Project Accountant

Leonardo; South Cheriton; Hybrid; GBP 55,000 - 75,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Time off up to 12 flexi‑days

Pension scheme with employer cont.

Mental health support

Coursera/LinkedIn Learning access

Hybrid working

Job summary

Leonardo UK seeks a Project Accountant to join the Yeovil team, supporting the Senior Project Accountant in the financial management of long‑term contracts. You will contribute to budgeting, forecasting and reporting under IFRS standards.

You will deliver monthly reporting in SAP, support programme governance, and work with Italy to ensure consistency. The role offers hybrid working and a comprehensive benefits package.

Qualifications

• Qualification in accounting/finance or qualified by experience is preferred but not essential.
• Strong budgeting, forecasting and reporting capabilities under IFRS.
• Experience with ERP systems (SAP) and data reporting tools (Power BI, Excel).

Responsibilities

• Support monthly financial reporting, forecasting and annual budgeting for major contracts.
• Provide financial insight within IPTs and support governance with robust controls.
• Prepare contract cost-to-complete analysis and cash flow forecasts; manage P&L and balance sheet items.

Skills

Budgeting & forecasting

Financial analysis

Cross-functional collaboration

Attention to detail

Communication skills

Education

Degree in accounting/finance or equivalent

Tools

SAP

Power BI

Excel

Job description

Job Description:

Your impact

We are seeking a Project Accountant to join our team in Yeovil, supporting the Senior Project Accountant in the financial management of significant, long-term contracts. The role will provide financial guidance and advice to programme leadership, ensuring robust financial controls and accurate budgeting, forecasting and reporting, in line with IFRS requirements and contractual obligations.

In this role you will

• Support the financial management of major, long-term contracts, including monthly financial reporting, forecasting and annual budgeting.
• Represent Finance within allocated Programme Integrated Project Teams (IPT), providing financial insight, constructive challenge and robust financial control. Undertake contract analysis and reporting to support the Senior Project Accountant, Programme Manager and wider business reviews and decision-making. Work collaboratively with other functional leads to drive effective programme performance and financial governance.
• Review and manage the timely delivery of contract forecasts under your responsibility, ensuring accuracy and robust forecasts to complete and outturn profitability, with clear understanding of risk register, opportunities and dependencies alongside senior project accountant and PM. To include:
  • Contract costs to complete along with associated schedules
  • Cash forecasting and support to treasury management for the programme, income and expenditures
  • All Profit and Loss and Balance Sheet items pertinent to the contract
  • Milestone reporting
  • Order Intake & Order Book forecasting
• Provide timely and accurate month-end financial reporting as appropriate, ensuring correct use of SAP in terms of contract structure and maintenance, and compliance with IFRS applications to enable performance reporting.
• Posting monthly cost and revenue journals in SAP as required.
• Working with colleagues in Italy to ensure financial consistency with reporting and forecasts, ensuring the consolidated programme position is correct.
• Working with business as necessary to support ad hoc requests from the Finance Management team.
• Ensure compliance with SSRO and other contractual legal requirements, and support the delivery of cost certificates to the customer as required for these contracts.
• Support external and internal audit requirements.
• Undertake additional duties that will arise from time to time and are consistent with the nature of this role.
• Provide support and input to annual budget process as part of the team.
• Maintain and ensure accurate data is presented in the Power BI database that provides timely reporting for the programmes.
• Provide financial awareness training to the IPT when required to hold aid wider knowledge of requirements.
• Provide cover for the senior project accountant when necessary.

What you'll bring

• Experience gained through qualification (relevant degree or studies) or qualified by experience would be preferred but not essential
• Good business acumen with the willingness and drive to see through change
• Interpersonal and team skills (ability to support in effectively communicating and interacting at all levels within the Company). Support in representing the company through engagement with customers and partners.
• Good critical thinker; analytical skills; strong attention to detail
• Ability to work on own initiative across cross functional teams
• Demonstrable IT knowledge – Microsoft (Excel, Word etc.); ERP (preferably SAP) and associated reporting tools preferred but not essential.
• Flexible approach to work and ability to work to tight deadlines

This is not an exhaustive list, and we are keen to hear from you even if you might not have experience in all the above. The most important skill is a good attitude and willingness to learn.

Security Clearance

This role is subject to pre-employment screening in line with the UK Government's Baseline Personnel Security Standard (BPSS). An additional range of Personnel Security Controls referred to as National Security Vetting (NSV) may apply, this could include meeting the eligibility requirements for The Security Check (SC) or Developed Vetting (DV). For more information and guidance please visit:

Why join us

At Leonardo, our people are at the heart of everything we do. We offer a comprehensive, company-funded benefits package that supports your wellbeing, career development, and work-life balance. Whether you're looking to grow professionally, care for your health, or plan for the future, we're here to help you thrive.

• Time to Recharge: Enjoy generous leave with the opportunity to accrue up to 12 additional flexi-days each year.
• Secure your Future: Benefit from our award-winning pension scheme with up to 15% employer contribution.
• Your Wellbeing Matters: Free access to mental health support, financial advice, and employee-led networks championing inclusion and diversity (Enable, Pride, Equalise, Armed Forces, Carers, Wellbeing and Ethnicity).
• Rewarding Performance: All employees at management level and below are eligible for our bonus scheme.
• Never Stop Learning: Free access to 4,000+ online courses via Coursera and LinkedIn Learning.
• Refer a friend: Receive a financial reward through our referral programme.
• Tailored Perks: Spend up to £500 annually on flexible benefits including private healthcare, dental, family cover, tech and lifestyle discounts, gym memberships and more.
• Flexible working: Flexible hours with hybrid working options. For part time opportunities, please talk to us about what might be possible for this role.

For a full list of our company benefits please visit our website.

Leonardo UK operates a grade-based salary framework with broad bands. The salary range shown reflects the approved grade band for this role, or a narrower hiring range published within that band, and is benchmarked against the external market. Exceptions above the standard range are managed through governance controls to protect internal equity.

Leonardo is a global leader in Aerospace, Defence, and Security. Headquartered in Italy, we employ over 53,000 people worldwide including 8,500 across 9 sites in the UK.

At Leonardo we are committed to building an inclusive, accessible, and welcoming workplace. We believe that a diverse workforce sparks creativity, drives innovation, and leads to better outcomes for our people and our customers. If you have any accessibility requirements to support you during the recruitment process, just let us know.