Cost Manager - Capital Projects

Center Parcs; New Ollerton; Hybrid; GBP 60,000 - 65,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Bonus scheme

Company Car

Pension Plan

Life Assurance

Private Medical Insurance

Discounted breaks

Leisure facilities

Restaurant discount

Perks at Work

Employee Assistance

Career development

Job summary

Center Parcs is seeking a Cost Manager for Capital Projects at Forest House. You will own the financial heartbeat of a multi-multi-million-pound capital investment portfolio, delivering expert estimating, cost control and forecasting from concept through to completion.

This hybrid role requires regular travel to sites and centres, with office presence two days per week. You'll drive Earned Value Management, benchmark costs, and provide independent challenge to ensure investment decisions are

Qualifications

• Proven experience in cost engineering, quantity surveying or commercial management within complex capital programmes.
• Ability to develop robust early-stage estimates and cost plans from limited information using benchmarking and risk analysis.
• Experience in budgeting, forecasting, cost reporting, contingency management and change control.

Responsibilities

• Own the financial heartbeat of a multi-million-pound capital investment portfolio.
• Provide expert estimating, cost control, forecasting and commercial insight from concept through to completion.
• Turn complex project data into clear, actionable intelligence for leaders.
• Identify risks early, control costs and maximise value across development, infrastructure and operational projects.
• Drive auditable cost baselines and independent challenge to ensure sound investment decisions.

Skills

Cost control

Estimating

Forecasting

Cost engineering

Budgeting

Earned Value

Job description

Cost Manager - Capital Projects Forest House | Circa £60,000 - £65,000 per annum dependent upon experience plus 18% bonus scheme plus company car This is a hybrid role, based in the office two days per week, with the remainder worked from home. The position is based at Head Office (Forest House), with regular travel to villages/sites as required. Free on site parking is available. Welcome to Center Parcs, the number one choice for short break holidays, employing a team of over 10,000 across Forest House and six separate villages located in the UK and Ireland. The Cost Manager is the commercial and cost-control lead for Center Parcs' UK and Ireland Capital Investment portfolio, providing robust estimating, forecasting, cost engineering and assurance across major infrastructure, development and refurbishment projects. Working to the standards of highly regulated capital environments, the role establishes auditable cost baselines, drives forecasting accuracy, applies Earned Value Management principles, and provides independent challenge to ensure investment decisions are commercially sound, transparent and deliver maximum value.

What You'll Be Doing

You’ll own the financial heartbeat of a multi-million-pound capital investment portfolio, providing expert estimating, cost control, forecasting and commercial insight from concept through to completion. By turning complex project data into clear, actionable intelligence, you’ll help leaders make smarter investment decisions, identify risks early, control costs and maximise value across a wide range of development, infrastructure and operational projects.

Key responsibilities include

• Feasibility Estimating & Investment Decision Support: Lead the development of early-stage cost models, benchmarking and option appraisals that provide confidence in project affordability, highlight commercial risks and opportunities, and enable informed investment decisions across the capital portfolio.
• Project Cost Control & Forecasting: Drive cost certainty and financial control across the capital portfolio through robust forecasting, performance analysis and commercial challenge. Maintain visibility of budgets, commitments, change and contingency, manage and report Earned Value Management, EAC, calculating portfolio CPI, then trending data to identify risks early, safeguard investment value and support proactive decision-making.
• Estimating, Procurement & Commercial Assurance: Partner with Project Managers, Procurement teams and external consultants to provide robust estimating, tender evaluation and commercial support, ensuring projects remain affordable, contractually compliant and commercially controlled, while driving value, challenging costs and strengthening future investment decisions through accurate cost capture and benchmarking.
• Portfolio CAPEX & Performance Management: Provide a consolidated view of capital investment performance across the portfolio, tracking spend, forecast, risk and value against annual and multi-year CAPEX plans. Identify cost pressures, funding opportunities and performance trends, delivering clear insight and decision support that enables effective prioritisation, forecasting accuracy and optimisation of capital investment.
• Cost Governance & Assurance: Drive robust cost governance across the capital portfolio, ensuring consistent forecasting, reporting, change control and cost-data integrity. Provide independent assurance, challenge cost performance and forecasting assumptions, and deliver clear, auditable insights that strengthen financial control and support confident investment decisions.

Proven experience

Proven experience in cost engineering, quantity surveying or commercial management experience gained within complex capital programmes, with the capability to control, forecast and assure investment across a diverse, multi-million-pound construction and infrastructure portfolio. Ability to develop robust early-stage estimates and cost plans from limited information, using benchmarking, assumptions and risk analysis to assess affordability, inform investment decisions and provide confidence in project viability. Experience of project budgeting, forecasting, cost reporting, contingency management and change control, with the ability to provide accurate financial insight and support effective investment decision-making.

About the Benefits

• Management Bonus Scheme (up to 18%)
• Company Car
• Access to our enhanced pension plan, with 8% from you and 7% contributed by Center Parcs
• Life Assurance
• Private Medical Insurance (available if you enrol in the Enhanced Pension Plan)
• Discounted Center Parcs breaks
• Free use of our leisure facilities
• 20% discount in our restaurant and retail outlets
• Access to Perks at Work Portal - offering a wide range of retail and leisure discounts
• An Employee Assistance Program - providing support on financial, health and legal matters
• Excellent opportunities for career development and progression with the opportunity to gain externally recognised qualifications