Example Company
Software engineer
- Location
- San Francisco
- Type
- Full time
- Compensation
- $150k-$200k
- Posted
- 2 days ago
Join a team building useful software. Work closely with engineering and design to turn new ideas into products.
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Project Accountant
- Posted
- 19H AGO
About the role
Project Accountant
Reporting: Finance Lead
Role Purpose
We are seeking an experienced and commercially minded Project Accountant to take responsibility for the financial management, control and reporting of complex large-scale construction and engineering projects.
The role is hands-on and will act as a key finance business partner to Project Managers, Commercial teams and other senior stakeholders, providing accurate, timely and insightful financial information to support effective project delivery and decision-making.
The successful candidate will have strong project accounting and financial control experience, with the ability to understand the commercial and operational drivers of complex projects. They will take ownership of project reporting, forecasting, cost control, cash flow management, balance sheet control and financial governance, with a mandate to challenge teams where appropriate and escalate budget deviations proactively.
Key Responsibilities
Project Financial Management & Reporting
• Own end-to-end financial management and control of assigned construction and engineering projects.
• Prepare and maintain the monthly Project Cost and Analysis Report (PCAR) and associated supporting schedules.
• Ensure project financial information is accurate, complete and reconciled to the accounting/ERP system and management accounts.
• Review actual project costs, committed costs and remaining purchase order commitments.
• Work closely with Project Managers and project teams to ensure costs are receipted accurately and appropriate accruals are recorded based on project progress, accounting standards and company policies.
• Review subcontractor activity, project cost allocations, retentions and other significant monthly movements.
• Maintain current contract values and estimated final contract values, incorporating approved and anticipated change orders, claims and other project developments.
• Incorporate updated project forecasts and schedules provided by Project Managers and project teams into financial reporting.
• Prepare draft monthly project reporting packs and supporting schedules for stakeholder review.
• Coordinate and participate in monthly project financial review meetings, ensuring key decisions, actions and financial matters are appropriately documented.
• Finalise monthly project reporting following stakeholder review and month-end sign-off.
• Ensure all monthly financial reporting deliverables are completed accurately and within agreed deadlines.
Forecasting, Budgeting & Commercial Control
• Maintain robust project budgets, forecasts and estimates at completion.
• Analyse actual and committed expenditure against budget and forecast, identifying material variances, emerging trends, and recommending corrective actions where required.
• Work with Project Managers to assess the financial implications of changes to project scope, programme and delivery.
• Support the creation, financial evaluation and tracking of compensation events, variations and change orders.
• Maintain visibility of project financial risks and opportunities and provide regular updates to the Project Manager, line manager and senior stakeholders.
• Provide constructive financial challenge to operational and commercial assumptions.
• Develop and continuously improve business intelligence and financial analysis to support project decision-making.
• Prepare ad hoc financial analysis as required.
Purchase Orders, Contractors & Commercial Support
• Support purchase order creation, receipting and associated financial administration where required.
• Establish and maintain a comprehensive PO tracker, providing regular reporting on purchase order status by vendor and contractor.
• Work with the Commercial team to support the review and finalisation of subcontractor assessments and payment applications.
• Perform financial review of contractor milestone certifications and monitor relevant contractual financial deadlines.
• Monitor contractor payments against the value of work completed and highlight potential financial exposure.
• Maintain accurate schedules of contractor retentions and monitor upcoming retention releases or recoveries.
• Maintain schedules of contractor warranties and guarantees, including forward-looking analysis of expiry, release, drawdown or wind-down requirements.
Cash Flow Management
• Prepare and maintain detailed rolling project cash flow forecasts, updated at least monthly and more frequently during peak construction activity.
• Monitor actual and forecast project cash requirements and highlight significant changes or funding requirements.
• Monitor project bank account activity and maintain appropriate financial controls.
• Prepare project bank reconciliations for review and sign-off.
• Set up project payments for approval in accordance with established authorisation and approval procedures.
Balance Sheet & Financial Control
• Maintain strong balance sheet control and documented reviews for assigned projects.
• Prepare and review project accruals and ensure they accurately reflect project progress and financial obligations.
• Review project creditors, contractor balances and retentions with relevant project stakeholders.
• Ensure project accounting and financial processes operate within company policies, accounting standards and the established internal control environment.
• Support compliance with internal control requirements where applicable.
• Maintain appropriate documentation and audit trails to support internal and external audit requirements.
Business Partnering & Stakeholder Management
• Act as a key financial business partner to Project Managers and other project stakeholders.
• Work closely with Finance, Commercial, Procurement and operational teams to ensure an integrated view of project performance.
• Translate complex financial information into clear, commercially relevant insights for non-finance stakeholders.
• Present project financial performance, forecasts, risks and opportunities to senior management and the Board as required.
• Constructively challenge project assumptions and decisions where appropriate while maintaining strong working relationships.
• Ensure financial considerations are incorporated into operational and commercial project decisions.
• Promote strong financial awareness and accountability across project teams.
Continuous Improvement & General Finance
• Identify opportunities to improve project reporting, financial controls, processes and business intelligence.
• Support improvements to ERP-based project accounting and reporting processes.
• Develop reporting and analysis that improves visibility of project performance and supports better decision-making.
• Provide ad hoc financial analysis and reporting requested by project and senior stakeholders.
• Support wider Finance team activities as required.
• Undertake other appropriate finance and project-control responsibilities consistent with the requirements of the role
Qualifications & Experience
Essential
• Qualified accountant – ACA, ACCA, CIMA or equivalent.
• Strong experience in a project accounting, project controlling, management accounting or similar commercially focused finance role.
• Experience of project cost reporting, budgeting, forecasting, accruals and committed-cost analysis.
• Strong understanding of financial controls and the ability to operate effectively within a robust internal control environment.
• Advanced or highly proficient Microsoft Excel skills.
• Experience working with ERP and financial accounting systems.
• Strong financial and commercial awareness with demonstrated business-partnering capability.
• Experience working with operational and non-finance stakeholders.
• Strong analytical skills and the ability to interpret complex financial and operational information.
• Excellent numerical and general computer literacy.
Desirable
• 3+ years’ post-qualification experience in a relevant project finance, project accounting or controlling position.[JH1.1]
• Experience within data centre, energy infrastructure, power generation, construction, engineering or a similar capital-project environment.
• Working knowledge of ERP controls or experience operating within a similarly rigorous internal control framework.
• Experience of large, complex or multi-year construction/engineering projects.
• Exposure to contractor and subcontractor commercial arrangements, payment applications, retentions, warranties, guarantees and change-control processes.
• Experience managing project cash flows and multi-currency exposures.
Skills & Competencies
The successful candidate will demonstrate:
• Budget ownership and cost discipline – takes personal accountability for keeping projects within budget; drives a cost-conscious culture and does not accept variance without explanation and remediation.
• Commercial acumen – understands the commercial drivers behind project performance and can connect financial outcomes with operational activity.
• Financial control – maintains high standards of accuracy, governance and financial discipline.
• Analytical thinking – can identify trends, risks, opportunities and inconsistencies within complex financial information.
• Constructive challenge – confident questioning assumptions and challenging the operational business appropriately.
• Business partnering – builds credibility with Project Managers and operational stakeholders and contributes positively to project decisions.
• Communication – able to make financial information relevant, understandable and actionable for non-finance audiences.
• Attention to detail – maintains accurate financial records while retaining a clear understanding of the overall project position.
• Solution orientation – takes a practical and proactive approach to resolving financial and project-control issues.
• Teamwork – collaborates effectively across Finance, Project Management, Commercial and operational teams.
• Organisation and delivery – able to manage competing priorities and consistently meet demanding month-end and project reporting deadlines.
• Continuous improvement mindset – actively looks for opportunities to improve reporting, processes, controls and management information.
Key Stakeholder Relationships
The Project Accountant will work closely with:
• Project Managers and Project Directors
• Commercial and Contract Management teams
• Other Finance teams
• Contractors and subcontractors, where appropriate
• Senior Management
• Board-level stakeholders, as required
• Internal and external auditors
What Success Looks Like
Success in this role will be demonstrated through accurate and timely project reporting; reliable forecasts and estimates at completion; strong control over costs, commitments, cash flow and balance sheet positions; early identification of financial risks and opportunities; and the provision of high-quality financial insight that enables Project Managers and senior stakeholders to make informed decisions.
The Project Accountant will ultimately provide the financial discipline, insight and constructive challenge required to help ensure projects are delivered with strong commercial and financial control.
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