Contract Administrator

U.S. Water Services Corporation is a well-established and diverse water and wastewater utility organization specializing in utility maintenance, operations, engineering and construction services. U.S. Water is a fast paced and rapidly expanding company headquartered in New Port Richey, Florida with a staff of over 700 employees in eighteen states.

Job Title: Contract Administration & Job Costing Manager

Location: Lady Lake, Florida

Department: Finance / Operations

Reports To: Regional Manager

Position Summary:

We are seeking a detail-oriented and proactive Contract Administration & Job Costing Manager to oversee the administration of client contracts, ensuring all billable events are captured accurately and efficiently. This role requires strong analytical and organizational skills, a deep understanding of job costing and accounting principles, and the ability to manage a team responsible for billing accuracy, rate application, and work-in-progress (WIP) reporting.

The ideal candidate is hands-on, adaptable to change, and thrives in a fast-paced environment where accuracy and initiative are essential.

Key Responsibilities:

- Administer and maintain multiple client contracts, ensuring key components, rate structures, and billable triggers are properly tracked and applied.

- Review and validate billing events to ensure timely and accurate invoicing in accordance with client agreements.

- Read, understand, and interpret client contracts to ensure accurate billing in accordance with all contractual terms and conditions.

- Maintain a clear understanding of each contract's billable and non-billable components, deliverables, and rate structures to strategically prepare and optimize invoices.

- Manage the job costing process, including setup, monitoring, and reconciliation of costs, revenues, and margins.

- Oversee work-in-progress (WIP) accruals and revenue recognition in collaboration with the accounting team.

- Ensure all billing, job costing, and supporting documentation is properly saved and organized using a VPN-based file tree system.

- Develop, implement, and maintain processes to improve accuracy and efficiency in billing and job cost administration.

- Supervise and support team members responsible for billing and cost allocation, ensuring alignment with established procedures and timelines.

- Identify and resolve discrepancies in contracts, billing, or cost reporting by taking initiative to investigate and propose corrective actions.

- Prepare and review journal entries, ensuring proper accounting for credits, debits, and cost allocations.

- Collaborate with finance, operations, and project management teams to ensure full contract compliance and visibility into project financials.

- Produce and analyze reports in Excel related to job costs, profitability, and billing status.

Qualifications:

- Bachelor's degree in Accounting, Finance, Business Administration, or related field (preferred).

- 5+ years of experience in contract administration, billing, job costing, or project accounting.

- Strong understanding of accounting principles including journal entries, debits, credits, and accruals.

- Proficiency in Microsoft Excel (pivot tables, formulas, lookups, data validation).

- Experience managing and mentoring team members to ensure performance and process compliance.

- Familiarity with ERP systems and document management using VPN or shared drive environments.

- Excellent attention to detail and accuracy.

- Strong analytical, problem-solving, and communication skills.

- Ability to adapt quickly to new systems, processes, and client requirements.

Preferred Qualifications:

- Experience in service-based or project-driven industries (e.g., construction, engineering, utilities, or professional services).

- Knowledge of multiple billing structures, rate schedules, and contract types (time & materials, fixed price, cost-plus, etc.).

- CPA or working toward CPA designation (a plus but not required)

Compensation and Benefits: Pay is commensurate with experience and market-reflective. US Water/USW Utility Group offers a comprehensive benefits package including medical, dental, vision, life insurance, short/long-term disability, paid time off, holiday pay and 401(k) with company match.

US Water/USW Utility Group offers competitive wages and benefits and is committed to hiring and retaining a diverse workforce. We are an Equal Opportunity Employer, making decisions without regard to race, color, religion, sex, national origin, age, veteran status, disability, or any other protected class.