Cost Assurance Manager

Notting Hill Genesis; England; Hybrid; GBP 65,000 - 90,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Excellent annual leave

Generous pension

Cycle to work

Life Assurance

Employee assistance

Job summary

Notting Hill Genesis is seeking an experienced cost assurance professional to lead independent cost review across Engineering Services. You will govern the Schedule of Rates, challenge contractor pricing, and drive a high-performing team delivering robust cost data and auditable records.

The role requires strong leadership, housing/construction experience, and the ability to influence across multiple teams and stakeholders, ensuring value for money and quality of outcomes.

Qualifications

• Experience in quantity surveying, cost management or a commercial role within housing, construction, facilities or a similar regulated environment.
• Strong leadership and people management skills with experience building and developing a specialist team.
• Experience developing or working with a Schedule of Rates or similar pricing framework, including maintaining cost data and financial records.

Responsibilities

• Lead independent cost assurance across Engineering Services and ensure pricing, variations, valuations and final accounts are reviewed and challenged.
• Own and develop the Schedule of Rates for pricing consistency across programmes.
• Govern ROS data with version control and integrity.
• Lead the SOR Coordinator team and manage performance.
• Plan, prioritise and deliver cost assurance activities to a high standard.
• Highlight discrepancies, pricing anomalies and cost risks in contractor submissions.
• Ensure pricing reflects the specification and delivers value for money.
• Maintain robust valuation and variation processes with auditable records.
• Collaborate with Compliance, Procurement and Engineering teams for cost insight.

Skills

Cost management

Leadership

Contractor pricing

Valuations

Microsoft Office

Education

Level 5 qualification in quantity surveying

Tools

Schedule of Rates (SoR)

Job description

Job Introduction

What you’ll do

We are looking for an experienced quantity surveying or cost management professional to lead our independent cost assurance service across Engineering Services.

You will ensure contractor pricing, variations, valuations and final accounts are thoroughly reviewed, supported by evidence and aligned with the scope and quality of the work delivered. You will also own and develop our Schedule of Rates, bringing this expertise in-house and establishing a consistent and transparent approach to pricing across relevant programmes.

As a people manager, you will lead and develop a specialist team, providing clear direction and building a high-performing cost assurance function.

How you’ll do it

• Lead the delivery of independent cost assurance across Engineering Services, ensuring contractor pricing, variations, valuations and final accounts are consistently reviewed and robustly challenged.
• Own, develop and maintain the Schedule of Rates, ensuring it provides a controlled, benchmarked and consistent basis for pricing across relevant programmes.
• Take responsibility for the governance, integrity and consistent application of the Schedule of Rates (ROS), including maintaining appropriate cost data and version control.
• Lead and develop the SOR Coordinator team, setting clear expectations, managing performance and building specialist capability.
• Ensure cost assurance activity is effectively planned, prioritised and delivered to a consistently high standard.
• Ensure contractor pricing and commercial submissions, identifying discrepancies, pricing anomalies, inefficiencies and potential cost risks.
• Ensure pricing accurately reflects the specification, quality and scope of the work delivered, supporting strong financial control and value for money.
• Build and maintain robust valuation and variation processes, while ensuring cost assurance records are accurate, complete and auditable.
• Work collaboratively with Compliance and Energy SMT, Procurement and Engineering teams, providing independent cost insight while supporting continuous improvement across the service

The ideal candidate

We believe great service starts with great people, and we are committed to recruiting and developing passionate, enthusiastic, and talented individuals who can add value to our thriving organisation.

You will be an experienced cost assurance, quantity surveying or commercial professional with the confidence to challenge contractor pricing and provide clear, evidence-based recommendations. You will combine strong technical knowledge with the leadership and communication skills needed to manage a specialist team and work effectively with colleagues, contractors and stakeholders.

Pending confirmation of legislative changes, this role may require a qualification to demonstrate competence. If not already qualified, there may be an expectation to study towards a professional qualification.

Essential:

• A Level 5 qualification, or equivalent, in quantity surveying, construction or commercial management.
• Experience in quantity surveying, cost management or a commercial role within housing, construction, facilities or a similar regulated environment.
• Strong working knowledge of measurement, cost management, variations, final accounts and benchmarking, including experience reviewing and challenging contractor pricing and commercial submissions.
• Experience developing or working with a Schedule of Rates or a similar pricing framework, including maintaining cost data and financial records.
• An understanding of construction processes, commercial practices, contract structures, pricing models and cost‑control mechanisms.
• Strong leadership and people management skills, with experience building, managing and developing a specialist team.
• Strong analytical and problem‑solving skills, with the ability to assess costs, identify discrepancies and make informed judgements.
• The confidence to provide robust challenge, identify cost risks and inefficiencies, and elevate concerns appropriately.
• Strong communication and influencing skills, with the ability to work effectively across teams and with contractors and stakeholders.
• Intermediate IT and systems skills, including Microsoft Office

This is a people manager role. The role operates on a hybrid basis, with at least three days each week working from an office, community, site‑based or partnership setting, depending on business and service requirements.

What’s in it for you?

Once you join us, you’ll find plenty of opportunities to grow within our organisation. You’ll also have access to a wide range of learning opportunities to help you achieve and maximise your potential.

Benefits include:

• Excellent annual leave allowance and flexible working opportunities (qualifying period may apply)
• Generous pension scheme
• Enhanced maternity, paternity, and adoption pay in addition to statutory entitlements (qualifying period may apply)
• Employee assistance - free confidential advice and counselling services provided by independent specialist organisations.
• Health cash plan
• Staff discounts - we give our staff access to discounts at hundreds of major retailers, gyms, restaurants, entertainment, days out, insurance, and much more.
• Interest free loans - season ticket loan, tenancy deposit loan, and training loan
• Cycle to work scheme.
• Life Assurance x 4 annual salary

All about us

Notting Hill Genesis is a not‑for‑profit organisation providing affordable homes for Londoners and it is now one of the largest housing associations in London. We are both a landlord and a developer, with more than 65,000 existing homes and 10,000 more in our pipeline and we employ around 1,800 employees.

For more information on what we do and what makes us different please visit:

We welcome applications from everyone. We actively monitor the diversity of our workforce and strive to show equal representation throughout all levels of the organisation. We are a Stonewall Diversity Champion, a Disability Confident employer amongst other diversity commitments.

To find out more about our approach to equality, diversity and inclusion please visit:

Selection Process

Closing date is 8 November.

Step 2: Successful candidates will be asked to do an assessment

Step 3: Successful candidates will be invited to interview

NHG reserves the right to close this vacancy early if we receive sufficient applications for the role, so we advise you to submit your application at your earliest opportunity.