- Financial record-keeping and reporting
- Maintain day-to-day accounting ledgers (general ledger, accounts payable/receivable, petty cash).
- Prepare and post journal entries related to expenses, revenue, depreciation, accruals, and provisions.
- Reconcile bank statements, supplier statements, and customer accounts.
- Generate monthly, quarterly, and annual financial statements and management reports.
- Invoicing, billing, and revenue control
- Issue and follow up on customer invoices for ship repairs, incurring labor, materials, and subcontractor services.
- Ensure revenue recognition in line with applicable accounting standards and contract terms.
- Manage credit notes, discounts, and rebates as per company policy.
- Monitor aging of receivables and coordinate collections with sales and operations.
- Accounts payable and procurement support
- Process supplier invoices for materials, salvage, equipment, workshop services, and subcontractors.
- Verify accuracy against purchase orders, repair orders, and receiving reports resolve discrepancies.
- Maintain vendor master data, negotiate payment terms, and, when feasible, manage early payoff discounts.
- Schedule and process timely payments to external vendors and subcontractors.
- Payroll and human resources support (where applicable)
- Assist with payroll processing, time-keeping, leave encashment, and statutory deductions.
- Ensure compliance with wage regulations, social security, tax withholdings, and benefits.
- Maintain payroll records and respond to employee queries on payroll matters.
- Cost accounting and project finance
- Track project costs for each ship repair job (labor, materials, subcontractors, consumables).
- Allocate overheads and support the project management team with cost-to-complete analysis.
- Prepare job cost reports, variance analyses, and profitability assessments for individual repair projects.
- Assist with budgeting and forecasting for ongoing and upcoming repairs.
- Cash and treasury management
- Monitor cash flow projections and working capital needs.
- Manage petty cash, advance payments to crew or subcontractors, and cash shipments for parts.
- Assist with banking relationships, fund transfers, and foreign exchange if required for imports.
- Compliance, governance, and audit readiness
- Ensure compliance with statutory requirements (GST/VAT, income tax, payroll taxes, statutory audits).
- Maintain a chart of accounts, a fixed assets register, and depreciation schedules.
- Prepare internal controls documentation and support external audits.
- Document control and contract administration support
- Maintain contract files, repair orders (ROs), work orders, and change orders.
- Ensure proper documentation for revenue recognition, warranty claims, and customer approvals.
- Manage correspondence with clients, shipowners, and brokers as needed.
- Insurance, risk management, and warranty administration
- Track insurance policies (damage, hull and machinery, liability) and renewals.
- Process claims related to ship repairs, including documentation and liaison with insurers.
- Manage warranty claims for parts or workmanship and coordinate with vendors.
- Logistics and inventory management (spares, consumables, and tools)
- Track inventory levels of spare parts, materials, and consumables used in repairs.
- Coordinate with procurement to reorder critical items and avoid project delays.
- Perform stock reconciliation and write-offs for obsolete or damaged items.
- Financial controls and process improvement
- Develop and enforce standard operating procedures for accounting processes.
- Identify process inefficiencies and implement automation (e.g., ERP, invoicing workflows).
- Support month-end close, reconciliation schedules, and internal control testing.
- MIS, analytics, and decision support
- Build dashboards for job profitability, cash flow, and ageing reports.
- Provide ad hoc financial analysis to management to support decision-making on repairs, pricing, and outsourcing.
- Customer and vendor communication
- Act as a liaison between operations, project managers, and finance to ensure accurate billing and timely payments.
- Address client queries (shipowners, brokers) regarding invoices, credits, and payment terms.
Practical tips for success in this role in ship repair:
- Understand common repair contract types (time-and-materials, fixed-price) and how they affect revenue recognition.
- Align costing with the project lifecycle: planning, execution, testing, and delivery.
- Maintain tight controls over change orders and variations to avoid scope creep that impacts margins.
- Develop a robust backlog and ageing report to manage cash flow and working capital.
- Leverage industry-specific software (ERP with project costing, inventory, and inter-branch accounting) for accuracy and efficiency.