Project Accountant SAP / Project Controller in Sunderland

Start: ASAP (Start Date: 07/09/2026)

Contract Duration: 12 Months (End date: 06/09/2027)

IR35 Status: Inside IR35

Pay Rates: PAYE: £175.00 / day OR Umbrella: £236.56 / day

Hours: 37 hours/week (Mon-Fri, core hours 8am-6pm)

Location & Hybrid Pattern: Newcastle upon Tyne (NE6 2YL) Hybrid (1 Day/Week)

Randstad Sourceright is currently recruiting for a Project Controller to work for Siemens Energy. We require a hands-on Project Accountant / Controller to join the Onshore Wind team in Newcastle. Managing project lifecycles, cost centres, budgeting, variance analysis, customer billing, and credit control, this is a high-autonomy execution role.

Must-Have Criteria:

• Hands-on SAP ERP experience
• Advanced Excel
• Solid knowledge of accruals, variance analysis, and revenue recognition

The Role:

As a Project Controller within Siemens Energy's Renewable Energy business, you play a key role in supporting the financial and administrative execution of service projects across the UK and Ireland. You will be responsible for maintaining project financial data, supporting forecasting and reporting activities, managing billing processes, and ensuring compliance with Siemens Energy standards and procedures.

This role requires strong attention to detail, excellent organizational skills, SAP knowledge, and the ability to manage multiple priorities in a fast-paced operational environment. Working closely with operational teams and finance colleagues, you will help maintain financial transparency and support effective business decision-making.

Responsibilities:

• Maintenance of project lifecycle in SAP from order booking to order closure
• Forecasting, budgeting, monthly variance analysis of cost centres, feedback and advice to ops on cost and recovery topics
• Invoice preparation, customer billing, and active cash-in follow-up
• Monitoring accounts receivable, resolving billing or payment issues with stakeholders
• Supporting Commercial Project Managers with commercial reporting and analysis
• Handling commercial topics such as internal charging, or personnel hiring-out
• Supporting audits and internal controls with accurate documentation

This is a hands-on execution role: accuracy, timing, reliability and ability to prioritise are essential. You will operate with a high degree of autonomy, managing the full lifecycle of cost centers and budgets independently with minimal day-to-day oversight.

Key Skills and Experience Required:

• Finance experience is essential. Candidates should have proven experience in project controlling, finance, accounting, financial analysis, or a similar role, with responsibility for forecasting, reporting, budgeting, cost control, or billing activities.
• Excellent presentation and communication skills, with the ability to build relationships and influence stakeholders across multiple organizational levels.
• Working knowledge of IFRS basics, project/order accounting, and revenue recognition.
• Strategic and results-driven mindset, capable of challenging the status quo, driving change, and delivering continuous performance improvements.
• Self-motivated, proactive, collaborative, and eager to learn, with a passion for digitalization.
• Advanced proficiency in MS Office applications (especially Excel, Outlook, and PowerPoint) and SAP, with the ability to leverage digital tools effectively.

Qualifications:

Open to Qualified by Experience (QBE), or Part-Qualified applicants with solid finance backgrounds. Fluent in English with excellent written and verbal communication skills.

Essential Skills:

• SAP Fluency: Direct, hands-on experience using SAP for order management, cost center reporting, and project lifecycle tracking. Must be competent to operate in SAP without training.
• Advanced MS Excel: Proficiency with complex formulas (VLOOKUP, INDEX/MATCH, XLOOKUP), Pivot Tables, and large dataset management.
• Financial & Project Accounting Experience: Previous finance experience, project controlling, or commercial analysis role.
• Accounting Concepts: Practical understanding of project lifecycle accounting, IFRS basics, and revenue recognition principles.
• Technical knowledge is essential - must have a firm grasp of accounting basics, specifically accruals, variance analysis, and revenue recognition.
• Hands-on Operational Execution: Comfortable with day-to-day administrative tasks, including customer billing/invoicing, Accounts Receivable (AR), and cash-in follow-up.
• Communication & Stakeholder Management: Ability to collaborate with and challenge operational teams and Commercial Project Managers (CPMs).

Essential Requirements:

• 1 day per week in office (Thursdays)
• Candidates must reside within a 1-hour commute of the site.
• Must have a functional home-office setup with dual screens for remote days.

Desirable Skills:

• Digitalization & Data Tools: Experience with Power BI, Excel Macros, VBA, or automation tools (Power Automate).
• Sector Experience: Prior background in renewable energy, engineering, construction, utilities, or large-scale project services.
• Professional Qualifications: Studying towards or part-qualified in ACCA, CIMA, ACA, or Qualified by Experience (QBE) in project finance.
• Process Improvement: Demonstrated track record of identifying inefficiencies and optimizing financial processes/controls.

About the Team:

Service Onshore UK & IE supports the entire UK and Ireland Onshore Wind Service business, providing comprehensive financial and project controlling oversight across the portfolio. The team works closely with operational, commercial, and management functions to ensure accurate project forecasting, cost control, revenue recognition, budget management, and financial performance reporting. By delivering financial transparency, identifying risks and opportunities, and driving process improvements, Project Controlling enables informed decision-making and supports the successful execution and profitability of service operations across all UK and Ireland onshore wind farms.

RSR supports applications from a diverse talent pool. We welcome the opportunity to discuss flexibility requirements. If you require any reasonable adjustments to be made to enable you to participate in the recruitment process, please contact us.