Cost Accountant - Contract

Interim Cost Accountant / Finance Business Partner (Contract)

Central London - Hybrid (2 days WFH)

£400 - £500 p/d (umbrella - inside IR35)

Our client, a leading organisation in the energy sector, is seeking an experienced, fully qualified accountant to support the finance team on an initial 2-3 month contract.

This role requires a hands-on contractor who can quickly get up to speed, work independently, and provide immediate value. We're looking for someone with strong experience in project-based environments such as energy, infrastructure, construction, engineering, or other relevant industries.

The successful candidate will have a background in cost control, FP&A, management reporting, and business partnering, with the confidence to challenge stakeholders and drive financial insight across complex projects and operations.

Key Responsibilities

• Lead monthly cost reporting across Opex and Capex, providing meaningful variance analysis and commentary.
• Deliver budgeting, forecasting, and FP&A support to operational and project teams.
• Partner with stakeholders across Finance, Operations, Procurement, and Project Delivery to improve financial performance and cost control.
• Analyse project costs, identify trends and risks, and provide actionable recommendations.
• Prepare and review month-end accounting activities, including journals, accruals, and prepayments.
• Ensure accurate cost allocation, coding, and reporting across projects and business units.
• Support management reporting and provide clear financial insights to senior stakeholders.
• Investigate and resolve reporting issues, driving improvements to financial processes and controls.

Candidate Profile

• Fully qualified accountant (ACA, ACCA, CIMA or equivalent).
• Proven experience operating in a fast-paced, project-based environment such as energy, infrastructure, engineering, construction, or similar.
• Strong background in cost accounting, FP&A, budgeting, forecasting, and management reporting.
• Excellent business partnering skills with the ability to influence and challenge non-finance stakeholders.
• Commercially minded with strong analytical and problem-solving capabilities.
• Comfortable working autonomously and delivering results in a short-term contract environment.
• Advanced Excel and financial systems experience.

The Opportunity

This is an excellent opportunity for an experienced finance contractor to join a high-profile energy business and make an immediate impact within a commercially focused finance team.