Project Accountant

Project Accountant

12-Month Contract Inside IR35 London (Hybrid) £400 - £600 per day

A leading organisation delivering a major UK infrastructure programme is seeking an experienced Project Accountant to join its project finance team on a 12-month contract basis.

This is an excellent opportunity to work on a high-value, complex programme where finance plays a critical role in supporting project delivery, commercial decision-making, and long-term financial performance.

We're looking for a commercially minded finance professional who is comfortable operating within a fast-paced project environment, providing insight, challenge, and financial leadership to senior stakeholders.

The Role

As Project Accountant, you will act as the finance lead for a significant project portfolio, supporting project managers and business leaders across all aspects of project financial control.

Key responsibilities will include:

• Management of project forecasts and Estimate at Completion (EAC) reporting
• Preparation and review of monthly project financial reporting packs
• Detailed variance analysis against budget and forecast
• Cashflow forecasting and working capital management
• Financial modelling and scenario analysis to support project decision-making
• Management of project risks and opportunities from a financial perspective
• Cost-to-complete analysis and forecasting
• Support for change controls, variations and commercial assessments
• Balance sheet reviews and reconciliations
• Business partnering with operational and project delivery teams
• Supporting budget and reforecast cycles
• Ensuring compliance with internal governance and financial controls

About You

You will be a qualified accountant with strong project finance experience gained within large-scale, complex delivery environments.

Essential

• ACA, ACCA, CIMA, CGMA, ICAEW, FCA, FCCA or FCMA qualified
• Approximately 5+ years post-qualified experience
• Extensive project accounting or project finance experience
• Advanced Excel and financial modelling capability
• Experience managing budgets and forecasts for projects exceeding £75m in value
• Ability to influence and challenge senior stakeholders

Highly Desirable

• Experience within infrastructure, engineering, construction, transportation, utilities, defence or other large capital programme environments
• Experience supporting government-funded or publicly funded projects
• SAP experience
• Experience working within complex matrix organisations

What's Important

This role is not focused on establishing basic financial controls. Instead, we're seeking someone who can thrive in a challenging project environment and confidently manage:

• Complex forecasting requirements
• Financial scenario modelling
• Cost variation analysis
• Cashflow optimisation
• Risk and opportunity assessments
• Detailed monthly performance reviews

The successful candidate will be comfortable dealing with ambiguity, providing commercial insight, and supporting decision-making on a programme of significant scale and complexity.

About Ford & Stanley Group

Ford & Stanley Talent Services Group are in the business of people and performance. Our mission is to create one million better workdays through facilitating great recruitment, leadership and occupational mental fitness. We support our clients in their most challenging business areas recruiting, developing and retaining the best talent from shop floor to boardroom.

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• Ford & Stanley Genius Performance Performance coaching, training, and mental fitness.

Ford & Stanley Talent Services Group Ltd is a Disability Confident employer that is committed to a policy of equal opportunities for all opportunity seekers. We shall adhere to such a policy at all times and will review on an on-going basis all aspects of recruitment to avoid unlawful or undesirable discrimination. We will treat everyone equally irrespective sex, sexual orientation, gender reassignment, marital or civil partnership status, age, disability, colour, race, nationality, ethnic or national origin, religion or belief or political beliefs and we place an obligation upon all staff to respect and act in accordance with the policy.