Cost Controller

Culham | £33,297 to £35,520

Employer: UK Atomic Energy Authority
Sector/Specialism: Accountancy

Cost Controller
Abingdon Rd, Culham, UK
Full-time
Department: PPMO
Salary: £33,297 to £35,520 + excellent benefits including outstanding pension
Confirmed Grade: Level 4
Site Location: UKAEA Culham, Oxfordshire

Company Description

By 2050, the planet could be using twice as much electricity compared to today. Are you interested in contributing and helping to shape the future of the world’s energy? If so, read on.

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 are at the forefront of realising energy from fusion, working with industry and research partners to deliver the ground-breaking developments that will underpin tomorrow's fusion power stations with the aim of bringing fusion electricity to the grid.

As we work towards our mission and goals, UKAEA has devised values that capture the spirit of how we work. These values include being: Innovative, Committed, Trusted and Collaborative.

Who are we looking for?

We are looking for two new Cost Controllers to join UKAEA on a permanent basis within The Projects and Programme Management Office (PPMO) department.

PPMO is part of the ambitious JET (Joint European Torus) Decommissioning Programme which is undertaking the once in a generation decommissioning studies of a tritiated fusion reactor, identifying components suitable for repurposing into the wider scientific community within and outside UKAEA.

The programme will demonstrate innovative “first of a kind” approaches to reduce waste burdens and through life cost and solutions to the challenges of decommissioning fusion energy, benefiting from Culham’s breadth of expertise and its suite of research facilities. The programme is forward thinking in its technical approach and combines this with project management rigour in delivering value for money in decommissioning.

As a Cost Controller within PPMO you will provide a project controls service to project managers, including estimating/forecasting support, monitoring budgets and producing reports on financial metrics. You will provide earned value production and analysis, alerting project managers and planners to financial trends and potential problems arising in their projects and work with them to remediate. With the supervision of the lead cost controller you will provide subject matter expertise on financial project management in a range of forums.

You will be responsible for

Providing a cost-focused project controls service to programme and project managers to produce budgets at the early stages of a project or programme and produce monthly reports on earned value metrics for use at project, programme and portfolio level on a monthly basis.

Alerting project managers to financial trends and potential problems arising in their projects and to work with the project planner and project manager to remediate.

Providing subject matter expertise on cost management issues in a range of forums.

Ensuring the project budgets include:

Itemised labour resource estimates and itemised non-labour estimates

An adequate risk provision

An appropriate degree of management reserve

Using earned value data to monitor the progress of projects each month against the baseline budget

Please note that within this team you will be required to work on site 4 days a week, and can work from home on Fridays

Criteria and Qualifications

Essential:

Degree in a scientific discipline or equivalent experience in a financial role
Demonstrable experience in cost accounting, budgeting or forecasting for projects and programmes, as a cost controller/cost engineer or in a project management environment
Ability to present complex data in a simple manner, and to aid professionals with understanding their data
Excellent MS Excel and analytical skills
Self-starter, highly motivated with a strong track record in previous roles who enjoys problem solving and improving working practices
Excellent report/minutes writing skills
Excellent interpersonal skills, with the ability to influence stakeholders
Planning and organisational skills
Ability to work autonomously, with initiative and minimum supervision

Desirable:

Project management qualification or membership of a relevant professional body (e.g. ACostE)
Experience of purchasing systems and contract management

Additional Information

Our benefits package includes a culture committed to being fully inclusive, an Employee Assistance Programme and Mental Health First Aiders, Flexible working, Emergency paid leave, Annual leave allowance (30.5 days) increased with time, career development, outstanding pension scheme; bonus scheme and a Relocation allowance (if eligible)

We welcome applications from under-represented groups, particularly from black and other ethnic minority backgrounds, including nationality and citizenship, people with disabilities and women. UKAEA actively promotes EDI and is increasing the diversity of our people through reinforcing best practice in recruitment and selection and removing barriers to success

This vacancy will close on 02/12/2022. It will close earlier than this date with sufficient applications.

Employees at UKAEA are required to complete an online Disclosure Certificate application as part of their clearance, The Disclosure & Barring Service (DBS) checks will show all current criminal convictions or confirm no such convictions

If applying for employment with UKAEA either from outside the UK or who have spent time outside the UK in the last five years. Please visit the UK Government website. If the country you are resident in or resided in is not listed on this website or that the UK Government is not aware of how to obtain a criminal records check from that state then we will be unable to proceed