Senior Accountant – Construction at Nariana Enterprises Ltd.

Role Summary

• Nariana Enterprises Ltd. is seeking an experienced Senior Accountant – Construction to support the financial management and accounting functions of the Civil Engineering Department.
• The successful candidate will be responsible for financial reporting, project accounting, budgeting, statutory compliance, reconciliations, cash flow monitoring, cost control, and internal financial controls.
• The role requires someone with strong practical accounting experience, excellent knowledge of Tally ERP, and a good understanding of construction or project-based accounting.
• The ideal candidate should be comfortable independently preparing management accounts, reviewing project costs, managing reconciliations, monitoring receivables and payables, supporting audits, and identifying financial or cost control concerns for management.

Key Responsibilities

Accounting & Financial Reporting

• Maintain complete and accurate accounting records using Tally ERP.
• Lead the monthly accounting close process and ensure all transactions are recorded within the correct reporting period.
• Prepare monthly management accounts, including Profit & Loss Statements, Balance Sheets, Cash Flow Reports, and supporting schedules.
• Maintain and review the general ledger, journals, cost centres, and project-wise accounting records.
• Prepare and post accruals, prepayments, depreciation, provisions, and other month end adjustments.
• Prepare and review monthly balance sheet reconciliations and ensure outstanding items are investigated and cleared promptly.
• Ensure income, expenses, assets, liabilities, and project costs are correctly classified and allocated.
• Maintain accurate supporting schedules for key balance sheet and Profit & Loss accounts.
• Prepare periodic financial reports and analysis to support management decision making.

Accounts Payable & Supplier Management

• Review supplier invoices against approved quotations, LPOs, delivery notes, and supporting documentation.
• Ensure supplier payments are supported by complete and properly authorised documentation.
• Review supplier statements and reconciliations before payments are processed.
• Monitor supplier balances, outstanding invoices, credit notes, advances, deposits, and payment commitments.
• Maintain and review accounts payable ageing reports.
• Work closely with Procurement to resolve pricing, quantity, documentation, or supplier-account discrepancies.
• Ensure supplier accounts are accurate and properly reconciled.

Accounts Receivable & Collections

• Maintain accurate customer accounts and receivable records.
• Prepare and review accounts receivable ageing reports.
• Monitor overdue customer balances and follow up internally on outstanding collections.
• Maintain schedules of outstanding invoices, certified works, retentions, and expected collections where applicable.
• Ensure receipts are correctly allocated to customer and project accounts.
• Investigate and resolve discrepancies in customer balances and receivable records.
• Provide management with regular updates on overdue receivables and expected cash collections.

Project Accounting & Cost Control

• Maintain accurate project-wise cost accounting for all civil engineering projects.
• Ensure expenditure is allocated to the correct project, cost centre, and expense category.
• Prepare project cost reports showing budgeted costs, actual expenditure, committed costs, and variances.
• Monitor actual project expenditure against approved budgets and BOQs.
• Review project expenses and identify abnormal expenditure, cost overruns, duplicate charges, incorrect allocations, or expenditure outside approved budgets.
• Monitor project advances, site expenses, retentions, outstanding certificates/invoices, and other project related balances where applicable.
• Work closely with Project Managers, Quantity Surveyors, Procurement, Stores, and site teams to reconcile project expenditure and material costs.
• Highlight significant project cost variances and financial risks to management.
• Support management in evaluating the financial performance and cost position of individual projects.

Budgeting, Cash Flow & Financial Planning

• Assist in preparing annual, departmental, and project budgets.
• Prepare and regularly update cash-flow forecasts based on expected collections, supplier payments, payroll, statutory obligations, and project requirements.
• Prepare budget versus actual reports and investigate significant variances.
• Monitor upcoming financial commitments and advise management on anticipated cash requirements.
• Support management in prioritising payments based on cash availability, project requirements, and supplier obligations.
• Monitor bank balances and ensure major expected inflows and outflows are reflected in cash flow forecasts.

Tax & Statutory Compliance

• Manage VAT, withholding tax, PAYE, and other applicable statutory accounting requirements.
• Ensure timely and accurate preparation and submission of statutory returns.
• Maintain proper supporting documentation and schedules for statutory and tax filings.
• Monitor statutory deadlines and ensure compliance with applicable requirements.
• Assist with tax reconciliations and resolution of statutory discrepancies.
• Liaise with auditors, tax consultants, and relevant authorities where required.

Fixed Assets & Company Records

• Maintain and periodically reconcile the fixed asset register.
• Ensure additions, disposals, transfers, and depreciation of company assets are accurately recorded.
• Maintain supporting documentation for fixed assets.
• Coordinate with relevant departments to verify major plant, machinery, vehicles, and equipment recorded in the accounts.

Audit & Internal Controls

• Coordinate with external auditors and prepare required schedules, reconciliations, and supporting documents.
• Respond to audit queries and assist in resolving outstanding audit matters.
• Ensure financial records are complete, accurate, and audit-ready.
• Review accounting processes and recommend improvements to strengthen internal controls.
• Ensure proper segregation of duties, authorisation procedures, documentation, and financial approval processes are followed.
• Identify accounting irregularities, control weaknesses, unusual transactions, or financial risks and escalate them promptly to management.
• Support payroll accounting, payroll reconciliations, and statutory payroll deductions where required.

Team Support & Reporting

• Review accounting work prepared by junior Accounts staff where applicable.
• Provide guidance on reconciliations, accounting entries, documentation, and financial procedures.
• Ensure monthly reporting, reconciliation, audit, and statutory deadlines are met.
• Work closely with Management, Finance, Procurement, Project Managers, Quantity Surveyors, Engineers, Stores, and site teams.
• Provide regular updates on cash flow, receivables, payables, project expenditure, statutory obligations, and other key financial matters.
• Help improve internal systems for project accounting, expense monitoring, financial reporting, and cost control.
• Maintain confidentiality and professionalism when handling company financial and project information.

Qualifications & Experience

The ideal candidate should have:

• Bachelor’s Degree or Diploma in Accounting, Finance, Commerce, or a related field.
• CPA, ACCA, or equivalent professional accounting qualification, or advanced progress towards completion, is highly preferred.
• Minimum 5–7 years of relevant accounting experience.
• At least 3 years in a senior accounting role or a position with a similar level of responsibility.
• Strong practical and hands-on experience using Tally ERP is essential.
• Previous experience working in a construction, civil engineering, contracting, engineering, building-materials, or project-based company will be strongly preferred.
• Strong understanding of financial reporting, management accounts, budgeting, taxation, cash-flow management, and accounting controls.
• Practical experience in accounts payable, accounts receivable, supplier reconciliations, and bank reconciliations.
• Strong experience in month end and year end closing procedures.
• Good understanding of accruals, prepayments, depreciation, provisions, and balance-sheet reconciliations.
• Experience preparing and analysing management accounts, budgets, cashflow forecasts, and variance reports.
• Good understanding of project accounting, cost-centre accounting, and project cost control.
• Experience preparing or reviewing accounts payable and accounts receivable ageing reports.
• Experience coordinating external audits and preparing audit schedules.
• Strong Microsoft Excel skills.
• Experience supervising or reviewing the work of junior Accounts staff will be an added advantage.

Key Skills & Competencies

• Strong practical knowledge of Tally ERP.
• Financial reporting and management accounts.
• Month end and year end closing.
• General ledger and balance sheet management.
• Project accounting and cost-centre accounting.
• Construction and project cost control.
• Budgeting and cash flow forecasting.
• Accounts payable and accounts receivable.
• Supplier, customer, and bank reconciliations.
• VAT, withholding tax, PAYE, and statutory compliance.
• Audit preparation and coordination.
• Fixed asset accounting.
• Strong Microsoft Excel and reporting skills.
• Strong analytical and problem-solving ability.
• Excellent attention to detail and accuracy.
• Ability to identify financial discrepancies, unusual transactions, and cost concerns.
• Strong organisational and time-management skills.
• Ability to work independently and meet reporting deadlines.
• High level of integrity, accountability, and confidentiality.
• Good communication and coordination skills.

Candidate Profile

• The successful candidate should be highly comfortable working with Tally, management accounts, project costs, supplier accounts, customer accounts, reconciliations, statutory requirements, cash-flow forecasts, budgets, and audit requirements.
• The right candidate should be able to identify cost concerns, financial discrepancies, reporting issues, and control weaknesses early and communicate them clearly to management.
• The candidate should be able to work independently while coordinating closely with the wider Finance, Procurement, and Civil Engineering teams.
• Candidates who have previously handled accounting for civil engineering, road works, building works, contracting, construction materials, or other project-based businesses will have a strong advantage.