Senior Accountant – GAAP & Financial Insights; Hybrid

Senior Accountant

Department: Corporate/Administrative

Employment Type: Full Time

Location: Jackson, MS

Reporting To: Alyssa Blackwell

Compensation: $88,000 - $95,000 / year

Waggoner Engineering, Inc. is seeking a Senior Accountant to join our team in either Baton Rouge, LA or Jackson, MS. This role supports our continued growth and offers the opportunity to work on (or support) meaningful projects alongside a collaborative, experienced team. You’ll have the chance to build your career while contributing to impactful solutions across the communities we serve.

This position is a key member of the finance team responsible for maintaining the integrity of the general ledger and delivering meaningful financial variance analysis to firm leadership. This role requires a detail-oriented accounting professional who can translate financial data into actionable insights within a project-based professional services environment. Reporting to the Controller, the Staff Accountant will be tasked with various efforts related to department compliance to GAAP and FAR standards.

• General Ledger Management: Owns the day-to-day maintenance of the general ledger, ensuring all transactions are accurately recorded, properly coded, and reconciled in a timely manner. Prepares and posts journal entries for accruals, prepaid expenses, deferrals, intercompany transactions, and corrections. Performs monthly reconciliation of all balance sheet accounts and resolves discrepancies promptly. Maintains chart of accounts integrity and enforces consistent coding practices across departments and project cost centers.
• Month-End & Year-End Close: Leads assigned close activities on a monthly, quarterly, and annual basis, ensuring deadlines are met and financial statements are produced accurately. Prepares close checklists, coordinates with project managers and department heads to capture outstanding costs, and reviews trial balances for completeness and accuracy prior to reporting.
• Financial Variance Analysis: Prepares detailed budget-to-actual variance analyses at both the firm and project level, identifying trends, anomalies, and drivers of over- or under-performance. Investigates and clearly explains variances in revenue, labor costs, overhead, and indirect expenses, and presents findings in a format suitable for principals and non-financial stakeholders. Supports development of rolling forecasts by providing historical variance context and trend data.
• Overhead Rate & Indirect Cost Monitoring: Tracks indirect costs and overhead pools on an ongoing basis, comparing actual spending against budgeted rates. Assists in the preparation and annual reconciliation of the firm's overhead rate, particularly in support of FAR compliance for government contracts if applicable.
• Financial Reporting & Dashboards: Develops and maintains recurring internal reports, including profit and loss statements by department or studio, utilization and multiplier reports, and labor cost analyses. Identifies opportunities to improve reporting clarity and efficiency, including automation of routine reconciliations or reports.
• Audit & Compliance Support: Prepares supporting schedules, reconciliations, and documentation for external audits and tax preparation. Maintains organized workpaper files and responds to auditor inquiries in a timely manner

• Bachelor's degree in Accounting or Finance
• Two to four years of progressive accounting experience with a strong emphasis on general ledger and financial analysis is preferred.
• Prior experience in an A&E, architecture, engineering, or professional services firm is a significant plus.
• Advanced proficiency in Microsoft Excel, including pivot tables, VLOOKUP/XLOOKUP, and financial modeling, is required.
• Experience with Deltek Vantagepoint or similar project accounting software is highly desirable.
• The ideal candidate is analytically minded, communicates financial concepts clearly, and thrives in a deadline-driven environment.

We know work isn't only about what you do, it's also about who you work for and with! Waggoner Engineering provides a fun, family-friendly, and…