Virtual Bookkeeper — QuickBooks Online Setup & Ongoing Bookkeeping (Construction)

Virtual Bookkeeper — QuickBooks Online Setup & Ongoing Bookkeeping (Construction)
Full-time or part-time | Remote (Philippines) | Long-term | Ontario, Canada business hours (Eastern Time)
About the company
I am the co-founder of a Canadian solar construction company based in Ontario. We build and service ground-mount solar farms, commercial rooftop solar, and battery storage systems. We are in our first months of operation and hiring field crews now, so this role is a ground-floor opportunity to set up our accounting properly from day one and grow with the business.
What you will do
I need an experienced bookkeeper to set up QuickBooks Online from scratch and then run the day-to-day books as the ongoing bookkeeper. This is a long-term role. The first 30 to 60 days are heavy on setup and configuration. After that, it settles into steady monthly bookkeeping, payroll reconciliation, job costing, and financial reporting.
Phase 1 — QuickBooks Online setup
• Configure a new QuickBooks Online company file (Plus or Advanced tier) for a Canadian construction business
• Build a proper chart of accounts tailored to construction, including COGS categories for labour, materials, equipment rental, subcontractors, and site costs
• Set up classes and locations for tracking by project and by business unit
• Configure sales tax (HST for Ontario, with the ability to handle other provinces later)
• Set up customers, vendors, items, and service codes
• Configure bank feeds, credit card feeds, and bank rules
• Set up project tracking and job costing so we can see profitability by project
• Build out the opening balances correctly
• Integrate QBO with our other systems (payroll platform, receipt capture, expense tools) and set up the rules for how data flows in
• Document the setup and the monthly close process so it is repeatable
Phase 2 — Ongoing monthly bookkeeping
• Categorize transactions from bank and credit card feeds
• Reconcile bank accounts, credit cards, and loan accounts monthly
• Manage accounts payable: enter bills, match to POs or receipts, schedule payments for approval
• Manage accounts receivable: create invoices, apply payments, follow up on aging
• Record payroll journal entries from our payroll platform and reconcile to QBO
• Track project costs by job so we can report gross margin per project
• Prepare and file HST returns
• Month-end close: accruals, prepaid expenses, depreciation, intercompany if applicable
• Produce monthly financial statements (P&L, balance sheet, cash flow) and a simple project-level profitability report
• Coordinate with our external accountant at year-end for tax filings and any audit prep
Required experience
• Minimum 5 years of bookkeeping experience
• QuickBooks Online ProAdvisor certification, or equivalent demonstrated QBO expertise (setup from scratch, not just maintaining an existing file)
• Strong working knowledge of construction industry bookkeeping: job costing, progress billing, holdbacks or retainage, subcontractor management, WIP tracking, cost codes, and project-based P&L
• Experience with Canadian bookkeeping standards, including HST/GST and Ontario payroll deductions (CPP, EI, income tax, WSIB)
• Comfortable building a chart of accounts from scratch for a new company
• Strong Excel or Google Sheets skills
• Clear written and spoken English
• Reliable internet, quiet work environment, and ability to work during Ontario business hours (Eastern Time, roughly 9:00 AM to 5:00 PM ET, which is 9:00 PM to 5:00 AM Manila time).

Nice to have
• Experience with Canadian construction accounting specifically (holdbacks, T5018 contractor reporting, WSIB clearance certificates)
• Familiarity with payroll functions within QBO
• Experience with expense management and receipt capture tools
• Experience setting up open-book reporting for investors or minority shareholders
• CPA or equivalent accounting designation is a plus, not a requirement
What I am looking for in a person
• Detail-oriented and organized. I want someone who treats the books like their own business.
• Proactive. If you see a problem in how we are coding things, I want you to flag it and propose a fix.
• Comfortable building systems and documentation, not just data entry
• Able to ask good questions when something is unclear rather than guessing
• Long-term mindset. I want to grow this relationship as the company scales from a handful of employees to a much larger field operation.
Hours and compensation
Start: Part-time (roughly 20 hours per week) during the setup phase, with the potential to grow into full-time as the company scales through 2026 and 2027. I am flexible on this for the right person.
Pay: Competitive pay based on experience and certifications.
Long-term: I am looking to build a long-term relationship, not a short project. If this goes well, I expect this to be a multi-year role with growing responsibility.
How to apply
Please reply with:
• A short paragraph about your QBO setup experience, specifically any construction companies you have set up from scratch
• Your QuickBooks ProAdvisor ID or a link to your certification (if applicable)
• A summary of your experience with Canadian bookkeeping (HST, Ontario payroll, T5018, etc.)
• A brief answer to this question: If I gave you a brand-new QBO file today for a solar construction company, what are the first five things you would set up before recording a single transaction?

Applications that skip the last question will not be reviewed. I am looking for someone who can think, not just follow a checklist.

Thank you for reading all the way to the end. I look forward to hearing from you.