Cost Controller in Bristol

Location: Bristol, GB, BS16 1EJ

Onsite or Hybrid: Hybrid

Compensation: Up to £60,429 dependent upon experience + Benefits

Role Type: Full time / Permanent

Role ID: SF70147

Shape the future of defence engineering with us. At Babcock we’re working to create a safe and secure world, together, and if you join us, you can play your part as a Cost Controller at our Babcock Technology Centre site.

The role:

• As a Cost Controller, you’ll be at the heart of one of the UK’s most meaningful defence programmes - supporting the safe, continuous operation of critical in‑service submarines.
• You’ll play a key part in strengthening decision‑making, enhancing performance and ensuring our customer has the insight needed to deliver safely and effectively.
• Day-to-day, you’ll play a key role in delivering a diverse and high‑profile portfolio of Planning, Engineering and Design Services (PEDS) to our customer.
• You’ll work closely with project leads, delivery teams and finance teams, taking ownership of the collation, analysis and presentation of project cost data.
• Your work will span the full project lifecycle - from scoping and estimating new tasks to monitoring performance, tracking costs, reporting progress and supporting successful project close‑out.

Delivering cost control across a diverse in‑service submarine programme, working from scoping to close‑out:

• Liaising with Project Leads, activity owners and Accountants to collect, analyse and interpret actuals data.
• Producing multi‑layered internal and external cost reports that drive informed decision‑making.
• Providing clear analysis, recommendations and justifications, supported by meaningful data.
• Managing cost performance baselines, including monitoring actuals, tracking change and coordinating forecasts.

This role is full time, 35 hours per week and provides hybrid working arrangements with 2 days in the office/onsite and 3 days working from home.

Essential experience of the Cost Controller:

• Experience in a cost control or cost management environment.
• Understanding of project controls (cost control, earned value, finance, scheduling or estimating).
• Strong stakeholder engagement and communication capability.
• Proficiency in Excel with confident data analysis skills.
• Experience using cost management systems such as Cobra or Ecosys or SAP.

Qualifications for the Cost Controller:

• Degree‑level education or an APMP qualification (or equivalent experience).

Security Clearance:

The successful candidate must be a sole UK national who is able to achieve and maintain Standard (BPSS) security clearance for this role.

What we offer:

• Matched contribution pension scheme, with life assurance.
• Access to a Digital GP, annual health check, and nutritional consultations through Aviva DigiCare.
• Employee share scheme.
• Employee shopping savings portal.
• Payment of Professional Fees.
• Reservists in the armed forces receive 10-days special paid leave.
• Holiday Trading is a benefit that allows UK Babcock employees to buy additional leave or to sell up to one working week of annual leave from their annual entitlement.
• ‘Be Kind Day’ enables employees to take one working day’s paid leave a year (or equivalent hours) to undertake volunteering work with their chosen organisation or registered charity.
• Excellent development opportunities and benefits package including an employee assistance programme supporting physical, mental and financial wellbeing.

Babcock is a global FTSE 100 organisation with over 26,000 people working together to make a difference. Here, you’ll be part of something bigger. From initial design to final decommissioning, your work will contribute to products and services that are essential to national security and public infrastructure. Together, we’re building a future that lasts — not just through the impact we make, but through meaningful careers that respect your work-life balance.

We call that lifetime engineering. Join us and see how far we can go, together.

We are a disability confident committed employer. If you have a disability or need any reasonable adjustments during the application and selection stages, please email careers@babcockinternational.com with the subject header ‘Reasonable adjustments requirement’. We’re committed to building an inclusive culture where everyone’s free to thrive. We are happy to talk about flexible working – please ask about alternative patterns of work at interview.