Job Summary
ARUS Consulting is a Colorado-based energy efficiency consulting firm dedicated to community-focused decarbonization and electrification. We provide in-home energy assessments, weatherization services, HVAC system design and installation, health and safety upgrades, contractor coordination, and workforce training. Our sister companies, Blue Sky Training and PowerHouse Home Performance are dedicated to training the energy retrofit workforce as well as completing this retrofit work.
We are seeking a Construction Finance & Payroll Manager to serve as our one-person finance department. In this critical role, you will manage everything from day-to-day bookkeeping to high-level project cost analysis. You will utilize QuickBooks and CompanyCam to ensure our projects stay on budget, our subcontractors stay compliant, and our clients receive timely, accurate progress billings. You will also work closely with ownership and upper management to develop Key Performance Indicators that will help us move the businesses forward.
This position is primarily on-site at our Northern Colorado office to support our collaborative team culture, with the opportunity to transition to a hybrid schedule (e.g., 1 day remote per week) after a successful 90-day onboarding period.
Responsibilities
- Job Costing & WIP Tracking: Accurately allocate all labor, material, and subcontractor expenses to specific projects within QuickBooks. Maintain ongoing Work-in-Progress (WIP) tracking to report on true project gross margins.
- Field Verification: Cross-reference incoming subcontractor bills and material invoices against field photos and project updates in CompanyCam to verify completion before releasing payments.
- Accounts Receivable & Draw Schedules: Generate and issue progress billings to residential clients according to contract milestones. Monitor open invoices and manage polite, professional collections.
- Change Order Tracking: Ensure all field-directed change orders are formally documented, signed by the client, entered into QuickBooks, and billed immediately.
- Accounts Payable & Compliance: Review, code, and process weekly vendor invoices. Collect and verify subcontractor W-9s, independent contractor agreements, and Certificates of Insurance (COI) before issuing payments.
- Lien Waiver Administration: Secure conditional and unconditional lien waivers from subcontractors and major material suppliers to safeguard the company from liability.
- Cash Flow Management: Monitor daily bank balances and forecast short-term cash flow to ensure ample liquidity for material deposits, payroll, and upcoming project starts.
- Payroll & Month-End Close: Process bi-weekly payroll for field crews, tracking billable hours and workers’ compensation codes. Perform monthly bank reconciliations and cleanly close the books to hand off to our external CPA for year-end tax preparation.
- Business Development: Tracking/Creating KPI’s and assisting upper management with moving companies towards their financial goals.
Requirements
- Proven experience in finance management within the construction or related industry with a strong background in accounting systems such as SAP, Oracle Financials or similar platforms.
- QuickBooks Mastery (Mandatory): 3+ years of hands-on experience using QuickBooks (Desktop or Online) specifically configured for construction. Fluency in job costing setup, customer-project hierarchies, progress billings, and profit-by-job reporting is required.
- CompanyCam Literacy: Comfort or familiarity using CompanyCam (or similar visual field tools) to audit project milestones from the office.
- Microsoft Excel: Intermediate to advanced skills (vlookups, data sorting) to export QuickBooks data into custom cash flow forecasting spreadsheets.
- Tech-Savvy Operations: General proficiency with modern cloud-based tools (Google Workspace, digital signature software like DocuSign, and payroll platforms).
- Industry Experience: 3 to 5+ years of dedicated experience handling full-charge bookkeeping or financial management for a residential remodeler, general contractor, or specialty subcontractor.
- Solo-Department Drive: Proven capability to manage a one-person financial department without daily supervision. Highly organized and comfortable establishing back-office operating procedures.
- Compliance Knowledge: Deep understanding of construction-specific requirements, including lien waiver management and COI verification.
- Communication Skills: Strong verbal and written communication skills to professionally interface with residential clients regarding billing, negotiate with suppliers, and collaborate with field crews.
- Education: High school diploma or equivalent required; an Associate’s or Bachelor’s degree in Accounting, Finance, or Business Administration is highly preferred but may be substituted with extensive construction industry experience.
- Location: Must reside in or near Northern Colorado (Fort Collins, Loveland, Greeley, Windsor, or surrounding areas) and have reliable transportation for an on-site, in-office role.
Join us if you’re passionate about leveraging your finance expertise to support impactful construction projects! We value energetic professionals who are eager to lead strategic initiatives while maintaining rigorous compliance standards—empowering our organization’s growth through precise financial stewardship.
Pay: $80,000.00 - $92,000.00 per year
Benefits:
- Dental insurance
- Health insurance
- Paid time off
- Professional development assistance
- Vision insurance
Work Location: In person
