Cost Engineer

South East Water; Snodland; On-site; GBP 42,000 - 49,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Excellent Stakeholder pension scheme

5 weeks holiday + bank holidays

Flexible annual leave policy to buy or

Paid volunteering days

Cycle to work scheme

Health cash plan

Life assurance

Wellbeing related benefits

Job summary

South East Water is seeking a Cost Engineer to anchor project delivery through robust cost control and precise monthly reporting. You will partner with engineering and commercial teams to manage budgets, baselining, change control, and CER funding processes.

You will drive schedule and cost performance analysis using P6/IMS, apply earned value techniques, and ensure compliance with health and safety on major multi-disciplinary infrastructure projects. UK work rights required.

Qualifications

• Proficient in preparing and presenting detailed financial reports and analyses.
• Strong cost accounting and financial analysis techniques.
• Experience in project controlling in construction/infrastructure.
• Knowledge of NEC contracts and other obligations is beneficial.

Responsibilities

• Support project lifecycle from initiation to completion, baselining schedules, managing change, and tracking cost performance (SPI/CPI).
• Manage all financial aspects including CER funding and capital expenditure processes.
• Collaborate with contractors and on-site teams to monitor progress and ensure contractual compliance.

Skills

P6 Primavera

Financial reporting

Cost accounting

Team collaboration

Scheduling

Change management

Earned Value

Health & Safety regulations

Construction industry experience

Tools

P6 Primavera

Job description

Summary

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 Engineer, 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 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.

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.

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.

Compensation package: £42,000 - £49,200 p.a. dependant on experience Be you, belong and valued.

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.

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.

We supply top-quality drinking water to 2.3 million customers in the southeast of England. Through a network of 9,000 miles of pipe, we deliver 544 million litres of water every day. It's the skill and expertise of our employees that ensures our water meets the highest standards. We make sure we can meet the needs of our customers both now and in the future.

What we offer

• Come to work to be safe, valued, and trusted.
• We’ll encourage you to create and pursue new opportunities for personal growth.
• A place to be the real you, build deeper connections and enjoy a sense of belonging.
• Be invested in helping us to create a sustainable water supply for now, and in the future.