Project Accountant in London

Building a Brand Starts with a Story. FIRST is a leading global brand experience agency serving clients in various industries, including financial services, technology, new & traditional media, aerospace, healthcare, and professional services.

The Project Accountant supports the business in project financial management. The role is responsible for facilitating project financial planning, reconciling and reporting of project P&L, identifying budget vs actual variances, and monitoring project profitability. The role will collaborate closely with the delivery teams, business analytics, and corporate accounting to ensure the timely close of Revenue and Cost of Goods Sold (COGS) at the month's end.

Your Contributions:

• Reconcile project timely and accurately, report project P&L.
• Joint ownership with the accounting team for reporting of revenues and cost of goods sold at month end close.
• Reconcile revenue and costs in SAP against approved budgets, commercial models, POs, and trackers at project level, inform and resolve discrepancies with Client Services and Commercial team.
• Provide assigned Project Manager (and clients) with timely financial reports and reconciled budget for final review and approval, address follow up inquiries.
• Raise client invoice based on client or budget requirements (incl. deposit, monthly billing, final invoice or credit, commission), upload to client portal when required, and monitor payment status.
• Prepare and post adjustments for revenue, COGS, and cross-office transactions during month-end and year-end closes (accrual, deferral, or reclass), review with accounting team to ensure accurate posting.
• Build relationships and provide operational support to client facing and internal teams.
• Support the full cycle of the pitch process, assist Client Services and Delivery Team in building a financially sound client budget, and monitor budget realization.
• Organize and attend periodical meetings with project managers and account directors to discuss project updates, review project P&L, and follow up on outstanding client receivable and PO.
• Coordinate with senior project accountant and regional controller, compile information for external auditors, as required.
• Perform administrative tasks such as prepare project upload template, update project info in Salesforce and SAP, and maintain project-related records.
• Assist Tax and Accounting in regulatory filings (ex: Corp. Tax, S&U), post adjustments to cost of goods sold if applicable.
• Handle ad hoc requests from business related to skill set as and when required.
• Support the Project Accounting Manager to streamline project accounting processes and create efficiency.
• Participate in the development of standardized global project accounting policies and procedures, and improve regional alignment.
• Support project accounting manager to promote automations in reporting.
• Partner with commercial business partners and lane leaders to monitor profitability metrics for assigned projects.
• Support the regional budget and forecast process in close coordination with regional controllership and Business Analytics.
• Assist in follow up with client services (and clients) on unpaid billings that are overdue.
• Assist cash flow forecast process, as needed.

What We Are Looking For:

• 1 – 2 years of experience in a similar role.
• Must have a good understanding of general accounting.
• A bachelor's degree in business, finance, or accounting is preferable.
• Prior experience in a creative industry such as Marketing/Advertising, Events, Fashion, Hospitality, etc. is preferable.
• Accounting software experiences in SAP, Salesforce, and Concur are a plus.
• Advanced skills in Microsoft Office suite, including Outlook, Word, Excel, PowerPoint, and SharePoint.
• Proactive multi-tasker that works well under pressure.
• Proven ability to prioritize work, meet deadlines.
• Demonstrate excellent time management skills to handle multiple tasks and meet strict deadlines.
• Excellent oral and written communication skills.
• Demonstrate ability to collaborate with colleagues at all levels and work independently as well as part of a team to meet professional challenges.
• Strong attention to detail and highly organized.

Benefits:

• Private Medical Insurance with BUPA from day one.
• 28 Days Annual Leave PLUS Bank Holidays.
• Personal Volunteer Day.
• 20 Days of Sick Pay each Year.
• Enhanced Parental Leave (Maternity & Paternity).
• Wellness Stipend.
• Complimentary access to Headspace, Rocket Lawyer & Maven.
• Life Insurance.
• Employee Assistance Program (EAP).
• Cycle to Work Scheme.
• Season Ticket Loan.
• Mobile Phone Allowance.
• Pension Scheme Enhancements.
• Discretionary Bonus Structure.
• Global Opportunities: With a presence in 7 countries worldwide, including headquarters in London, New York, and Singapore, you may have the opportunity to work on exciting projects across different locations.

At FIRST, we believe that the passion, creativity, and commitment of our teams drive our success. That’s why we offer a range of benefits and perks to support your personal and professional growth.

FIRST is an Equal Opportunity Employer and prohibits discrimination and harassment of any kind. FIRST is committed to the principle of equal employment opportunity for all employees and to providing employees with a work environment free of discrimination and harassment.