Projects Accountant Job Burhani Engineers

Accounting Jobs, Burhani Engineers Jobs.

Job Purpose

The Projects Accountant is the financial steward of all project operations, responsible for end-to-end financial management — from budget origination and cost control through to final account settlement and audit-readiness. The role drives financial accuracy, compliance, and transparency across a dynamic multi-project contracting environment, partnering with project managers, quantity surveyors, and site teams to ensure every shilling is tracked, justified, and reported in real time. A key expectation of this role is the ability to leverage digital and IT tools to automate, integrate, and improve financial visibility across the project lifecycle.

Key responsibilities

Project Budgeting & Financial Planning

• Lead the preparation, implementation, and ongoing monitoring of project-specific budgets aligned to Bills of Quantities (BoQs), contract values, and project programmes.
• Develop rolling financial forecasts (monthly/quarterly) incorporating scope changes, variation orders, and project progress updates.
• Maintain budget-vs-actual dashboards using Excel (advanced) or ERP/project management tools, with real-time visibility for project managers and senior leadership.
• Integrate budget data with project scheduling tools (e.g. MS Project, Primavera) to align financial and time-based project planning.

Financial Reporting & Management Accounts

• Prepare accurate, timely financial reports entailing project P&Ls, cost-to-complete (CTC) analyses and earned value reports on a monthly and ad-hoc basis.
• Produce variance analyses comparing actual costs vs. budgets and forecasts, with clear written commentary for management decisions.
• Consolidate multi-project financial data into company-wide project portfolio reports for the Head of Finance and the Management Board.
• Utilize ERP/accounting system reporting modules (SAP, Sage, QuickBooks, or equivalent) to generate structured management accounts.
• Produce KPI dashboards (utilization rates, cost burn, profitability by project, WIP schedules) using Excel pivot tables, Power BI, or equivalent BI tools.

Cost Management & Control

• Monitor and track all project expenditures including labour, materials, subcontractors, plant, and preliminaries against approved budgets in real time.
• Identify cost overruns, uncommitted costs, and budget threats early and recommend corrective action to project teams.
• Manage Work-in-Progress (WIP) accounting in line with IAS 11/IFRS 15 construction contract accounting standards.
• Process and validate interim payment certificates (IPCs), subcontractor payment applications, and supplier invoices against contract milestones.
• Support the Quantity Surveyor in valuations, re-measurements, and final account negotiations with clients and subcontractors.
• Administer contract retention calculations, release schedules, and bond tracking across all active projects.

IT Systems, Data & Digital Finance Tools

• Use ERP and project accounting software as the single source of financial truth across all projects.
• Build and maintain automated Excel models and macros (VBA/Power Query) for cost tracking, cash flow forecasting, and payroll reconciliation.
• Develop and maintain Qlik (or equivalent) dashboards for real-time project financial performance monitoring accessible to project and site teams.
• Integrate financial data from field systems (site timesheets, materials requisitions, fuel logs) into the accounting system, minimising manual data entry and error risk.
• Implement and enforce a digital document management protocol for all project financial records — contracts, IPCs, variations, purchase orders — using document management systems (e.g. SharePoint, Aconex, Procore).
• Evaluate and recommend IT improvements to financial workflows, including mobile-first tools for site-based data capture and approval workflows.
• Act as Finance Super-User for the ERP system: provide training to project staff, maintain chart of accounts integrity, and liaise with IT on system configuration and upgrades.
• Ensure cybersecurity best practices in handling financial data — including controlled system access, audit trails, and data backup protocols.

Procurement Financial Oversight

• Review and validate all procurement requests and purchase orders against approved project budgets before commitment.
• Monitor and flag uncommitted purchase orders and open GRNs that may affect project cost forecasts.
• Leverage procurement-to-pay modules within the ERP system to enforce three-way matching (PO, GRN, Invoice) before payment release.

Cash Flow Management & Treasury Support

• Prepare and maintain project-specific and consolidated cash flow forecasts, updated weekly or at programme milestones.
• Monitor client billing cycles, IPC submission schedules, and payment receipts to optimise working capital.
• Flag cash flow risks (payment delays, front-loaded expenditure) and propose mitigation actions to the Head of Finance.
• Prepare drawdown requests and financial reports for project financiers, banks, or development finance institutions where applicable.

Compliance, Statutory, & Financial Controls

• Ensure all project financial transactions comply with Kenyan financial regulations, Kenya Revenue Authority (KRA) requirements, and company internal controls.
• Manage and account for withholding tax (WHT) on subcontractor and professional fee payments in line with KRA guidelines.
• Ensure timely and accurate VAT treatment on construction contracts, including reverse charge mechanisms and VAT on retention.
• Maintain a complete, auditable project file — financial records, contracts, variations, approvals — ready for internal and external audit at all times.
• Support year-end statutory audit processes including work-in-progress schedules, accruals, prepayments, and contract asset/liability reconciliations.
• Enforce segregation of duties, approval authority matrice