Project Accountant

The Role

The Project Accountant will ensure accurate and timely reporting of long‑term projects and services – both actual and forecast financial performance from a project performance and financial accounting perspective in accordance with IFRS
15 and other applicable accounting standards. The role also includes the robust challenge of costs to drive continuous cost improvement throughout the project life cycle.

Permanent position –
Inchinnan, Glasgow

The Project Accountant will implement cost‑management best practices and apply these consistently across all projects to proactively identify cost variances, risk areas and mitigation actions. The role works closely with project managers to ensure they understand the financial performance of their projects and can communicate this to the wider business. Projects typically range from 1 year to 5 years and £1m to £30m in value.

The position requires a flexible approach to work, with travel within the region as necessary.

• Prepare detailed project baseline cost and revenue budgets and regular EAC reforecasts in collaboration with the project team, presenting the information to stakeholders.
• Conduct Value of Work Done (VOWD) assessments, compare to planned progress and identify and mitigate slippage, escalating issues to management.
• Develop and maintain project‑specific forecasting and cost‑tracker models, highlighting performance improvements.
• Provide monthly revenue, profit margin, and inter‑company information for actuals, forecasts and annual budget process in accordance with IFRS
  15.
• Prepare and document accounting‑based papers to support the accounting treatment for the project, updating as required.
• Perform cost variance and sensitivity analysis, identifying opportunities, risks and mitigations for the Project Manager.
• Ensure correct allocation of costs, proper coding of requisitions, purchase orders, contracts, invoices and variations, reconciling to the General Ledger and investigating variances.
• Facilitate lessons‑learned sessions on project delivery, feeding insights to responsible functions to improve future delivery.
• Manage multi‑currency project reporting and FX exposure.
• Manage inter‑company recharges, cost allocations and project‑related billing.

We seek a professional who can uplift the quality and standard of the finance team’s output, drive deeper financial insight, and partner closely with business stakeholders. The ideal candidate will be objective, detail‑oriented, an effective problem solver, and possess strong people‑management skills. The role requires excellent analytical review skills, prioritisation, time management and the ability to convey complex financial information clearly to non‑financial audiences.

• ICAS/ACCA/CIMA qualification.
• Proven track record in a similar role (e.g., Project Management Accountant, Cost controller) and industry (Oil & Gas, engineering or manufacturing).
• Proficient in Microsoft Excel.
• Experience with ERP systems (Glovia, SAP, Oracle, etc.).
• Experience working with multi‑currency projects.
• Understanding of inter‑company accounting and multi‑entity structures.

Competitive benefits tailored to the division, opportunities for career growth and visibility across the organisation, a supportive inclusive culture that values ideas and contributions, and work that makes a difference in safety, innovation and global capability.

James Fisher is a global engineering services company with over 50 years of experience delivering complex offshore energy projects in some of the world’s most challenging environments. We operate across Energy, Defence and Maritime Transport, leveraging cutting‑edge technology and deep expertise to support the full lifecycle of our customers’ assets.

James Fisher and Sons are committed to taking positive action on diversity and strongly encourage applications from candidates of all backgrounds. We are proud to be a Disability Confident employer and recognise that our success depends on our talented and diverse workforce.