Cost Specialist

Cost Specialist

Full-Time 40000 - 50000 £ / year (est.) No home office possible
Cavendish Nuclear

At a Glance

  • Tasks: Manage budgets and forecasts for engineering and defence projects, ensuring responsible delivery.
  • Company: Join Cavendish Nuclear, a key player in clean energy and national security.
  • Benefits: Generous holiday allowance, matched pension scheme, and health support services.
  • Other info: Flexible working hours and excellent career development opportunities await you.
  • Why this job: Make a real impact on critical projects that safeguard national infrastructure.
  • Qualifications: Experience in budgeting, cost forecasting, and financial systems like SAP and Excel.

The predicted salary is between 40000 - 50000 £ per year.

As a Cost Specialist, you play a vital role in ensuring complex engineering and defence projects are delivered responsibly, predictably and sustainably. Your work underpins confident decision‑making, supports project managers, and helps safeguard national infrastructure and energy security. You will work 37 hours per week, with flexibility available across a five‑day working week, and the role is based across Warrington, Cheshire or Bristol, attending site three days per week.

Responsibilities

  • Managing budgets and forecasts for allocated project and programme work packages.
  • Assessing the accuracy, completeness and substantiation of supplier and subcontractor invoices.
  • Highlighting cost movements, risks and key variances with clear, evidence‑based insights.
  • Supporting project managers with resource demand planning and cost performance reporting.
  • Using cost and financial systems to maintain robust, auditable cost control information.

Qualifications

  • Proven experience in budgeting and cost forecasting within a project or programme environment.
  • Hands‑on experience working with cost control, project controls or accounting disciplines.
  • Strong capability using financial and cost management systems, such as SAP, Quadrant and Microsoft Excel.
  • Experience supporting project managers or delivery teams with financial insight and reporting.
  • D HNC (or equivalent) in cost engineering, quantity surveying, finance or accounting.

Security Clearance

The successful candidate must be able to achieve and maintain Security Check (SC) security clearance for this role.

What we offer

  • Generous holiday allowance
  • 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 Cavendish 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.

At Cavendish Nuclear, we're working to create a safe and secure world, together. If you join us, you can play your part as a Cost Specialist at Warrington, Cheshire or Bristol.

We're Cavendish Nuclear - a team of 5,000 specialists and a core part of Babcock International Group. Here, you'll be part of something bigger. Across clean energy, defence, and civil decommissioning, your work will contribute to projects that are critical to energy security and national protection. Together, we're shaping a future that lasts - not only through the impact we make, but through meaningful careers that respect your work‑life balance.

Cost Specialist employer: Cavendish Nuclear

Cavendish Nuclear is an exceptional employer, offering a supportive work culture that prioritises employee wellbeing and professional growth. With flexible working hours, generous holiday allowances, and unique benefits like Be Kind Day for volunteering, employees are empowered to make a meaningful impact while maintaining a healthy work-life balance. Located in Warrington or Bristol, you will be part of a dedicated team contributing to vital projects in clean energy and national security, ensuring your role as a Cost Specialist is both rewarding and significant.
Cavendish Nuclear

Contact Detail:

Cavendish Nuclear Recruiting Team

StudySmarter Expert Advice 🤫

We think this is how you could land Cost Specialist

✨Tip Number 1

Network like a pro! Reach out to people in the industry, attend events, and connect on LinkedIn. You never know who might have the inside scoop on job openings or can put in a good word for you.

✨Tip Number 2

Prepare for interviews by researching the company and its projects. Understand their values and how your skills as a Cost Specialist can contribute to their mission. Tailor your responses to show you're the perfect fit!

✨Tip Number 3

Practice makes perfect! Do mock interviews with friends or family to get comfortable talking about your experience with budgeting and cost forecasting. The more you practice, the more confident you'll feel when it counts.

✨Tip Number 4

Don't forget to apply through our website! It’s the best way to ensure your application gets noticed. Plus, we love seeing candidates who are genuinely interested in joining our team at Cavendish Nuclear.

We think you need these skills to ace Cost Specialist

Budgeting
Cost Forecasting
Cost Control
Project Controls
Accounting Disciplines
Financial Management Systems
SAP
Quadrant
Microsoft Excel
Resource Demand Planning
Cost Performance Reporting
Analytical Skills
Attention to Detail
Communication Skills
Problem-Solving Skills

Some tips for your application 🫡

Tailor Your CV: Make sure your CV is tailored to the Cost Specialist role. Highlight your experience in budgeting and cost forecasting, and don’t forget to mention any hands-on experience with financial systems like SAP or Excel. We want to see how your skills match what we’re looking for!

Craft a Compelling Cover Letter: Your cover letter is your chance to shine! Use it to explain why you’re passionate about the role and how your background makes you a perfect fit. Be sure to mention your experience supporting project managers and your understanding of cost control.

Showcase Relevant Experience: When filling out your application, be specific about your relevant experience. Include examples of how you've managed budgets or assessed supplier invoices. We love seeing clear, evidence-based insights that demonstrate your capabilities!

Apply Through Our Website: Don’t forget to apply through our website! It’s the best way to ensure your application gets to us directly. Plus, it shows you’re keen on joining our team at Cavendish Nuclear. We can’t wait to hear from you!

How to prepare for a job interview at Cavendish Nuclear

✨Know Your Numbers

As a Cost Specialist, you'll be managing budgets and forecasts, so brush up on your financial knowledge. Be prepared to discuss specific examples of how you've handled budgets in the past, including any challenges you faced and how you overcame them.

✨Showcase Your Systems Savvy

Familiarity with financial and cost management systems like SAP and Excel is crucial. During the interview, highlight your hands-on experience with these tools. Maybe even bring along a project example where you used these systems to improve cost control.

✨Evidence-Based Insights

The role requires you to provide clear, evidence-based insights into cost movements and variances. Prepare to discuss how you've previously identified risks and variances in projects, and what steps you took to mitigate those issues.

✨Supportive Team Player

You'll be supporting project managers, so it's important to demonstrate your collaborative skills. Share examples of how you've worked with teams to provide financial insights and reporting, and how that contributed to the success of a project.

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