Your posting mentions job costing, certified payroll for public projects and a controller who wants the close done earlier. Those are the three things I handle every month as the only bookkeeper at Sandia Mechanical Services, a 42-person contractor here in Albuquerque.
When I started there in 2021, job costs were tracked in a spreadsheet the owners updated when they had time. I set up projects and phases in QuickBooks Online so labor and material post to about 60 active jobs as they happen, and the owners now review job margins at the monthly meeting instead of at year end. I run biweekly payroll in Gusto, prepare certified payroll reports for our public school work, file gross receipts tax monthly, and close by workday 8. I also brought receivables over 60 days down from $212K to $88K by moving progress billing to a weekly schedule and calling customers on day 31.
Before Sandia I kept books for 14 small businesses at a bookkeeping and tax firm, including a two-year cleanup for a restaurant that had fallen behind. I hold the Certified Bookkeeper credential from AIPB and am a QuickBooks Online ProAdvisor.
I would be glad to come by and look at how your books are set up today. I can usually meet after 3 p.m. on weekdays.