Strategic Cost Engineer

Anglian Water Services; Peterborough; On-site; GBP 52,000 - 64,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

26 days annual leave (increasing with/

Flexible working options

Private healthcare

Competitive pension scheme with double

Life assurance at eight times salary

Annual bonus scheme

Personal accident cover

Virtual GP service

Job summary

Anglian Water Services in Peterborough is seeking a Strategic Cost Engineer to join the Commercial Assurance team. You will develop, assure and improve cost intelligence underpinning investment planning, regulatory submissions and programme delivery, acting as a technical expert to drive evidence-based decisions across large-scale projects.

You will collaborate with Commercial, Finance, Regulation, Asset Management and Delivery teams to provide challenge, assurance and insight on estimating,

Qualifications

• Degree-level qualification (or equivalent) in Engineering, Quantity Surveying, Mathematics or related technical discipline.
• Significant experience developing and assuring estimates using cost models within large-scale programmes.
• Experience in a regulated industry and supporting business planning or price review activities.
• Strong understanding of estimating, cost modelling, cost assurance and governance principles.
• Excellent analytical, problem-solving and data interpretation skills.
• Experience with complex datasets, modelling tools and business systems.
• Strong stakeholder management with the ability to influence at all levels.
• Excellent communication skills translating technical information into clear business insight.
• Proactive approach with passion for continuous improvement and high standards.

Responsibilities

• Lead development, assurance and governance of strategic TOTEX estimates across major investment programmes.
• Manage and improve Anglian Water's Corporate Cost Estimation System and methodologies.
• Develop, maintain and validate cost models supporting planning, investment decisions and regulatory submissions.
• Provide expert challenge and assurance on project estimates, forecasting assumptions and outputs.
• Analyse cost trends, inflation impacts and efficiency opportunities for strategic decisions.
• Support capital investment plans and commercial budgets with robust cost analysis.
• Lead cost intelligence activities including benchmarking and reporting.
• Oversee cost data collection, governance and assurance processes.

Skills

Cost modelling

Estimates

Stakeholder management

Data analysis

Education

Engineering degree

Quantity Surveying

Mathematics

Job description

Up to £58,000 (Depending on Skills & Experience)

Permanent

Full Time / 37 Hours (Flexible working opportunities available)

Peterborough

Double Matched Pension Scheme (up to 21% combined)

Private Healthcare

Make every drop of your potential count!

We are looking for a Strategic Cost Engineer to join Anglian Water's Commercial Assurance team, playing a key role in ensuring we deliver maximum value from our multi-billion-pound investment programme.

This role sits within our Strategic Cost Intelligence capability and is responsible for developing, assuring and improving the cost intelligence that underpins investment planning, business planning, regulatory submissions and programme delivery. You'll be a recognised technical expert, helping the business make informed, evidence-based decisions on some of the most significant investments across our water and wastewater networks.

Working closely with Commercial, Finance, Regulation, Asset Management and Delivery teams, you'll provide challenge, assurance and insight across estimating, cost modelling, performance analysis and data governance activities. This is an exciting opportunity for someone who enjoys combining technical expertise with strategic influence and has a passion for continuous improvement and delivering value.

What you’ll be doing:

• Lead the development, assurance and governance of strategic TOTEX estimates across major investment programmes.

• Manage and continuously improve Anglian Water's Corporate Cost Estimation System and associated methodologies.

• Develop, maintain and validate cost models that support business planning, investment decisions and regulatory submissions.

• Provide expert challenge and assurance on project estimates, forecasting assumptions and cost intelligence outputs.

• Analyse cost trends, inflation impacts and efficiency opportunities to support strategic decision-making.

• Support the development of capital investment plans and commercial budgets through robust, evidence-based cost analysis.

• Lead cost intelligence activities including benchmarking, performance reporting and cost-efficiency assessments.

• Provide technical oversight of cost data collection, governance and assurance processes.

• Work closely with stakeholders across the business to improve forecasting accuracy, data quality and commercial decision-making.

• Produce clear, defensible reports and evidence packs to support regulatory submissions and audit activities.

• Deliver training, guidance and support to colleagues, helping to build estimating and cost modelling capability across the organisation.

• Drive continuous improvement across systems, processes and methodologies to strengthen cost intelligence and business performance

What we’re looking for

• Degree-level qualification (or equivalent experience) in Engineering, Quantity Surveying, Mathematics or a related technical discipline.

• Significant experience developing and assuring estimates using cost models within large-scale programmes.

• Experience working within a regulated industry and supporting business planning or price review activities.

• Strong understanding of estimating, cost modelling, cost assurance and governance principles.

• Excellent analytical, problem-solving and data interpretation skills.

• Experience working with complex datasets, modelling tools and business systems.

• Strong stakeholder management skills with the ability to influence and challenge constructively at all levels.

• Excellent communication skills, with the ability to translate complex technical information into clear business insight.

• A proactive approach with a passion for continuous improvement, innovation and high standards.

• Ability to work collaboratively across multiple functions to deliver high-quality outcomes.

Desirable:

• Chartered status, or working towards professional accreditation (such as RICS or equivalent).

• Water industry experience.

• Knowledge of cost collection structures, asset hierarchies and regulated infrastructure environments.

• Experience supporting regulatory submissions and external audit activities.

Why join Anglian Water?

As a Strategic Cost Engineer, you'll have the opportunity to shape how investment decisions are made across the business. You'll influence major programmes, work alongside technical and commercial experts and help drive better outcomes through robust cost intelligence, assurance and analysis.

This is an opportunity to apply your expertise to high-profile challenges, while developing your career within a supportive business that values innovation, collaboration and continuous improvement.

Benefits

• 26 days annual leave plus bank holidays (increasing with length of service)

• Flexible working options

• Private healthcare

• Competitive pension scheme. Anglian Water double-matches contributions up to 7%

• Life assurance at eight times your salary

• Annual bonus scheme

• Personal accident cover

• Virtual GP service

Inclusion at Anglian Water

We are committed to creating a workplace where everyone feels they belong. We are proud signatories of the Social Mobility Pledge, Race at Work Charter and Armed Forces Covenant, and we are a Disability Confident employer.

Closing Date: 6th September 2026