Senior Project Accountant

**The Opportunity**
A fantastic opportunity has arisen for a Senior Project Accountant within a global and world-renowned brand, working within its specialist rail infrastructure division based in York with hybrid working.The Senior Project Accountant will provide specificallydefined financial controls for the business' projects, cost centres and bid projects and provide timely and accurate information to ensure that Corporate Governance requirements are fully met. The projects are stimulating, the mindset is innovative and therewards are excellent. The Senior Project Accountant will receive full training and support and will be encouraged to take ownership of the role from day one.
**The Role/Responsibilities**:

- 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
- Working with other parts of the project team as necessary e.g. Commercial function, prepare project reporting to the client where required
- 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
- Act as the independent conscience of the project ensuring the integrity of the financial status and forecast, raising issues or concerns where necessary
- 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 reimburse contracts, ensure timely and accurate provision of all supporting 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

**You will be/have**:

- Part or fully qualified (CIMA/ACCA)
- Previous accountancy experience
- Someone who is strong mathematically
- 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