Senior Financial Controller

Howett Thorpe is partnering with a privately owned international project delivery business that is entering an exciting phase of growth.

The business operates across complex, high-value infrastructure projects and is continuing to build momentum across a significant global project portfolio. This is an excellent opportunity to join an organisation where finance plays a central role in supporting project delivery, commercial decision-making and long-term growth.

The UK office is based in London and supports a number of major international programmes, with further expansion expected as the project portfolio continues to develop.

Job Title: Project Finance Manager

Job Type: Permanent

Location: London

Salary: £65,000 - £75,000

Reference no: HT16114

Project Finance Manager – Benefits

• 25 days annual leave
• Hybrid working – 2/3 days in the office
• Discretionary annual bonus scheme – company and personal performance related
• Healthcare
• Enhanced sick pay

Project Finance Manager – About The Role

This is a broad, hands-on project finance role with responsibility for managing finance activity across project expenditure. The successful candidate will be involved in all financial aspects of live international projects, ensuring accurate visibility of spend, committed costs, project profitability, cash flow, forecasting and financial performance.

This is not a narrow reporting role. The position requires someone who is comfortable taking ownership across the full finance cycle of project expenditure, from understanding budgets and tracking costs through to reporting actuals, analysing variances, supporting forecasts and providing meaningful commercial insight.

Working closely with senior stakeholders, project teams, operations and overseas offices, you will play a key role in ensuring project costs are accurately captured, controlled and reported. The role will suit someone who enjoys working close to operational delivery and can bring structure, accuracy and commercial insight to complex project environments.

The role offers hybrid working, with an expectation of 2–3 days per week in the London office.

Key Responsibilities

Responsibilities will include:

• Taking ownership of finance activity across project expenditure
• Preparing and reviewing project P&L reporting across live international projects
• Tracking project spend, committed costs, accruals, margins, budgets and forecasts
• Ensuring project costs are accurately recorded, analysed and reported
• Monitoring project profitability and providing commentary on financial performance
• Supporting cost control, cash flow forecasting and working capital visibility across projects
• Reviewing actual spend against budget and identifying key variances, risks and opportunities
• Working closely with project teams to understand cost drivers and operational activity
• Liaising with international offices in relation to procurement, logistics and project financials
• Supporting senior management with commercial analysis and decision-making
• Helping to improve reporting processes, financial controls and project finance visibility as the portfolio grows
• Supporting wider finance and commercial reporting requirements as required

The successful Project Finance Manager will have:

The successful candidate is likely to be a qualified accountant, or finalist, with experience gained in a project-led, contract-led or commercially complex environment.

You will be confident working across the full finance cycle of project expenditure and comfortable taking ownership of cost reporting, project P&L, forecasting, variance analysis and commercial insight.

Strong Excel skills and the ability to interpret financial information in a commercial context will be important. You will need to be hands-on, proactive and comfortable working in a growing business where finance plays a key role in supporting project delivery.

Experience gained within construction, infrastructure, engineering, international projects, manufacturing, logistics or a similar project-based environment would be particularly relevant, although candidates from other commercially focused finance backgrounds will also be considered.

Candidate Profile

• Qualified accountant, or finalist with strong project finance experience
• Strong project accounting, management accounting or commercial finance experience
• Experience managing project costs, expenditure, budgets, forecasts and P&L reporting
• Comfortable working across the full finance cycle of project spend
• Confident reviewing actuals, committed costs, accruals, margins and variances
• Strong Excel and reporting skills
• Excellent attention to detail with a commercial mindset
• Able to build relationships with finance and non-finance stakeholders
• Proactive, hands-on and comfortable working in a growing business

Why Apply?

This is an excellent opportunity to join a privately owned business as it gains momentum across a significant international project portfolio. The role offers genuine exposure to complex, high-value projects with global reach, alongside the chance to work closely with senior decision-makers in an entrepreneurial environment.

For a finance professional who enjoys taking ownership, working close to the detail and providing financial clarity across project expenditure, this is a highly engaging opportunity within a business that is expected to see continued growth across its project base.

Howett Thorpe are acting as a recruitment agency in relation to this role and comply with all relevant UK legislation and do not discriminate on any protected characteristics. Due to the high volume of applications we currently receive, we are unable to respond to all candidates. If you do not hear from a Consultant within 5 working days, please assume that you have not been successful.

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