Senior Project Accountant

Location(s): UK, Europe & Africa : UK : Gloucester || UK, Europe & Africa : UK : Guildford || UK, Europe & Africa : UK : Leeds

BAE Systems Digital Intelligence is home to 4,500 digital, cyber and intelligence experts. We work collaboratively across 10 countries to collect, connect and understand complex data, so that governments, nation states, armed forces and commercial businesses can unlock digital advantage in the most demanding environments.

Role Purpose

Working within the Project Accounting team you will have responsibility for ensuring the delivery of timely, accurate and insightful project and management financial information to business and finance stakeholders. This role will be specifically aligned to partner with Project Managers and Finance Business Partners working on one of the largest programmes of work in Digital Intelligence, spanning multiple financial years and covering a particular portfolio of Projects of material nature. This role will have an intimate knowledge of how the programme operates and is key to ensure that accounting, reporting and forecasting is accurate, efficient and effective.

The role will support our UK Central Governement business which is responsible for managing some sensitive UK clients and deliveries and due to this we can only accept applications from UK nationals as full SC needs to be obtainable

Core Duties / Key Accountabilities

• Project Forecasting - Supporting and appropriately challenging Project Management teams on project cost estimates – Comparing Forecasts and Actual Run rates to identify discrepancies.
  • Project Trading – Ensuring an appropriate process for Project Forecasting is in place to accurately and reliably inform on the trading position of the portfolio; liasing with Business Stakeholders to validate the position, whilst ensiring it’s in line with the Finance Policy Manual and Accounting Standards.
  • Reporting and analysis - Ensure insightful financial reporting of project performance by providing accurate analysis of (but not limited to), Rate changes, Contingencies and labour assumptions, by using the CSR / SSR and other reporting mechanisms as appropriate. • Working Capital Management – work with business stakeholders to optimise cash collection.
  • Orderbook – Ensure that orderbook position reporte is validated and reconciled back to source contract documents of the Portfolio.
  • Support quarterly forecasting rounds with understanding of latest project forecast
  • Deliver customer reporting requirements for the programme as needed. Ensuring differences between customer accounting view and BAE system view are reconciled and understood on a periodic basis.
  • Attend PRB’s with an active contribution to the financial position, questioning assumptions and projections in order to validate
  • Ensure financial commitments arising from contract are understood, accounted for and discharged appropriately (Gainshare / Fixed Capacity corrections)

• Other adhoc tasks as required

Functional Knowledge

• Understand and apply Financial Policies Manual and other Digital Intelligence specific financial policies
  • Understand and ensure delivery of Financial Control Framework compliance
  • Ensure best practice use of SAP, SAP BPC, Salesforce, Adaptive, Cognos and Microsoft packages • Understand and apply the project accounting policies and procedures including Life Cycle

Management (LCM)

• Ensure end to end project accounting processes and key controls
  • Understand and apply work instructions and reporting timetables
  • ACCA/CIMA Qualified with prior relevant experience.

It woud also be highly advantageous to have experience within Forecasting & Budgeting and potentially have some Practice/Defence or Manufacturing based background

Interpersonal Skills

• Genuine interest in what the business does and enthusiasm for working closely with business stakeholders to build business knowledge and support business performance
  • The ability to work effectively across multiple legal entities and with a variety of currencies, understanding the associated FX risks (Where required).
  • Ability to partner effectively with others both individually and as a team • Desire to improve process and procedure to influence best practice
  • Challenge effectively – be prepared to approach assumptions and recommenations with curiosity and ensure the desired outcome is understood. Ensure a strong understanding of any financial impacts is reviewed and valid with potential factors required to mitigate them being in place.

• Experience of coaching others

• Good understanding of FPM and accounting standards, particularly IFRS 15 revenue recognition

• Strong attention to detail

Whilst this position is hybrid you would be required to attend the office occasionally which would be based at either Guildford, Gloucester or Leeds

Life at BAE Systems Digital Intelligence

We are embracing Hybrid Working. This means you and your colleagues may be working in different locations, such as from home, another BAE Systems office or client site, some or all of the time, and work might be going on at different times of the day.

By embracing technology, we can interact, collaborate and create together, even when we’re working remotely from one another. Hybrid Working allows for increased flexibility in when and where we work, helping us to balance our work and personal life more effectively, and enhance well-being.

Diversity and inclusion are integral to the success of BAE Systems Digital Intelligence. We are proud to have an organisational culture where employees with varying perspectives, skills, life experiences and backgrounds – the best and brightest minds – can work together to achieve excellence and realise individual and organisational potential.

Division overview: Functions

At BAE Systems Digital Intelligence, we pride ourselves in being a leader in the cyber defence industry, and the business could not operate without all the dedicated work of our Functions teams. From Finance & Operations through Communications & Marketing, to HR and Site Operations and more, our Functions teams enable our divisions to implement ground-breaking digital transformations and crucial defence software.

As part of Functions, you will be supporting and partnering with our global business from the backline, being a strategic advisor within your specialist area, and ensuring the business runs smoothly and efficiently. We all have a role to play in defending our clients; and this is yours.