Construction Controller at Brandywine Realty Trust in Austin, Texas

Job Description:

Brandywine Realty Trust is one of the largest, publicly traded, integrated real estate companies in the US, headquartered in Philadelphia, with a core focus in the Philadelphia, Washington, D.C., and Austin markets. Organized as a REIT, we own, develop, lease and manage an urban, town center and transit-oriented portfolio. At Brandywine, we believe excellence is rooted in process, people, and passion. We work together toward a shared vision, and within a culture emphasizing ingenuity, work/life balance, and civic engagement. We value the customer experience above all else, and strive to exceed expectations in every interaction.

We are seeking an experienced Construction Controller to join our team in our Austin, TX office.

Construction Controller is responsible for overseeing all financial activities of the construction organization relating to the specific construction project. They will work closely with both the Development and Construction Executives to be viewed as the primary go-to person for any questions relating to the financial activities of the project.

Essential duties and responsibilities of the Construction Controller include the following:

 Involved at the onset in working with the Project Development Team to help design and submit front money requests (FMR) during the design process. They will have an understanding of how much money is being requested for specific budget lines and how this number related to monies spent, committed, and monies needed to complete a task. They will also provide benchmarking financial support to verify the professional fee levels being included in the FMR.
 Will work with Director of Construction Accounting and Project Development Team during the design and budgeting process to review all project budgets to ensure that the project budget reflects all monies for all costs (hard, soft, internal allocations) including monies committed to date including the makeup and calculation for any master development cost allocations.
 Will work with Director of Construction Accounting and Project Development Team to budget internal costs relating to cap interest, cap salaries, and cap operating expenses.
 Review the Good Manufacturing Practices (GMP) (if applicable), all contract / supplier commitments / agreements to ensure that funds committed are within budget.
 Attend all Project Level / GC Meetings. On a regular basis Construction Controller should walk through the construction project with the Development Executive to thoroughly understand the work being performed and progress made.
 Attend all Project Draw Meetings with Construction Lenders including all project walk through’s relating to monthly progress billings. Work with Project Management to provide all needed documentation to any lenders as part of our billing process.
 Work with Project Team to identify and track special accounting reporting requirements relating to the treatment of demo costs, marketing costs and any other special expenditures.
 Prepare spending forecasts by obtaining information from Development Executive, Construction Executive and Construction Manager and provide the Project Team any deviations between forecasted monthly spends and actual monthly spends. The spend forecasts are to be updated quarterly as part of the company’s reforecast process.
 Responsible for ongoing forecasting to the Project Team relating to spends, commitments, and monies uncommitted.
 Work with Development Executive and Construction Executive to ensure the proper reporting of Project Budgets and Commitments in Procore. This will also include a review of potential change orders in Procore and the possible budget impact of these change orders.
 Work with the Director of Construction Accounting to review ongoing proformas and changes made during the budget process to ensure changes are being adequately reflected in budgets especially relating to tenant improvements budgets. During tenant fit out Construction Controller will understand the impact and timing of tenant deals on the overall budgets and earnings forecasts and will notify Director of Construction Accounting in the event of any delays or changes to completion of tenant work.
 Assist the Internal Audit Team to oversee and respond to inquiries relating to construction audits.
 Prepare all monthly, quarterly and year end entries required for the project especially relating to accruals.
 Participate in the approval of all project related disbursements through AVID and MRI ensuring the correct treatment and within budget.
 If applicable work with the Project Team to prepare monthly status package that will be provided to our partners.
 Keep Director of Construction Accounting and Project Team informed of any potential or ongoing issues that require attention.
 Track any project bonds on the project and ensure with the Project Team that they are closed out in a timely manner when no longer required.
 Construction Controller will work with Director of Construction Accounting to prepare monthly status reports that will be distributed to the executive, development and construction team updating everyone on the financial status of the project, including any opportunities/concerns about project timing and cost. If applicable, this will include any open leasing assumptions, signed leases and how the economics compare to underwriting and progress on building out the executed leases to commence on time.

Qualifications
 Advanced knowledge with revaluation techniques, using ARGUS and Excel valuation models
 Bachelor's degree in Accounting or Business
 MBA or master’s in finance, Real Estate, Architecture, or related field preferred
 Valid CPA status
 5+ years of growing Accounting experience within the Construction/Development industry
 Knowledge of AVID and MRI accounting programs and Procore beneficial
 Demonstrated organization and project management skills
 Understanding of tax codes and laws
 Advanced knowledge of Microsoft Excel, Word, PowerPoint and Outlook
 Ability to communicate effectively with co-workers and management about the finances of the business and justify certain financial recommendations.

Competencies
 Team player
 Ability to multi-task numerous assignments and prioritize
 Ability to effectively communicate with various levels of personnel, including executive management, and potential brokers and sellers
 Strong interpersonal skills
 Solid presentation skills
 Internally motivated
 Strong sense of ethics and fair dealing
 Favorable reputation in the marketplace
 Good business judgment
 Ability to gauge and quantify investment and development returns