Project Cost Accountant

NES Fircroft; Aberdeen City; On-site; GBP 30,000 - 42,000; Part time

Job summary

NES Fircroft in Aberdeen is seeking a Project Cost Accountant on a PAYE contract, part-time 2.5–3 days per week, to provide cost control, forecasting and governance for an oil & gas development project. You will act as the finance interface to the project team.

Applicants should have a Bachelor degree in a relevant field, 5+ years in oil and gas cost accounting, and strong knowledge of AFEs, WBS, budgeting and variance analysis.

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in Accounting, Finance or related field.
• Minimum 5 years of cost accounting experience in Oil & Gas.
• Strong knowledge of AFEs, budgets, commitments, actuals and forecasting.

Responsibilities

• Set up, maintain and monitor AFEs, budgets and cost structures for the project.
• Monitor commitments, actuals, accruals and forecast expenditure against budgets.
• Prepare monthly project cost reports with variances and forecasts.
• Support cost reporting with concise narrative on movements and risks.
• Review coding and allocation of project costs with cross-functional teams.
• Support accruals by identifying goods and services not yet invoiced.
• Assist budget updates and risk reviews with revised forecasts.
• Maintain audit trails for all cost data and approvals.

Skills

Cost accounting

Budgeting

Forecasting

Variance analysis

Education

Bachelor's degree in Accounting or related field

Tools

SAP

Excel

Job description

Role: Project Cost Accountant

PAYE contract / Part time 2.5 – 3 days per week

Location: Aberdeen

Purpose of Position

To provide project cost accounting support for the development project, while also supporting Birgitta as required, ensuring accurate cost control, forecasting, reporting and financial governance.

The role acts as the key finance interface to the project team, providing timely financial insight and analysis to support effective project decision-making and delivery.

Principal Accountabilities (5-9)

1. Set up, maintain and monitor project AFEs, budgets, WBS/cost structures and reporting codes for the project, with similar support for Birgitta as required
2. Monitor commitments, actual costs, accruals and forecast expenditure against approved budgets and AFEs, ensuring cost information is complete, accurate and available for project and finance review.
3. Prepare monthly project cost reports, including actuals, commitments, accruals, approved changes, forecast final cost, variance explanations, contingency overview and clear graphical or tabular summaries.
4. Support monthly reporting by preparing cost sections and concise narrative explaining key movements, forecast changes, cost risks, contingency usage and management actions required.
5. Review coding and allocation of project costs to the appropriate AFE, WBS, cost centre and account code, liaising with Finance, Supply Chain and project team members to resolve coding issues or missing support.
6. Support the monthly accrual process by identifying goods and services received but not yet invoiced, coordinating input from contract owners and budget holders, and preparing supportable accruals.
7. Support budget and forecast updates, identifying variances, trends and emerging financial risks and preparing revised forecast final cost for review by the Finance Manager and project team.
8. Support change control and Management of Change processes by ensuring approved changes are reflected in budgets, forecasts, AFEs and cost reports; maintain clear audit trails for all cost data, assumptions, calculations and approvals.

Principal Challenges (1-3)

1. Providing accurate and timely cost information in a dynamic project environment where budgets, commitments, schedules and assumptions may change quickly.
2. Maintaining clear alignment between project controls, SAP / finance records, AFEs, WBS structures, purchase orders, invoices, accruals and management reporting.
3. Working effectively on a part-time basis while ensuring critical month-end, reporting, forecasting and governance deadlines are met.

Know How:

Job Knowledge (JK):

• Bachelor's degree or equivalent experience in Accounting, Finance, Business, Project Controls or a related discipline.
• Qualified accountant, part-qualified accountant, qualified by experience, or experienced cost accountant with a strong project accounting background.
• Minimum 5 years relevant experience in an Oil and Gas operator environment
• Strong understanding of project cost control principles, including AFEs, budgets, commitments, actuals, accruals, forecasting, cost coding, WBS / CBS structures, variance analysis and forecast final cost.

Managerial Scope (MS):

• Self-starter who can work independently, identify issues early and follow through to resolution.
• Able to prioritise effectively in a part-time role, focusing on critical monthly finance and project reporting deadlines.
• Strong analytical ability and attention to detail, with the ability to reconcile information across finance, procurement and project controls sources.
• Confident engaging with project managers, engineers, supply chain and finance colleagues to obtain information, challenge assumptions and explain financial impacts.

Human Relation Skills (HR):

• Strong written and verbal communication skills, with the ability to present cost information clearly to finance and non-finance stakeholders.
• Collaborative and pragmatic, able to work effectively across Finance, Project Management, Supply Chain and contractor interfaces.
• Able to challenge constructively where coding, forecasts, commitments, accruals or cost assumptions appear incomplete, inconsistent or unsupported.
• High level of integrity and confidentiality when handling commercial, financial and project information.

With over 90 years' combined experience, NES Fircroft (NES) is proud to be the world's leading engineering staffing provider spanning the Oil & Gas, Power & Renewables, Chemicals, Construction & Infrastructure, Life Sciences, Mining andManufacturingsectors worldwide. With more than 80 offices in 45 countries, we are able to provide our clients with the engineering and technical expertise they need, wherever and whenever it is needed. We offer contractors far more than a traditional recruitment service, supporting with everything from securing visas and work permits, to providing market-leading benefits packages and accommodation, ensuring they are safely and compliantly able to support our clients.