Senior Accountant

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.

Department: Corporate/Administrative

Location: Jackson, MS

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

• 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 centres.
• 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, labour 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, utilisation and multiplier reports, and labour 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 organised work‑paper 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 modelling, 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 multicultural work environment that supports a work‑life balance, including:

• WEI Incentive Program
• Healthy Workplace Program
• Employee Referral Bonus
• Competitive Health Benefits
• Career Development and Training
• Flexible/Hybrid Schedule
• Community Service Opportunities

Waggoner Engineering, Inc. is an Equal Opportunity Employer. All applicants will be considered for employment without attention to race, colour, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, veteran, or disability status.

The base salary range for this role is indicated in the posting. This range reflects the company’s good faith estimate of the compensation for this position at the time of posting. Final compensation will be determined based on factors such as experience, skills, qualifications, internal equity, and geographic location.