Senior Project Accountant AMER

Primary purpose of the Position

• Responsible for the finances of projects categorized in the C0 to C2 risk category bracket.
• Building and managing relationships with the operations teams to help drive understanding of project financial performance and the management of commercial and financial risks.
• Understanding of contracts and how revenue recognition is impacted will be key in this position as well as providing financial support at bid, set-up, execution, and close out phases of the project lifecycle.
• Monthly accounting cycle responsibilities ensuring that AECOM’s monthly accounts are closed out in a timely manner and in accordance with revenue recognition policies.

Key responsibilities:

• Business Partnering with Project Managers, Project Delivery Teams and Senior Operations Management
  • Develop strong working relationships with PMs and Ops teams through appropriate combination of face time and remote working
  • Provide support to promote financial knowledge and understanding of non-finance staff within our operations teams
  • Attendance on portfolio overview meetings with Ops management
  • Become trusted partner with Ops teams to help unlock complex financial issues
• Participate in project review preparation, execution and follow up
  • Attend all project reviews in portfolio
  • Proactively raise finance queries ahead of the review so that these can be clarified as part of the review process
  • Partner with and challenge project teams during the review to bring clarity on project related finance issues
• Project Commercial & Bid Support
  • Provide support to the Ops teams in preparing for Go/No Go reviews and Healthy Starts
• Monitor project performance and key indicators. 
  • Early identification and understanding of movements in project portfolio KPI's to help inform Ops teams of potential financial risks / opportunities
• Support Business as required in understanding project performance.
  • Communication of financial issues on projects to project teams
  • Explain to the wider business (primarily Ops & Finance Leadership) potential/actual project risks & opportunities to the P&L and working capital of the end market and ensure communication is tailored and clearly articulated to this wider audience
  • Expert systems user to support PM's and DPM's in use of Workbench when required
• Monitor and analyse revenue to ensure proper revenue recognition methods used. 
  • Able to explain revenue recognition principles to non-finance staff
  • Ensuring revenue expressed across projects at month end is in line with revenue recognition rules
  • Advising on impact of changes in project finances that have wider financial implications eg Loss Provisions/Write Backs and specifically understand impacts to both P&L and Balance Sheet
  • Understand the impact on Revenue Recognition of any unusual contractual issues on projects
  • Understand contractual agreements and implications on project set ups in Workbench
• Understand the commercial and billing requirements of projects, including complex issues.
  • Work with the project teams to understand any specific billing and payment requirements of contracts and project cashflows
  • Identify aging Unbilled and AR positions to engage the project team in timely remedial actions
• DOA Processes
  • Assist in providing guidance to Ops teams on the requirements for DoA approvals where business is operating at risk
  • Monitor for potential breaches in DoA approval process
  • Assist in preparation of DoA approval requests for month end process
  • Help identify actions which may help de-risk DoA positions whilst awaiting client contract T’s and C’s confirmation and contract change processes
• Month end close, including project revenue adjustments, Unbilled and loss provision analysis.
  • Meet month end deadlines to ensure timely reporting and posting of revenue events, Unbilled and Loss provisions
• Consistency

• Consistency
• Internal and external audit support as and when required
• Special projects and other duties as assigned

Personal and Behavioural Attributes

• Collaborative and engaging in style and embraces a “best for business” mindset.
• Ethical.
• Well organized with strong time management skills and the ability to prioritize.
• Strong stakeholder management and influencing skills.
• Must be pro-active and demonstrate ability to see things through to the end.
• Ability to be resourceful, hands on and work both independently and as part of high-performing team.