Assistant Controller
Portland, OR
Full Time
Accounting and Finance
Manager/Supervisor
At Colas Construction (COLAS), we believe every employee plays a vital role in our mission: to build legacies and strengthen communities. We value collaboration, adaptability, and a team-first mindset.
We are seeking an Assistant Controller to partner closely with the Controller and operational leaders to ensure the accuracy, integrity, and timeliness of COLAS’s accounting operations, including general ledger and financial close, construction revenue and project accounting, accounts payable, and fixed assets and specialized accounting. This position plays a critical role in producing financial statements and reporting packages that lenders, sureties, and internal leaders can rely on, and in ensuring that the job cost and transactional data driving operational decisions is accurate, properly coded, and compliant with accounting standards.
In addition to overseeing execution across these accounting functions, the Assistant Controller serves as the primary technical accounting resource for the specialists operating within them, providing guidance on accounting treatment, policy interpretation, internal controls, and system logic to support accurate and efficient operations within a strong control environment. The role requires strong construction accounting expertise and deep familiarity with the downstream financial and operational impact of transactional accuracy.
The ideal candidate brings a strong technical accounting foundation, construction industry experience, sound professional judgment, and the leadership capability to support a high-performing accounting function in a growing, operationally complex environment.
This position is primarily office-based and typically works Monday through Friday, averaging 8-10 hours per day at the Colas Construction Headquarters.
While performing the duties of this role, the employee is regularly required to sit, stand, walk, communicate, and use standard computer and office equipment. Occasional repetitive hand and wrist movement may be required. The employee may occasionally lift or carry items up to 20 pounds.
This role may also require occasional visits to active construction project sites. Employees visiting job sites must be able to navigate uneven terrain and comply with all required safety procedures and personal protective equipment (PPE) requirements.
Our mission: to build legacies and strengthen communities
Our core values are our S.E.E.D.S:
Spirited: We lead with energy, optimism, and passion.
Enlightened: We stay curious, thoughtful, and open to growth.
Effective: We focus on results and deliver with excellence.
Dedicated: We follow through with care, commitment, and integrity.
Synergetic: We succeed by working together.
BENEFITS
At Colas Construction, we believe in investing in our employees' well-being and professional growth. We offer a comprehensive benefits package designed to support you both personally and professionally. Our benefits include and are not limited to:
Our goal is to create a supportive and enriching work environment where you can thrive. Become part of Colas Construction and contribute to our success while enjoying the benefits of a company that truly cares about its employees.
Colas Construction, Inc. is an equal employment opportunity employer. We value equitable hiring practices and adhere to a policy of making employment decisions without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, national origin, citizenship, age, or disability. We assure you that employment with COLAS depends solely on your qualifications.
Thank you for your interest in COLAS, where we are Building Tomorrow, Today!
We are seeking an Assistant Controller to partner closely with the Controller and operational leaders to ensure the accuracy, integrity, and timeliness of COLAS’s accounting operations, including general ledger and financial close, construction revenue and project accounting, accounts payable, and fixed assets and specialized accounting. This position plays a critical role in producing financial statements and reporting packages that lenders, sureties, and internal leaders can rely on, and in ensuring that the job cost and transactional data driving operational decisions is accurate, properly coded, and compliant with accounting standards.
In addition to overseeing execution across these accounting functions, the Assistant Controller serves as the primary technical accounting resource for the specialists operating within them, providing guidance on accounting treatment, policy interpretation, internal controls, and system logic to support accurate and efficient operations within a strong control environment. The role requires strong construction accounting expertise and deep familiarity with the downstream financial and operational impact of transactional accuracy.
The ideal candidate brings a strong technical accounting foundation, construction industry experience, sound professional judgment, and the leadership capability to support a high-performing accounting function in a growing, operationally complex environment.
Primary Responsibilities
- Close Execution & Financial Reporting: lead monthly financial close from kickoff through finalized, GAAP-compliant financial statements across all COLAS entities; prepare additional financial reports and clearly communicate financial information synthesized for comprehension by financial and non-financial stakeholders.
- WIP Integrity & Construction Revenue Recognition: maintain the WIP schedule as a current operational document, actively monitoring job cost entry and commitment tracking, validating percent-complete estimates with project teams, and incorporating defensible cost-to-complete assumptions.
- General Ledger & Balance Sheet Governance: maintain reconciled balance sheets across all entities in accordance with GAAP and accounting best practices ; govern journal entry preparation and intercompany eliminations with clear supporting calculations.
- Procure-to-Pay & Vendor Governance: govern the full AP cycle, vendor management, and corporate card spending, maintaining audit trail standards across all payment methods and treating the vendor master as a fraud control point.
- Fixed Assets, Leases & Specialized Accounting: maintain audit-ready fixed asset subledger-to-GL reconciliation, administer ASC 842 lease accounting across all equipment and facility leases, ensure adequate burden allocation and internal equipment rate structures, and oversee equity-method accounting positions where applicable.
- Technical Authority & Staff Development: serve as the primary technical resource for direct-report staff and identify and address the root cause of recurring escalation patterns that signal training needs, process gaps, or system interventions.
- Internal Controls & Audit Coordination: maintain audit readiness as a continuous state, proactively coordinating and preparing prepared-by-client documentation and identifying and promptly escalating control deficiencies to the Controller with proposed remediation.
- Team Leadership & Bench Development: evaluate and develop direct-report staff across transactional and technical accounting functions with visible growth pathways, setting role-level expectations and building bench depth against single-point-of-failure risk.
Qualifications
- Bachelor’s degree in Accounting, Finance, or closely related field required.
- Minimum of 5 years of progressive accounting experience in the construction industry environment, preferably general contracting with design-build and CM/GC contract types.
- AP cycle management, including commitment matching and vendor master governance.
- Applied ASC 606 revenue recognition in a construction WIP accounting context.
- Multi-entity monthly close management, including intercompany eliminations and consolidation financial statement preparation, and preferably with equity-method JV/consortium accounting.
- Advanced knowledge of GAAP, financial controls, fraud prevention practices, tax regulations, and construction industry accounting standards.
- Experience managing and developing accounting staff, with demonstrated capacity to provide transactional and technical accounting guidance beyond review of outputs.
- Foundation, Viewpoint, Sage, Acumatica Construction, or comparable construction ERP proficiency.
CORE COMPETENCIES
- Construction Cost Intelligence
- Technical Authority & Judgment
- Decision Quality Under Ambiguity
- Analytical Rigor & Investigative Discipline
- Close Design & Scalable Process Thinking
- Execution Reliability & Operational Discipline
- Control Environment Ownership
- Proactive Risk Communication
- Cross-Functional Partnership
- Organizational Influence
- Continuous Improvement Orientation
- Team Development & Succession Readiness
Environment & Physical Activities
The physical and work environment requirements described below are representative of those necessary to successfully perform the essential functions of this role. Reasonable accommodations may be made for qualified individuals with disabilities on a case-by-case basis.This position is primarily office-based and typically works Monday through Friday, averaging 8-10 hours per day at the Colas Construction Headquarters.
While performing the duties of this role, the employee is regularly required to sit, stand, walk, communicate, and use standard computer and office equipment. Occasional repetitive hand and wrist movement may be required. The employee may occasionally lift or carry items up to 20 pounds.
This role may also require occasional visits to active construction project sites. Employees visiting job sites must be able to navigate uneven terrain and comply with all required safety procedures and personal protective equipment (PPE) requirements.
ABOUT US
COLAS is a second-generation, family-owned general contractor with a long-term perspective on every project it builds. Guided by a strong sense of stewardship for people, partners, and place, COLAS is committed to delivering high-quality construction, advancing sustainable practices, expanding equitable access to opportunity, and creating lasting community impact.Our mission: to build legacies and strengthen communities
Our core values are our S.E.E.D.S:
Spirited: We lead with energy, optimism, and passion.
Enlightened: We stay curious, thoughtful, and open to growth.
Effective: We focus on results and deliver with excellence.
Dedicated: We follow through with care, commitment, and integrity.
Synergetic: We succeed by working together.
BENEFITS
At Colas Construction, we believe in investing in our employees' well-being and professional growth. We offer a comprehensive benefits package designed to support you both personally and professionally. Our benefits include and are not limited to:
- Health Insurance: 100% employer-paid employee coverage for robust medical, dental, and vision insurance with multiple plan options
- Retirement: 401(k) plan with employer match
- Paid Time Off: generously paid sick, vacation, personal, and holiday days off
- Professional Development: annual allowance for continued education and training
- Additional Perks: Benefit from various additional perks, such as company vehicles for certain roles, travel allowances, and flexible working hours to help balance life and work commitments.
Our goal is to create a supportive and enriching work environment where you can thrive. Become part of Colas Construction and contribute to our success while enjoying the benefits of a company that truly cares about its employees.
Colas Construction, Inc. is an equal employment opportunity employer. We value equitable hiring practices and adhere to a policy of making employment decisions without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, national origin, citizenship, age, or disability. We assure you that employment with COLAS depends solely on your qualifications.
Thank you for your interest in COLAS, where we are Building Tomorrow, Today!
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