional, partial/final) and preserve mechanic's lien rights under the IL Mechanics Lien Act; on public work where lien rights aren't available, **preserve bond claim rights** under the federal **Miller Act** and the **IL Public Construction Bond Act** through proper notice tracking and timely claim filing against the GC's payment bond
- **AP and subcontracts**: oversee vendor and subcontractor payments, including pay-when-paid workflows, joint check agreements, lower-tier lien waiver collection, and subcontractor insurance/W-9 compliance
- **Union payroll oversight**: review multi-fund remittance reporting across **Plumbers Local 130 UA, Pipefitters Local 597, Laborers Local 4, and Operators Local 150** — pension, welfare, annuity, supplemental, training, and working dues, each on their own remittance cadence; coordinate **certified payroll** submissions for Davis-Bacon and IL Prevailing Wage projects, including apprentice ratio compliance
- **Lender and surety reporting**: prepare the quarterly lender package, including the **DSCR covenant calculation**, schedule of contracts, and supporting financial statements; coordinate with the bond agent on **bonding capacity analysis** (working capital and backlog methodology) and single/aggregate job limits
- **Tax and review support**: serve as the primary internal point of contact for year-end financial review and tax preparation — provide trial balance, fixed asset detail, WIP reconciliation, and other supporting schedules; manage **sales/use tax filings**, 1099 reporting, and shareholder distribution tracking
- **Technical accounting**: maintain compliance with construction-relevant standards including **ASC 606** (revenue recognition, contract assets/liabilities), **ASC 842** lease accounting (right-of-use assets and lease liabilities for vehicle, equipment, and real estate leases), **ASC 326 (CECL)** allowance methodology for receivables and contract assets, and **ASC 715-80** multiemployer pension disclosures and withdrawal liability monitoring for the union plans CAPM contributes to
- **Systems**: own data integrity and reconciliation across **QuickBooks Desktop, Procore, and Miter**; lead the evaluation of, and any future migration to, a modern construction ERP
- **Internal reporting and cash**: produce monthly financial reports for ownership; build and maintain the **13-week rolling cash forecast** and partner with ownership on weekly cash decisions
## How You'll Be Measured
You will be evaluated against three core outcomes:
- **Timely close**: monthly, quarterly, and year-end financial closes delivered on a defined cadence with minimal post-close adjustments
- **Accurate reporting**: financials that hold up to external review without material correction and reconcile cleanly across QuickBooks Desktop, Procore, and Miter
- **Decision-grade detail**: reporting granular enough for ownership to make confident strategy decisions — by division (Mechanical and Plumbing), by job, by customer, and by trade
## Required Qualifications
- **5+ years of construction accounting experience**, with at least 2 years owning the WIP and close cycle for a specialty trade contractor or GC
- Working knowledge of construction-relevant accounting standards: **ASC 606** (cost-to-cost methodology, variable consideration, contract modifications, contract assets/liabilities, loss provisions), **ASC 842** lease accounting (right-of-use assets, lease liabilities, finance vs. operating classification), and awareness of **ASC 326 (CECL)** allowance methodology and **ASC 715-80** multiemployer pension disclosures relevant to unionized contractors
- Demonstrated fluency in **WIP schedule preparation** — earned revenue, ETC management, CIE/BIE positions, and fade analysis
- Hands-on experience preparing or reviewing **certified payroll** (Davis-Bacon / IL Prevailing Wage) and multi-local union fringe remittances
- Comfort calculating and supporting **bonding working capital** and **lender DSCR covenants** from underlying financial data
- Working knowledge of receivables protection on both private and public work: the **IL Mechanics Lien Act** for private projects and **bond claim rights under the federal Miller Act and the IL Public Construction Bond Act (30 ILCS 550)** for public projects — notice periods, waiver requirements, claim preservation, and filing procedures; familiarity with AIA contract documents
- Proficiency in **QuickBooks Desktop**
- Hands-on experience with **Procore** — cost coding, commitments, change orders, and progress billing
- Strong Excel skills — pivot tables, lookups, multi-tab models; ability to build and audit a clean WIP schedule from raw GL and Procore data
- Bachelor's degree in **Accounting, Finance, or another analytical field** (Economics, Mathematics, Statistics, or similar); **Master's preferred**
- Able to work **on-site full-time** at our Elk Grove Village, IL office
## Preferred Qualifications
- Mechanical and/or plumbing subcontractor experience
- **AI / LLM fluency** — comfort using ChatGPT, Claude, Copilot, or similar tools in your personal and professional work (research, drafting, data analysis, automation, systems integration). A considerable plus. *Expect to be asked about your preferred tool and how you leverage it during interviews.*
- **Public accounting experience** (Big Four or other national/regional firm), particularly in audit or tax for construction or contractor clients
- Exposure to **corporate tax** — pass-through entity returns, IRC §460 long-term contract treatment, fixed asset / depreciation work, or shareholder basis tracking
- Experience with **Miter** payroll or similar construction payroll platforms
- Experience with **BuildOps**, Sage 300 CRE, Foundation, Vista, or similar construction ERPs — particularly valuable as we evaluate platforms for future growth
- **CPA**, **CCIFP**, or active progress toward either
- Experience supporting banking and surety relationships
## Compensation and Benefits
- **Salary range: $95,000 – $120,000 annually**, commensurate with experience
- Health insurance — medical, dental, vision
- 401(k)
- Paid time off and paid holidays
- Direct exposure to ownership; your work informs real strategic and financial decisions
- Stable firm with strong project backlog and long-tenured team
## How to Apply
Interested candidates should submit a resume. Cover letters are welcome but not required.
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*Chicago Area Plumbing & Mechanical, Inc. is an equal opportunity employer.*
Pay: $95,000.00 - $120,000.00 per year
Benefits:
- 401(k)
- Health insurance
- Paid time off
Work Location: In person
