Senior Cost Controller

Fusion Energy Base; Abingdon; On-site; GBP 61,000 - 83,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Performance bonus

Pension scheme

Annual leave

Site closure

Flexible working

Job summary

UKAEA is recruiting for a Senior Cost Controller to lead cost management across multi-million-pound R&D and first-of-kind projects at Culham, Oxfordshire. You will monitor budgets, track costs against forecasts, and provide timely reports to senior leadership and governance boards.

The role requires a strong background in cost management, forecasting, and finance reporting, plus excellent stakeholder and team leadership skills.

Qualifications

• 5+ years in project cost control for large-scale engineering, construction, or energy projects.
• Strong knowledge of cost management methodologies, forecasting and financial reporting.
• Experience presenting cost and budget information to senior stakeholders and project governance boards.
• Excellent communication and stakeholder management skills, with the ability to influence and collaborate across multidisciplinary teams.
• Experience leading, developing and managing high-performing teams.
• A recognised project management qualification (e.g. AACE, PMI, APM, PRINCE2).

Responsibilities

• Develop, maintain, and monitor detailed project cost control budgets for multi-million-pound R&D and first of kind projects.
• Track actual costs against forecasts, identify variance and recommend corrective actions to keep projects on target.
• Analyse performance trends, identify opportunities for improvement.
• Collaborate closely with Project Managers, planners and commercial teams to align financial data with project timelines and deliverables.
• Prepare and present accurate, timely cost reports to senior leadership, steering committees and Government boards.
• Support contract management by understanding NEC4 payment processes and validating invoices and ensuring compliant with agreed term and / or change orders.
• Lead cost risk assessments and contribute to contingency planning for complex R&D projects.
• Mentor Junior cost controllers sharing best practices and fostering a culture of accuracy and accountability.
• Build effective relationships with internal and external stakeholders, including collaboration partners, suppliers and senior leadership.
• Support strategic resource planning and contribute to the continuous development of UKAEA’s project delivery capability.

Skills

Cost management

Forecasting

Financial reporting

Stakeholder management

Leadership

Project governance

Communication

Mentoring

Contract understanding

Education

Prince2 / PMI / AACE certification

Job description

Senior Cost Controller

Overview of Responsibilities

About us

Fusion, the process that powers the sun and stars, is one of the most promising options for generating the cleaner, carbon-free energy that our world badly needs. UKAEA leads the way in realizing fusion energy, partnering with industry and research organisations to achieve ground-breaking advancements. Our goal is to bring fusion electricity to the grid by developing the power stations of tomorrow and the skilled workforce to deliver them.

About the Job

Join UKAEA’s Portfolio Management Office (PfMO) and play a key role in delivering some of the UK’s most complex and ambitious programmes. As a Senior Cost Controller, you will be the focal point for all aspects of cost within the projects. You will ensure that all spend is correctly manage, validate the accuracy of the forecasts, liaise with Work Package Manager and Finance to ensure timely receipting and invoicing for accurate cost reporting. You will provide guidance and support to all stakeholders to support informed decision making, influencing the projects’ ability to delivery to budget. You’ll also support the Project Controls team driving continuous improvement across the organisation’s project delivery capability.

What You’ll Be Doing

• Develop, maintain, and monitor detailed project cost control budgets for multi-million-pound R&D and first of kind projects.
• Track actual costs against forecasts, identify variance and recommend corrective actions to keep projects on target.
• Analyse performance trends, identify opportunities for improvement
• Collaborate closely with Project Managers, planners and commercial teams to align financial data with project timelines and deliverables.
• Prepare and present accurate, timely cost reports to senior leadership, steering committees and Government boards
• Support contract management by understanding NEC4 payment processes and validating invoices and ensuring compliant with agreed term and / or change orders.
• Lead cost risk assessments and contribute to contingency planning for complex R&D projects.
• Mentor Junior cost controllers sharing best practices and fostering a culture of accuracy and accountability.
• Build effective relationships with internal and external stakeholders, including collaboration partners, suppliers and senior leadership.
• Support strategic resource planning and contribute to the continuous development of UKAEA’s project delivery capability.

What You’ll Bring

• Proven experience (5+ years) in project cost control for large-scale engineering, construction, or energy projects, or 2-5 years’ experience monitoring and controlling project costs within R&D
• Strong knowledge of cost management methodologies, forecasting and financial reporting.
• Experience presenting cost and budget information to senior stakeholders and project governance boards.
• Excellent communication and stakeholder management skills, with the ability to influence and collaborate across multidisciplinary teams.
• Experience leading, developing and managing high-performing teams.
• A recognised project management qualification (e.g. AACE, PMI, APM, Princes 2)

Benefits

A full list of benefits can be found here and highlights include:

• £71,815 salary inclusive of specialist allowance
• Up to 7% corporate performance bonus
• Final salary defined benefits pension scheme with an equivalent of 21.5% employer pension contribution
• 25 days annual leave, 2.5 privilege days and 8 Bank Holidays
• 3 days of site closure over Christmas break
• Flexible working options plus family-friendly leave provisions

Our commitment to ED&I

UKAEA’s mission is clean energy for all, and we welcome talented people from all backgrounds to help us achieve this goal. We are committed to equality, diversity, inclusion and accessibility and strive to ensure fair representation across our workforce. We particularly encourage applications from groups currently underrepresented in STEM, including women and individuals from diverse ethnic backgrounds, while ensuring all appointments are made on merit. Further information can be found here.

Salary

Salary £71,815 (inclusive of Specialist Allowance) + excellent benefits including outstanding pension View benefits

Programme Programme & Programme Management Office
Discipline Project Management
Site Location UKAEA Culham, Oxfordshire
Type of Employment Full-time
Reference Number REF4301J