Major Projects PMO Senior Cost Controller

Southern Water; Brighton; On-site; GBP 65,000 - 85,000; Full time

Job summary

Southern Water is seeking an experienced Senior Cost Controller to own cost control and forecasting across key infrastructure projects in the UK. You’ll manage budgets, commitments, actual costs and EAC/ETC, working with project teams and external partners to improve forecast accuracy.

The role demands strong analytical skills, extensive NEC contract knowledge, and proficiency with Prism or Hexagon EcoSys. A relevant degree (Civil/Finance) and professional certification are desirable.

Qualifications

• Must have extensive cost management experience on large-scale infrastructure projects.
• Strong analytical and numerical skills with ability to interpret cost performance data.
• Proven ability to engage senior project leaders and diverse stakeholders.

Responsibilities

• Manage project budgets, commitments, actual costs and forecasts against the Cost Breakdown Structure (CBS).
• Prepare accruals to reflect Value of Work Done (VOWD) / Actual Cost Work Performed (ACWP).
• Produce monthly cost reports covering performance, variances, trends, forecasts and contingency.
• Monitor cost performance using Earned Value Management (EVM) and Cost Performance Index (CPI).
• Review contractor cost reports and applications for payment.
• Collaborate with external partners to develop and maintain integrated cost forecasts.
• Manage project change, including logging, quantifying and evaluating variations.
• Review the cost impact of early warnings, compensation events and scope changes under NEC contract conditions.
• Work with planning, risk, change and other project controls functions, including supporting the QCRA process.

Skills

Cost management

Analytical skills

Stakeholder communication

Advanced Excel

Education

Civil Engineering / Finance / Quantity Surveying degree

AACE / AMP / ACostE certification (desirable)

Tools

Prism

Hexagon EcoSys

Job description

Closing Date

2026-11-30

Senior Cost Controller

We’re looking for an experienced Senior Cost Controller to support key infrastructure projects, taking ownership of cost control and forecasting throughout the project lifecycle.

This is a great opportunity for someone with strong infrastructure cost management experience who enjoys getting into the detail, improving forecast accuracy and working closely with project teams and external partners.

The role

As Senior Cost Controller, you’ll oversee project budgets, commitments, actual costs and forecasts, ensuring project cost information remains accurate and up to date. You’ll provide detailed analysis of cost performance, identify trends and variances, and maintain robust forecasts including Estimate at Completion (EAC) and Estimate to Complete (ETC).

Your Responsibilities Will Include

• Managing project budgets, commitments, actual costs and forecasts against the Cost Breakdown Structure (CBS).
• Preparing accruals to accurately reflect Value of Work Done (VOWD) / Actual Cost Work Performed (ACWP).
• Producing monthly cost reports covering performance, variances, trends, forecasts and contingency.
• Monitoring cost performance using Earned Value Management (EVM) and Cost Performance Index (CPI).
• Reviewing contractor cost reports and applications for payment.
• Working with external partners to develop and maintain integrated cost forecasts.
• Managing project change, including logging, quantifying and evaluating variations.
• Reviewing the cost impact of early warnings, compensation events and scope changes under NEC contract conditions.
• Working collaboratively across planning, risk, change and other project controls functions, including supporting the Quantitative Cost Risk Analysis (QCRA) process.

About You

You’ll bring extensive cost management experience within large-scale infrastructure projects, alongside strong analytical and numerical skills. You’ll be comfortable working in a fast-paced project environment and engaging confidently with senior project leaders and a wide range of stakeholders.

We’re Particularly Interested In Candidates With

• Experience using cost management software such as Prism or Hexagon EcoSys.
• Strong Excel skills.
• Familiarity with NEC contracts, including clauses 31 and 32, early warnings and compensation events.
• Experience dealing with regulatory bodies and reporting.
• A relevant degree, such as Civil Engineering, Finance or Quantity Surveying, although this is not essential.
• Professional certification such as AACE, AMP or ACostE is highly desirable.