Project Accountant

Blackshark; City of Edinburgh; Hybrid; GBP 45,000 - 55,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Pension scheme

Discretionary bonus

Hybrid working

Job summary

SeeByte in Edinburgh is seeking a Project Accountant to lead financial control, reporting and forecasting for UK/US contracted projects. You will own cost reporting, labour bookings, and billing in line with contract terms, collaborating with Programme Managers and Commercial teams to ensure accurate financial insights.

The role supports the full project lifecycle with a focus on accuracy, timely reporting and compliance, while benefiting from a flexible hybrid working arrangement.

Qualifications

• Qualified or working towards a professional accounting qualification (ACCA/CIMA/ACA) or equivalent.
• Experience in project accounting or finance business partnering.
• Strong financial analysis, forecasting and budgeting skills.
• Ability to produce clear financial reports for multiple stakeholders.
• Excellent numerical accuracy and data integrity.

Responsibilities

• Cost controlling and reporting for multiple projects across the lifecycle.
• Produce project reports and forecasts with meaningful insights.
• Monitor performance against budget and identify variances.
• Ensure cost allocation, ledger control and reconciliation accuracy.
• Provide financial analysis on scope changes and contract amendments.
• Apply accounting standards to project costs and revenues.
• Identify and communicate emerging financial risks.
• Contribute to continuous improvement of project reporting and controls.

Skills

Project accounting

Financial analysis

Budgeting

Forecasting

Stakeholder management

Advanced Excel

UK Security Clearance eligible

Education

Professional accounting qualification (ACCA/CIMA/ACA) or equivalent

Job description

Location: Edinburgh

Salary: £45K - £55K per annum (or pro-rata) + pension scheme and discretionary bonus

Job Type: Full-time, Permanent

Because of the nature of the work associated with this post, it is subject to special nationality rules and is restricted to individuals who are UK British Nationals. For this role, due to government security requirements, the term "UK Nationals" excludes anyone who is a dual national or naturalised British citizen (that is, originally a foreign national).

We maintain a flexible working policy to allow for hybrid working when appropriate. Teams typically spend around 60% of their time in the office, although this may vary depending on project and business needs. At times you may need to attend the office up to 5 days per week.

SeeByte, the global market leader in the development of smart software for uncrewed maritime systems, is looking to recruit a Project Accountant to join our team in Edinburgh.

This is an exciting opportunity for a commercially minded finance professional to support programme delivery by providing end-to-end project financial control for UK and US contracted work. You will own cost reporting and re-forecasting, labour and time bookings and cost coding integrity, as well as manage accurate, timely billing in line with contract terms.

Working closely with Programme Managers, Commercial teams and senior leaders, you will provide the financial insight and control needed to support informed decision-making and successful project delivery.

Why Join SeeByte?

This is a unique opportunity to join a world-respected company with an international client base. You will join a multidisciplinary team of researchers, engineers, programme managers and commercial professionals, contributing to innovative solutions that operate in challenging real-world environments. SeeByte offers an environment where you can grow professionally while helping shape the future of autonomous maritime technology.

For more information about life at SeeByte, our employee benefits, culture, and recruitment process, please visit our Career Website.

Main Purpose of the Role

The Project Accountant is responsible for the financial control, reporting and forecasting of individual projects and programmes across the business. The role supports the full project lifecycle, from budget creation and baseline planning through to project completion, ensuring financial performance is accurately monitored and reported.

Working closely with Programme Managers, Commercial colleagues and the wider Finance team, you will provide clear financial insights, identify risks and opportunities, and ensure project financial data is accurate, compliant and actionable.

Key Responsibilities

• Cost controlling and reporting: Build and maintain project budgets, ensuring cost and resource assumptions are accurately reflected throughout the project lifecycle.
• Produce project financial reports and forecasts, providing meaningful analysis and insight to support business decisions.
• Resource and Time Sheet Governance: Monitor project performance against budget, identifying variances, trends, risks and opportunities.
• Cost allocation, ledger control and reconciliation: Analyse project costs and revenues, distinguishing between timing differences and genuine over or underspend.
• Ensure the integrity of project financial data, reconciling cost, revenue and timesheet information and resolving discrepancies.
• Support Programme Managers and Commercial teams by providing financial analysis on delivery decisions, scope changes and contract amendments.
• Apply relevant accounting standards and contractual requirements to the treatment of project costs and revenues.
• Identify and communicate emerging financial risks, recommending actions to protect project and business performance.
• Contribute to continuous improvement activities across project reporting, forecasting and financial controls.

Key Skills, Experience and Qualifications

We recognise that great candidates may bring different combinations of skills and experience. If you meet many, but not all, of the criteria below, we encourage you to apply.

Essential

• Professional accounting qualification (or working towards one) such as ACCA, CIMA, ACA or equivalent, or qualified by relevant experience.
• Experience in project accounting, management accounting or finance business partnering within a project-based environment.
• Strong financial analysis, forecasting and budgeting skills.
• Experience producing clear and accurate financial reports for a range of stakeholders.
• Strong numerical and analytical skills, with the ability to interpret complex financial information and translate it into meaningful insight.
• Excellent attention to detail and a commitment to data accuracy and financial integrity.
• Strong communication and stakeholder management skills, with the ability to work effectively with both finance and non-finance colleagues.
• Advanced Excel skills and experience working with financial reporting systems.
• Eligible to apply for UK Security Clearance.

Desirable

• Experience working within Defence, Technology, Engineering or other project-based environments.
• Knowledge of project accounting, revenue recognition and contract-related financial reporting.
• Understanding of UK GAAP and project-based financial controls.
• Experience supporting complex customer-funded programmes or government contracts.

The following behaviours are important for this role: Adaptive Thinking, Collaboration and Delivering Results.

You Will Stand Out If You

• Enjoy understanding the story behind the numbers and using data to drive better decisions.
• Are proactive in identifying risks and opportunities before they become issues.
• Can explain financial information clearly and confidently to stakeholders without a finance background.
• Thrive in a collaborative environment and build strong working relationships across multiple teams.
• Take ownership of your work and have a strong focus on delivering accurate, high-quality outputs.

At SeeByte, we are committed to creating an inclusive and accessible workplace and supporting employee wellbeing. If you require any adjustments or accessibility support during the recruitment process, please reach out to [e-mail]

All offers of employment will be conditional upon successful completion of a Baseline Personnel Security Standard (BPSS) process and require Security Check (SC) clearance. To be eligible for full SC clearance, you generally need to have resided in the UK for the last five years. In some circumstances, a minimum of three years' residence in the UK over the last five years may be accepted, subject to additional overseas checks.

As part of this process, SeeByte collects personal data as defined under UK GDPR, including proof of identity, nationality and immigration status, right to work in the UK, employment and/or academic references, and Basic Disclosure information relating to unspent criminal convictions. Please refer to our Privacy Notice for further information.

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