Principal Accountant

Position Overview

Principal Accountant (2‑year contract, PAYE) located in Aberdeen. The role involves full responsibility for month‑end, interim, and year‑end financial close processes, including impairment and decommissioning, as well as supporting corporate accounting for statutory accounts in line with IFRS and GAAP. The working arrangement is hybrid, requiring four days in the office each week – Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday mandatory, with a choice of Monday or Friday for the fourth day.

• Lead and deliver the successful completion of all month‑end, interim, and year‑end deliverables.

• Deliver clear and efficient year‑end and interim audits.
• Support corporate accounting in preparing statutory accounts in accordance with IFRS and GAAP.
• Build and manage relationships with external auditors.

• Oversee controlled SAP master data changes (e.g., WBS structures, hierarchies, profit and cost centres) to support business operations.

• Lead continual improvements in key accounting processes, including impairment, annual decommissioning reviews, and revenue accounting.
• Work with the controls function to implement findings from internal and external audits.

• Act as an advisor on significant or one‑off accounting and reporting matters (e.g., acquisitions, disposals, legal entity changes).
• Ensure accurate reflection in systems and timely completion of related processes.

• Participate in UAT for system changes.

• Lead the impairment assessment process (half‑year and year‑end), including economic assumptions, data inputs, and valuation model construction.
• Collaborate with tax to ensure accurate portfolio tax modelling.
• Review and challenge key assumptions and inputs.
• Prepare analysis and supporting audit requirements.
• Support the annual decommissioning review process.

• Qualified accountant (ACA, CA, ACCA, CIMA) with a relevant university degree.
• Strong all‑round financial and technical accounting skills and knowledge.
• Strong Excel capability and experience building or improving models.
• Strong SAP ERP, BW and BPC knowledge.
• Critical thinking and analytical skills to provide constructive checks and challenges to business decisions.
• Excellent coaching and knowledge transfer skills.
• Alignment with core values: agility, collaboration, courage, care, and delivery.

• Hybrid working: 4 days in office (Tuesday–Thursday mandatory, plus one optional day on Monday or Friday); remaining days remote.