Senior Project Accountant – York

Job Description

Are you a qualified or part qualified Senior/Project Accountant looking for a superb opportunity to join a global company ranked as one of the best places to work in the UK?

Are you looking for the career opportunity to work for an innovative global business offering excellent company culture and obvious succession planning?

As Senior Project Accountant you will take responsibility for the delivery of effective project accounting and commercial support to the project team. Joining a team of 5 you will work closely with the Project & Commercial Managers to strengthen the Finance team, by looking at cost controls and forecast accuracy to improve forecasts on a monthly basis for valuable long-term projects.

As Senior Project Accountant you will support the Divisional Finance Manager, you will provide specifically defined financial controls for UK wide projects, cost centres and bid projects and provide timely and accurate information to ensure that Corporate Governance requirements are fully met. Whatever your background the projects are stimulating, mindset innovative and you will be offered ongoing training and support with your career development.

This is the challenge

• Undertake a handover from the Tendering and Estimating team of the financial elements of a successful bid, creating the baseline budget, project reports and full set up in the SAP system
• Report project actual and forecast spend to support Work Package Managers (WPM) and the Project Manager (PM) in the financial control and forecasting of their budgets
• Analyse new project forecasts, developing a view on robustness, timing, risk and opportunity.
• Review and, if necessary, challenge with both WPM and PM before finalising
• Ensuring all change is properly incorporated in cost and value, completing tender templates to determine budgeted cost
• Maintain for each project the P&L, balance sheet, order book and cashflow on behalf of the PM
• Ensure all project reports and forecasts are submitted to Central Finance on time, accurate, and are understood and approved, where necessary, by the PM and Senior Manager, Finance
• Calculate and review project accruals related to internal and agency staff, materials, and major subcontractors
• Manage or support the setup, submission and processing of Payment Applications, certificates and invoices, including all postings to the ledger
• Actively monitor the payment cycle ensuring any required actions are taken to improve the cash position, chasing payments with supplier where necessary
• On Target Cost/Cost reimbursable contracts, ensure timely and accurate provision of all
• information to enable issuing, approval and payment of all actual costs claimed
• Provide guidance to other Project Accountants in the team
• Follow all Group accounting policies, but in particular with the long-term contract accounting policy

What do you need to qualify for this job

• Part or fully Qualified Accountant (CIMA/ACCA)
• Advanced Excel skills (including pivot tables, formulas, and macros)
• Excellent communicator with the ability to challenge and influence others
• Desire and ability to work closely and develop productive relationships with both Finance staff and other project functions
• The ability to analyse and use data to make valuable contributions to a process or activity
• Someone who is technically savvy and strives to automate processes (knowledge or Tableau or Power BI would be an advantage)
• Be prepared to travel if required, occasional travel to project sites
• Relevant contract accountant experience is preferred but not essential
• Recent management experience is preferred but not essential
• SAP knowledge or basic understanding of SAP would be an advantage