Cost Controller

South East Water UK; Tonbridge and Malling; On-site; GBP 42,000 - 49,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Excellent stakeholder pension scheme

5 weeks holiday plus bank holidays

Flexible annual leave policy

Paid volunteering days

Cycle to work scheme

Health cash plan

Life assurance

Wellbeing related benefits

Job summary

South East Water is seeking a Cost Controller to anchor multi-million pound projects, ensuring best practices in cost control, budgeting and monthly reporting with the engineering teams. You will manage project finances, baselining schedules in P6, monitor SPI/CPI and support change control and governance across procurement and delivery.

This role contributes to safe, on-time, on-budget project outcomes through rigorous financial analysis, collaboration and adherence to health and safety

Qualifications

• P6 Primavera formal training to a professional level.
• Experience preparing and presenting detailed financial reports.
• Collaborative with teams to meet deadlines.
• Strong cost accounting and financial analysis knowledge.
• Experience as a project controller in construction using P6.
• Strong planning and scheduling expertise.
• Knowledge of change management.
• Understanding of Earned Value and VOWD.
• Knowledge of Health and Safety regulations.
• Experience on major multi-disciplinary infrastructure projects.

Responsibilities

• Play a key role in the project lifecycle from initiation to completion, ensuring accurate representation and baselining in P6 and IMS; manage change requests.
• Regularly analyse SPI and CPI, identify variances, and provide insights to stakeholders.
• Manage all financial aspects of projects, including CER forms to secure funding.

Skills

Financial reporting

Cost accounting

Earned Value

Scheduling

Change management

Team collaboration

Project controls

Health & Safety awareness

Tools

P6 Primavera

Job description

Summary

Do you thrive in a collaborative environment where your financial expertise directly impacts the bottom line? Are you ready to be the anchor that keeps multi-million pound projects sailing smoothly on budget? As Cost Controller, you won't just be crunching numbers—you will be the strategic backbone of our project delivery. You will ensure we apply absolute best practices in cost control, providing the deep‑dive analysis and precise allocations that our project management and commercial teams rely on to succeed. Beyond the spreadsheets, you'll act as a vital bridge across departments, partnering closely with our engineering team to deliver accurate, streamlined monthly commercial reporting. If you are looking for a role where your insights genuinely shape the future of our projects, this is it.

Main Responsibilities

Project Lifecycle Support

• Play a key role in the project lifecycle from initiation to completion, by ensuring all projects are accurately represented and managed within P6 and the IMS systems. This includes creating and baselining new project schedules, managing all change requests, and ensuring adherence to the established change management process.
• Drive project performance by regularly analysing and reporting on key metrics such as Schedule Performance Index (SPI) and Cost Performance Index (CPI). Proactively identifying and addressing any significant cost or schedule variances, providing critical insights to stakeholders.
• Manage all financial aspects of projects, including the timely completion of Capital Expenditure Request (CER) forms to secure necessary funding.

Contractor and Stakeholder Collaboration

• Act as the primary point of contact for contractors, attending on‑site progress meetings to monitor project execution.
• Ensure contractual compliance by thoroughly reviewing contractor-submitted programs against NEC contracts and other relevant obligations.

Health, Safety, and Compliance

• Contribute to a safe work environment by participating in Health & Safety initiatives and conducting on‑site Safety Observations to identify and report potential hazards.

You’ll Need

• P6 Primavera formal training to a professional level.
• Proficiency in preparing and presenting detailed financial reports and analyses.
• Organisational abilities, with a proven ability to collaborate effectively within a team to meet deadlines.
• Solid understanding of cost accounting principles and financial analysis techniques.
• A good, demonstrable level of experience as a project controller in the construction industry using P6.
• Expertise in planning and scheduling.
• Strong understanding of change management.
• Technical understanding of Earned Value and VOWD.
• Knowledge of relevant Health and Safety regulations.
• Relevant construction experience on major multi‑disciplinary infrastructure projects.

Employees are required to be flexible and to be prepared to perform duties and other tasks within their capabilities. The nature of our business is such that the contents of any job profile are subject to change from time to time.

Grow a career with a meaningful purpose.

We know the communities we serve are diverse. We recognise creativity comes from diversity not similarity. That’s why we are enthusiastic about creating inclusion across age, race, gender, ethnicity, religion and identity. You will experience our dedication to equal opportunities and fair treatment for all: through your recruitment, employment and career progression with South East Water.

Benefits Package

• Excellent stakeholder pension scheme, up to 10% employer contribution.
• 5 weeks holiday plus bank holidays per annum, increasing to 6 weeks with length of service.
• Flexible annual leave policy to buy or sell holiday leave.
• Paid volunteering days.
• Cycle to work scheme.
• Health cash plan.
• Life assurance.
• Wellbeing related benefits.

What to Expect From Recruitment

• To apply for this position, please submit your CV on our career’s website.
• It is necessary for you to have the legal right to work in the UK when you begin employment with South East Water.
• Additionally, as part of the employment offer, you will need to pass background, identity, and employment referencing checks.

If this sounds like the opportunity you’ve been looking for, apply now!

South East Water kindly asks that recruitment agencies refrain from submitting CVs to our employees or associates without explicit invitation from our HR Resourcing team. CVs sent on a speculative basis will not be acknowledged and will not assume any responsibility for fees or commissions in the event that we hire a candidate who applied directly or subsequently introduced by an instructed agency.

Compensation Package

£42,000 – £49,000 p.a. dependant on experience