Industrial construction bookkeeper job description
An industrial construction bookkeeper posts the bills, payroll and owner payments behind plant and warehouse projects, and reconciles the bank and ledger each month. Much of the day goes to matching supplier bills to purchase orders and site delivery tickets, and keeping wage records ready for public work reports.
By the HireBus team · Updated · Pay data: BLS, May 2025
Median pay, commercial and industrial building contractors · BLS, May 2025
Responsible for managing financial records and ensuring accurate account reconciliations for the industrial construction business. Plays a vital role in maintaining the company’s financial health by processing payables, receivables, and supporting overall financial operations.
2. Essential Duties and Responsibilities
Process financial records, including invoices, receipts, and expense reports.
Reconcile bank and general ledger accounts on a monthly basis.
Manage accounts payable and receivable to ensure timely payments and collections.
Collaborate with internal teams to resolve discrepancies and maintain accurate financial data.
3. Key Tasks / Daily Activities
Record daily financial transactions with precision and care.
Verify the accuracy of financial documentation and ensure adherence to internal policies.
Communicate with vendors, clients, and project managers regarding billing or payment issues.
Assist in preparing financial reports and summaries for management oversight.
4. Key Performance Indicators (KPIs)
Account Reconciliation Accuracy: 100% accuracy during monthly reconciliations.
Invoice Processing Turnaround: Achieve 95% of invoices processed within 48 hours.
Accounts Receivable Aging: Maintain less than 5% of receivables outstanding beyond 60 days.
Financial Reporting Timeliness: Deliver financial reports within 5 business days after month-end.
5. Required Qualifications and Skills
Associate degree or higher in Accounting, Finance, or related field.
3+ years of bookkeeping or accounting experience.
Proficiency with accounting software (e.g., QuickBooks, Sage) and Microsoft Office Suite.
Strong attention to detail and ability to manage multiple tasks concurrently.
6. Preferred Experience
Experience in industrial construction or related industries.
Background in handling payroll and project-specific financial accounting.
Familiarity with regulatory compliance in financial management.
Prior exposure to audit processes and internal control procedures.
7. Physical Requirements
Ability to sit for extended periods while working on a computer.
Occasional lifting of accounting materials or files up to 15 pounds.
Comfortable in an office environment with occasional visits to active construction sites.
8. Work Environment and Schedule
Typical office-based work environment with standard business hours (8:00 AM – 5:00 PM).
Occasional overtime during peak financial periods or monthly close processes.
Some interaction with field personnel at construction sites as needed.
Minimal travel required for training or company meetings.
9. Compensation and Benefits
Salary Range: $45,000 - $55,000 per annum, commensurate with experience.
Potential for performance-based bonuses.
Health, Dental, and Vision Insurance provided.
401k plan with company matching contributions.
Additional benefits including paid time off, professional development opportunities, and employee assistance programs.
10. Company Culture and Overview
Our company fosters a collaborative and growth-oriented environment where every team member is valued.
We emphasize innovation, continuous improvement, and a strong commitment to customer satisfaction.
Our culture promotes work-life balance, professional development, and mutual respect among employees.
We are dedicated to excellence in every project and passionate about making a difference in the construction industry.
11. How to Apply
If you meet the above criteria and want to be part of a growth-oriented company focused on customer satisfaction, please send your resume to [INSERT EMAIL HERE] or apply online at [INSERT WEBSITE LINK HERE].
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What changes for a bookkeeper at an industrial contractor
The ledger works the same as anywhere. What changes is who pays you, how they want to be billed, and the wage reports that public and federally funded plant jobs require.
Davis-Bacon jobs need a weekly payroll report
When a plant job is covered by Davis-Bacon, usually because federal money pays for it, the contract clauses require a certified payroll for each week with covered work. Payrolls and basic records stay on file for at least 3 years after all work on the prime contract is complete. Each time card needs the worker's craft classification as well as hours, or the weekly report can't be filled in. Source: eCFR: 29 CFR 5.5, contract provisions for Davis-Bacon covered work.
Oregon public works want monthly wage statements
On an Oregon public works job, such as a city water plant upgrade, the contractor and every subcontractor file certified statements on the Bureau of Labor and Industries form. They list each week's payroll and are due once a month, by the fifth business day. Until yours arrive, the public agency holds back a quarter of what you've earned, and you must hold the same share from first-tier subs until they file. Source: Oregon Revised Statutes 279C.845: Certified statements regarding payment of prevailing rates of wage.
Travel pay has to follow IRS per diem rules
Crafts often travel to plants far from home and get a daily allowance for meals and lodging. Under an accountable plan, when that allowance runs above the federal rate, the amount up to the rate goes in box 12 of the W-2 under code L and isn't taxed, while the extra is wages in box 1. Set this up in payroll before the first travel job, not at year-end. Source: IRS Publication 463: Travel, Gift, and Car Expenses (per diem and accountable plans).
Supplier bills get checked against site tickets
Pipe, valves, steel and welding supplies for a plant job are bought on your own purchase orders and often land at a site trailer, not the office. Before paying, match each supplier bill to the PO price and to the delivery ticket the site signed, and hold any line nobody received. Short shipments and freight the PO didn't allow are common catches.
How much industrial construction bookkeepers make
The closest BLS group for industrial construction bookkeepers is bookkeeping, accounting, and auditing clerks. Bookkeeping, accounting, and auditing clerks who work for commercial and industrial builders earned a median of $28.21 an hour ($58,680 a year) in May 2025, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. That’s above the $50,670 median for bookkeeping, accounting, and auditing clerks in all industries. About 11,690 of the 1,373,680 bookkeeping, accounting, and auditing clerks in that survey work for commercial and industrial building contractors.
Paid hourly or on salary; many firms add a year-end bonus. The BLS median here tops the template's range, and a bookkeeper who has run craft payroll may want more.
Commercial and industrial building contractors
$58,680$58,680 median Middle half $48,060–$67,480 10th–90th $37,660–$78,640
All industries
$50,670$50,670 median Middle half $43,520–$61,470 10th–90th $36,000–$74,550
$30k$40k$50k$60k$70k$80k$90k
10th–90th percentileMiddle halfMedianAnnual pay, May 2025. Source: BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics.
Annual pay by percentile
Group
10th
25th
Median
75th
90th
Commercial and industrial building contractors
$37,660
$48,060
$58,680
$67,480
$78,640
All industries
$36,000
$43,520
$50,670
$61,470
$74,550
BLS reports industrial and commercial building contractors together. Post a real range for your market in the ad.
The pay line in the template above is an example from our Role Blueprint. Set yours from these figures and what local companies pay.
Skills to hire for, and what you can teach
Hire for these
Matching purchase orders, receiving records and supplier invoices
Coding costs to jobs by phase and cost type
Running payroll with several craft classifications and pay rates
Reconciling bank and card accounts to the ledger each month
Polite, persistent collection calls to plant payables teams
Teach these on the job
Davis-Bacon and Oregon certified payroll forms
Checking payment status in each owner's supplier portal
Your per diem and travel policy
Retainage tracking on progress billings
Your accounting system's job cost reports
Industrial contractors often keep books in Foundation, Sage 300 CRE, Viewpoint Vista or QuickBooks with a job cost add-on. Big plant owners pay through supplier portals such as SAP Ariba or Coupa, where the bookkeeper looks up payment status and remittance details.
Industrial construction bookkeeper interview questions
Two of the 6 questions we'd ask, and what a strong answer sounds like. Ask every candidate the same questions, and rate each answer on your own before you compare notes.
Situational · Resolving short payments
A plant client pays an invoice short with no explanation, and their payables contact doesn't answer. What do you do?
A strong answer: Compares the remittance line by line, checks for rejected tickets or rate differences, works through the project manager to the client's site rep, documents it and tracks the balance.
Behavioral · Reconciling hours to billing
Tell me about a time payroll hours on a plant job didn't match the hours billed to the client. How did you track it down?
A strong answer: Compared timecards, signed tickets and the invoice line by line, found the cause such as a missing ticket or a wrong rate, corrected it and set a weekly check.
The template's targets are only a sketch. Reset them once your own closes and collections give you a baseline.
Account Reconciliation Accuracy
Count the reconciling items the CFO finds when reviewing each monthly bank and ledger reconciliation, and how many had no explanation. Track it account by account so a problem account stands out.
Invoice Processing Turnaround
Measure the time from when a supplier or subcontractor invoice arrives to when it is coded to a job and approved for payment. Your accounting system's received and posted dates show it.
Accounts Receivable Aging
Run the aging report by plant owner each week, with retainage shown apart from regular billings because it waits on job completion. Note which late items are stuck in an owner's portal or approval queue.
Financial Reporting Timeliness
Log the business day each month's job cost and financial reports reach the CFO. Jot down what held up any slow month, like missing time cards or unbilled field work.
Career path
Billing clerk at an industrial supplierLearns purchase orders, invoices and collections with plant customers.
BookkeeperRuns payables, receivables, payroll and the monthly reconciliations.
Project accountantHandles cost reports, billing and wage reports on the largest plant jobs.
ControllerOwns the close, internal controls and the accounting staff.
At a contractor this size, often yes, as long as public work is a small part of the year. Certified payroll uses the same time cards and pay rates the bookkeeper already handles. When several public jobs run at once, each with its own wage rates and report deadline, think about a payroll specialist or a project accountant so month-end close doesn't slip.
How much does an industrial construction bookkeeper make?
Bookkeeping, accounting, and auditing clerks who work for commercial and industrial builders earned a median of $28.21 an hour ($58,680 a year) in May 2025, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. The middle half earned between $48,060 and $67,480 a year. Pay also depends on your local market, experience and overtime.
How should the bookkeeper handle a plant owner's backcharge?
A backcharge is a deduction the owner takes from your payment, often for cleanup, damage or work the plant's own staff did. Don't write it off or leave it sitting as a short pay. Log it against the job, send the owner's notice to the project manager, and keep it open until the project manager accepts it or the owner reverses it. Unresolved backcharges hide real job cost.
What paperwork does the bookkeeper need from the field each week?
Time cards with each worker's craft and job, per diem nights for travelers, delivery tickets for material received at the site, and receipts from foremen's company cards. Set a weekly cutoff and one place to send it all. When field paperwork comes in late, the month-end close comes in late too.
What does the template's 15-pound lifting line mean for a bookkeeper?
Think of carrying closed job files to the storage room, picking up a stack of paper time cards from a site trailer, or moving a carton of check stock. Site visits mean walking a yard or trailer area in the hard hat, glasses and boots the plant requires. Name those duties in the job ad, and discuss any accommodation that a candidate asks about.
