Project Financial Advisor
WSP · Denver · $77,100–$122,700 (stated in the posting)
This Opportunity
The Project Financial Advisor (PFA) acts as a trusted finance partner to project delivery teams, ensuring alignment of financial outcomes with enterprise objectives. The role spans the entire project lifecycle across project budget setup review, revenue recognition, and timeline project financial reviews, by delivering disciplined financial stewardship and analysis. PFAs advise on profitability monitoring, working capital management for projects and compliance while contributing to sound decision-making and risk identification across a portfolio of medium to high-complexity projects and acting as a SME or escalation point on simpler or recurring matters.
Your Impact
Financial Partnering and Project Support
- Contribute to the sound financial management of projects by working as an active financial partner to Project Managers, ensuring adherence to contractual obligations and financial terms
- Provide guidance on initial project setup, including Work Breakdown Structure (WBS) development, budgeting, rate selection, and pricing tool development inputs
- Advise on project financial planning and risk identification
- Support the review of category rates and labor structures to help maintain project recoverability and financial performance
- Review labor structures (e.g., non-billable time, cap rates, and labor breakage) to identify and flag areas for rate optimization and margin improvement
- Advise on project funding, billing methods, and rates for assigned projects
- Identify and communicate margin-related observations and cost-to-serve considerations to support financial performance
Support the assessment of financial impact of subcontracts to ensure alignment with prime contract and profitability objectives
Financial aspects of Contract Execution, Structure & Policy Compliance
- Monitor execution of customer contracts for financial nuances (fee type, caps, retentions, deliverable-based triggers i.e., scheduled billing, milestones, CPFF [Cost-Plus-Fixed-Fee])
- Review and validate project structure in Project Portfolio Management (PPM): WBS, funding, billing methods, rates, tax, revenue method, and project/contract master data
- Ensure compliance with financial policies, delegations of authority, and revenue recognition standards
Coordinate and review Disadvantaged Business Enterprise (DBE)/ Women Business Enterprise (WBE)/ all business enterprise categories (XBE) reporting requirements [US and CA-specific, different terminology in the UK&I, confirm regional application/terminology]
Forecasting, Planning & Financial Alignment
- Perform margin impact and financial impact calculations and provide support in identifying reasons for variability in project margins
- Monitor the project-level forecast cycle for assigned projects, ensuring accuracy, timeliness, and alignment with FP&A targets
- Review project budgets and forecasts to support the Project Manager in validating assumptions and financial accuracy
- Monitor mitigation action plans as directed by the Project Manager and report progress to the PFA Manager
- Perform revenue accruals, whenever required, throughout project delivery; advise on other financial adjustments
Manage sub-contracting activities including requisition and Purchase Order (PO) creation (in alignment with Procurement), supplier/subcontractor invoice processing, and partner with PFO Managers on Accounts Payable (AP) payment requests
Project/Portfolio Performance Management
- Contribute to project performance reviews through analyses and commentary on relevant financial indicators (e.g., forecast accuracy, working capital, revenue recognition, change control)
- Review key measures and financial tracking, including client-specific reporting requests
- Monitor performance against Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) and flag variances promptly to Finance Business Partners with recommended corrective actions
- Participate in review meetings with Project Managers; deliver actionable insights on key performance drivers, risks, and required decisions
- Investigate recurring financial variances and escalate findings with observations to the PFA Manager
- Validate proper contract setup controls to ensure revenue recognition in-line with company policies
- Support active monitoring of Work at Risk (WAR), including tracking, business impact assessment, reporting, and follow-up to support timely contract execution and compliance
Provide guidance to Project Managers (PMs) on project closeout in cases where specific contractual requirements apply (e.g., retainage, final payment confirmation)
Audit, Assurance & Customer/Regulatory Responses
- Respond to customer audit requests, coordinate evidence and formal responses with Controllership and Delivery
- Review and collaborate with project team on finance-specific responses to audit requests (internal or external)
Ensure records, calculations, and decision logs are audit-ready and retained per policy.
Cross-Functional Integration & Escalation Resolution
- Collaborate with PFOs, Billing, Collections, Cash App, FP&A, Controllership, and business teams to address escalations
- Proactively escalate recurring issues through management to contribute to process improvement initiatives that enhance financial outcomes
Identify and assign time and cost transfers and allocations; review and adjust project costs as needed
Finance Business Partnering Activities
- Foster a strong understanding and consistent application of corporate financial governance and controls across the business
- Identify and escalate any financial exceptions to PFA Manager to resolve issues at source to maintain project integrity
- Support Operations and Business Finance teams in delivering initiatives aimed at improving efficiency and financial performance
- Support project financial performance monitoring and documentation, and assist the PFA Manager and Finance Business Partners (FBP) in explaining variances and impact on P&L
- Support in identifying future cost pressures and potential loss-making projects, ensuring the business is made aware and mitigations are put in place
Who You Are
Required Qualifications
- Bachelor’s Degree in Accounting, Business, or closely-related discipline (or demonstrated proven equivalent experience).
- 5-7 years of relevant post education experience in project finance or commercial finance experience in engineering, construction, or professional services
- Proficiency expectation is mostly Practiced /Advanced, especially in activities such as Translation of Financial Concepts, Project-related Critical Thinking, Contract Lifecycle Management, Escalation Management, Relationship Building and Business Acumen
- Solid grasp of project accounting, financial reporting, Estimate at Completion / Estimate to Complete (EAC/ETC) forecasting processes, and margin analysis
- Experience in commercial support (e.g., project integration, contracts, Work in Progress (WIP)/ Revenue Recognition)
- Demonstrated experience supporting a multi-project portfolio with hands-on forecasting and reporting accountability
- Advanced Excel skills and proficiency in MS Office and ERP tools (Oracle preferred)
- Experience with PowerBI or other data visualization tools (advantageous)
- Self-starter who can work independently as well as collaboratively
- Comfortable working in a fast-paced environment with multiple priorities
- Exceptional stakeholder relationship management and engagement skills with the ability to influence delivery, commercial, and finance leadership
- Critical thinking and problem-solving skills required to apply learned subject matter and technical knowledge to reach conclusions from data collation, documentation, statistical analysis, and arriving at the most effective, economical, and logical solution.
- Effective/Strong Capable interpersonal and communication skills when interacting with others, expressing ideas effectively and professionally to an accounting and non-accounting audience
- Strong planning, prioritization, and time management abilities
- Strong analytical and problem-solving capabilities with a focus on actionable insights
WSP Benefits:
WSP provides a comprehensive suite of benefits focused on a providing health and financial stability throughout the employee’s career. These benefits include coverage related to medical, dental, vision, disability, and life; retirement savings; paid sick leave; paid vacation (or other personal time); paid parental leave; and paid time off for purposes of bereavement, voting, and/or attendance at naturalization proceedings.
Compensation:
Expected Salary (all locations): $77,100- $122,700
WSP USA is providing the compensation range that the company in good faith believes it might pay and offer for this position, based on the successful applicant’s education, experience, knowledge, skills, abilities in addition to internal equity and specific geographic location. WSP USA reserves the right to ultimately pay more or less than the posted range and offer additional benefits and other compensation, depending on circumstances not related to an applicant’s sex or other status protected by local, state, and/or federal law.
Expected Salary (Colorado only): $77,100 - $115,100
WSP USA is providing the compensation range that the company in good faith believes it might pay and/or offer for this position within the state of Colorado, based on the successful applicant’s education, experience, knowledge, skills, and abilities in addition to internal equity and specific geographic location. WSP USA reserves the right to ultimately pay more or less than the posted range and offer additional benefits and other compensation, depending on circumstances not related to an applicant’s sex or other status protected by local, state, and/or federal law.
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WSP USA is the U.S. operating company of WSP, one of the world's leading engineering and professional services firms. Dedicated to serving local communities, we are engineers, planners, technical experts, strategic advisors and construction management professionals. WSP USA designs lasting solutions in the buildings, transportation, energy, water and environment markets. With more than 15,000 employees in over 300 offices across the U.S., we partner with our clients to help communities prosper.
WSP provides a flexible and agile workplace model while meeting client needs. Employees are also afforded a comprehensive suite of benefits including medical, dental, vision, disability, life, and retirement savings focused on providing health and financial stability throughout the employee’s career.
At WSP, we want to give our employees the challenges they seek to grow their careers and knowledge base. Your daily contributions to your team will be essential in meeting client objectives, goals and challenges. Are you ready to get started?
WSP USA (and all of its U.S. companies) is an Equal Opportunity Employer Race/Age/Color/Religion/Sex/Sexual Orientation/Gender Identity/National Origin/Disability or Protected Veteran Status.
The selected candidate must be authorized to work in the United States.
NOTICE TO THIRD PARTY AGENCIES:
WSP does not accept unsolicited resumes from recruiters, employment agencies, or other staffing services. Unsolicited resumes include any resume or hiring document sent to WSP in the absence of a signed Service Agreement where WSP has expressly requested recruitment/staffing services specific to the position at hand. Any unsolicited resumes, including those submitted to hiring managers or other business leaders, will become the property of WSP and WSP will have the right to hire that candidate without reservation – no fee or other compensation will be owed or paid to the recruiter, employment agency, or other staffing service.