Grace Contreras

Senior project finance and accounting professional with 20+ years of experience in construction, industrial manufacturing, aggregates, and equipment-intensive operations. Expertise in project accounting, job-cost analysis, forecasting, cash flow, cost controls, change orders, margin analysis, billing, month-end close, fixed assets, and capital-project tracking. Managed financial activity across multiple concurrent projects and supported CAPEX projects of up to $40M.

Strong business partner to Project Managers, Operations, Procurement, Asset Management, and Executive Leadership. Advanced SAP and ERP experience with a proven record of improving cost visibility, financial controls, reporting accuracy, and project performance. Fluent in English and Spanish.

Cost Accountant / Fixed Assets Manager at Lindamood Inc. (2026-08 – Present)

Provide project cost and financial analysis for multiple demolition and heavy-equipment projects, supporting accurate cost and operational decision-making.

• Analyze job, equipment, fuel, and operating costs to identify variances, profitability impacts, and opportunities to improve project performance.
• Partner with Project Managers, Asset Management, and Operations to communicate actionable financial findings and support project decisions.
• Improve job-cost accuracy by strengthening equipment and fuel coding within the ERP and increasing phase-level reporting reliability.
• Support month-end close with cost accruals, reconciliations, fixed asset review, and variance analysis across concurrent projects.
• Strengthen audit readiness and internal controls through fixed asset cleanup, depreciation standardization, and maintenance of a detailed equipment register.
• Review ERP transactions and correct fixed asset and AP errors to improve project and financial reporting integrity.

Project Accountant & Business Analyst at Manhattan Construction Company (2023-10 – 2025-03)

Managed financial operations for multiple construction projects, including budgets, forecasts, cash flow, cost tracking, billing, and project reporting.

• Partnered with Project Managers, Superintendents and Procurement to evaluate change orders, assess cost impacts, and protect project margins.
• Led project month-end close, including revenue recognition, cost accruals, reconciliations, variance analysis, and compliance with accounting policies.
• Managed owner pay applications, subcontractor pay applications, retention balances, lien waivers, billing support, and cash-collection activities.
• Reviewed project financial performance to identify unfavorable cost trends, budget variances, billing opportunities, and potential margin erosion.
• Improved project accounting processes and systems, strengthening data accuracy, reporting quality, and operational efficiency.

Senior Business Analyst & Accounting Manager at CEMEX / GCC Sun City Materials (2005-03 – 2023-10)

• Supported leadership in tracking and controlling up to $40M in capital projects, including budgets, spending, variance analysis, and approval compliance.
• Performed cost, inventory, and operational analysis across large-scale industrial and manufacturing operations.
• Generated SAP production, sales, inventory, and material-master reporting used by leadership to evaluate operating performance and cost drivers.
• Conducted monthly inventory reviews and reserve analysis, improving inventory risk and financial exposure.
• Partnered with Asset Management to reconcile fixed assets, strengthen equipment tracking, and improve asset governance.
• Developed and standardized fuel consumption procedures and reporting, improving inventory controls and supporting regulatory compliance.
• Coordinated with the Texas General Land Office and internal control functions to resolve compliance matters, reducing a potential $21K state assessment.
• Led SAP implementation support for finance processes, documentation, training, and user adoption.
• Reengineered regional SOPs and built a digital compliance database, improving process continuity and efficiency by approximately 50%.
• Managed and mentored teams supporting Accounts Payable, Cash Office, and Maintenance operations.

Master of Business Administration in Global Management – University of Phoenix

Bachelor of Science in Business Accounting – University of Phoenix