Project Accountant

BAE Systems; Smith's Green; On-site; GBP 40,000 - 55,000; Full time

Job summary

A leading defense contractor in the United Kingdom is seeking a Project Accountant to support various contracts. You will provide financial insights, manage reports, and drive performance improvements. The ideal candidate should be part-qualified in accounting and experienced in project finance, with strong skills in Microsoft Office and ERP systems. This role offers a competitive benefits package including flexible health and wellness options.

Benefits

Competitive pension scheme

Employee share plans

Flexible health and lifestyle benefits

Qualifications

• Part-qualified accountant actively pursuing full qualification.
• Experience in Project Finance with forecasting and reporting.
• Understanding of IFRS15 revenue recognition standards.

Responsibilities

• Provide project accounting support, ensuring timely analysis.
• Support quarterly forecasts and annual budgets.
• Operate effective financial controls and support audits.

Skills

Part-qualified accountant (CIMA, ACCA, or ACA)

Experience of Project Finance

Understanding of financial forecasting and reporting

Experience with Microsoft Office

Familiarity with MRPs or ERPs

Tools

Excel

SAP

Oracle

Tableau

Job description

Responsibilities

• Project Accounting Support for a variety of contracts, including critical design services for the MoD, working closely with the Integrated Delivery Team (IDT) offering financial support and guidance
• Support the production of timely insights, analysis and Business Intelligence to drive performance. Ensure timely working capital cycle for projects and supporting decision makers in delivering strong project financial performance
• Support the production of quarterly forecasts and Annual Budgets (IBP) in conjunction with the Finance Business Partners. Support IPTs in forecasting financial estimates of costs to deliver projects and manage risks and opportunities, highlighting key information to the relevant FBPs
• Support the delivery of accurate month end management reporting, on time, including project reporting outputs and monthly management reporting with expert analysis and insights analysing in-year financial performance
• Support project teams across the lifecycle of contracts, including initial setup, forecasting, trading, reporting and analysis, and closure
• Operate robust and effective financial controls in line with Financial Control Framework and Finance Policies manual supporting external and internal audit as required
• Contribute towards identifying and delivering improvements to processes within Project Finance. Support ongoing Finance Modernisation activity, in particular digital reporting improvements, The Project Accountant will be an integral member of the FP&A Project Accounting function, providing ongoing support across Project Finance and the wider Finance team. This role will contribute to the successful delivery of project finance outputs and deliverables, offering effective financial challenge, governance, and strategic partnership with programme teams
• This position sits within a specialised area of the portfolio, focusing on the engineering division. The role manages a substantial number of projects, working closely with numerous Project Managers across a diverse range of initiatives. It requires a strong financial focus, a proactive approach to driving continuous improvement, and the ability to challenge and influence effectively. The Project Accountant will build strong relationships with the Project Management function and gain valuable exposure to the broader commercial aspects of the business

Why BAE Systems? This is a place where you\'ll be able to make a real difference. You\'ll be part of an inclusive culture that values diversity of thought, rewards integrity, and merit, and where you\'ll be empowered to fulfil your potential. We welcome people from all backgrounds and want to make sure that our recruitment processes are as inclusive as possible. If you have a disability or health condition (for example dyslexia, autism, an anxiety disorder etc.) that may affect your performance in certain assessment types, please speak to your recruiter about potential reasonable adjustments.

Qualifications

• Part-qualified accountant (CIMA, ACCA, or ACA) actively working towards full professional qualification
• Experience of Project Finance and an understanding of financial forecasting and reporting processes
• Awareness of relevant accounting standards including IFRS15 revenue recognition criteria
• Experience in the use of Microsoft Office packages, including Excel
• Experience of using MRPs or ERPs (eg SAP, Infor LN, Oracle) and financial reporting, forecasting and analytical tools (eg SAP BPC/SAC, Cognos, Tableau)

Please be aware that many roles at BAE Systems are subject to both security and export control restrictions. These restrictions mean that factors such as your nationality, any nationalities you may have previously held, and your place of birth can restrict the roles you are eligible to perform within the organisation. All applicants must as a minimum achieve Baseline Personnel Security Standard. Many roles also require higher levels of National Security Vetting where applicants must typically have 5 to 10 years of continuous residency in the UK depending on the vetting level required for the role, to allow for meaningful security vetting checks.

As well as a competitive pension scheme, BAE Systems also offers employee share plans, an extensive range of flexible discounted health, wellbeing and lifestyle benefits, including a green car scheme, private health plans and shopping discounts - you may also be eligible for an annual incentive.