Project Accountant

Because of the nature of the work associated with this post, it is subject to special nationality rules and is restricted to individuals who are UK British Nationals. For this role, due to government security requirements, the term "UK Nationals" excludes anyone who is a dual national or naturalised British citizen (that is, originally a foreign national).

We maintain a flexible working policy to allow for hybrid working when appropriate. Teams typically spend around 60% of their time in the office, although this may vary depending on project and business needs. At times you may need to attend the office up to 5 days per week.

See Byte, the global market leader in the development of smart software for uncrewed maritime systems, is looking to recruit a Project Accountant to join our team in Edinburgh.

This is an exciting opportunity for a commercially minded finance professional to support programme delivery by providing end-to-end project financial control for UK and US contracted work. You will own cost reporting and reforecasting, labour and time bookings and cost coding integrity, as well as manage accurate, timely billing in line with contract terms.

Working closely with Programme Managers, Commercial teams and senior leaders, you will provide the financial insight and control needed to support informed decision-making and successful project delivery.

This is a unique opportunity to join a world-respected company with an international client base. You will join a multidisciplinary team of researchers, engineers, programme managers and commercial professionals, contributing to innovative solutions that operate in challenging real-world environments. See Byte offers an environment where you can grow professionally while helping shape the future of autonomous maritime technology.

The Project Accountant is responsible for the financial control, reporting and forecasting of individual projects and programmes across the business. The role supports the full project lifecycle, from budget creation and baseline planning through to project completion, ensuring financial performance is accurately monitored and reported.

Working closely with Programme Managers, Commercial colleagues and the wider Finance team, you will provide clear financial insights, identify risks and opportunities, and ensure project financial data is accurate, compliant and actionable.

• Cost controlling and reporting:
  Build and maintain project budgets, ensuring cost and resource assumptions are accurately reflected throughout the project lifecycle.
• Produce project financial reports and forecasts, providing meaningful analysis and insight to support business decisions.
• Resource and Time Sheet Governance:
  Monitor project performance against budget, identifying variances, trends, risks and opportunities.
• Cost allocation, ledger control and reconciliation:
  Analyse project costs and revenues, distinguishing between timing differences and genuine over or under spend.
• Ensure the integrity of project financial data, reconciling cost, revenue and timesheet information and resolving discrepancies.
• Support Programme Managers and Commercial teams by providing financial analysis on delivery decisions, scope changes and contract amendments.
• Apply relevant accounting standards and contractual requirements to the treatment of project costs and revenues.
• Identify and communicate emerging financial risks, recommending actions to protect project and business performance.
• Contribute to continuous improvement activities across project reporting, forecasting and financial controls.

We recognise that great candidates may bring different combinations of…