Cost Controller

Location: Flexible across the region (Hybrid working)

Contract Type: 12 Month FTC

Hours: 37

Salary: From £42,300 based on skills and experience

About the role: The key purpose of the job is to provide the governance, administration, monitoring and reporting of Water Network expenditure including £15m of Leakage expenditure across all regions and varied departments of the company, both internal and external. To configure and produce reports for regular financial reviews and present progress reports at Governance Meetings for conveyance to Head of Function, thereby maintaining the Business confidence in the programme’s progression to achieve OFWAT mandatory targets.

What you will be responsible for:

• The post requires the ability to multi-track the varied expenditures occurring on a day-to-day basis, coupled with a good engineering & project management and financial background to set these expenditures in context.
• The ability and confidence to interrogate varied financial packages both pro-actively and re-actively, and to communicate appropriate actions to all members of the Water Network team is key.
• Budget & Expenditure Track commitments, payments, expenditure against budget, identify variances, report & resolve collate data in an auditable format for any internal & external query.
• CAPEX - Leakage Construction Authorising Ellipse Jobs in BAS WBS Approval Validating Ellipse jobs, WBS Codes, Estimated Price in Construction Database Authorising completed & Billed Ellipse Jobs Payment Approval in BAS CPA Manager Validating Ellipse job's data accuracy, & Completion Price in Construction Database Record Leakage.
• OPEX - Leakage Detection & Resources Raise Purchase Orders against Leakage & Water projects & codes Match Invoices, obtain POD from client, and approve for Payment Track payments made & apply to planned budget, report progress & predicted outturn Resolve Retrospective Orders Resolve Missing Invoices, uplift PO's, CE1 Extensions Liaise with Procurement resolving queries, codes, documentation, late processing.
• Resolve outstanding issues created by Water Management.
• Receive Contract Payment Application, validate payment requested & identify recharges Prepare Contract Payment Certification (CPC).
• Procurement Card, authoriser of plant and materials.
• Leadership and Management Needs to be assertive and clear about decision-making as every spend item on the capital programme must be justified. Must have the ability to have difficult conversations with external Service Providers. Good time management skills.

What you’ll bring to the role:

• Essential
• A full, UK drivers licence & access to a vehicle
• Strong interpersonal skills
• Self-motivated and good organisational skills
• Ability to work under pressure, prioritising workload
• Desirable
• Suitable engineering qualification

Southern Water is at the forefront of transforming Britain’s water industry, investing significantly to enhance resilience, sustainability, and service excellence. With £7.8bn planned investment for 2025-30, this is an unparalleled opportunity to join a business committed to delivering a generational shift in the way water services are managed.

You will be joining at a time of significant change, working alongside a highly skilled leadership team with a clear vision for the future. We offer an environment where senior professionals can make a meaningful impact, influence major strategic decisions, and drive long-term value creation.

We understand that great talent comes in many forms. If this role excites you and you share our commitment to delivering sustainable solutions for our communities, please apply—even if your experience doesn’t perfectly match every requirement. We’ll support your growth and development.

If this role isn’t quite what you’re looking for but are keen to be contacted about opportunities at Southern Water, you can register your details here: Introduce Yourself.

Our Commitment to Diversity: We welcome applicants from all backgrounds, identities, and experiences. We do not discriminate based on race, ethnicity, gender, sexual orientation, age, disability, religion, or any other protected characteristic. If you need reasonable adjustments during the recruitment process, please let us know.

Additional information: In line with Southern Water’s security requirements, successful candidates will be required to provide evidence of their identity, eligibility to work in the UK, criminal record check (DBS) and verification of their employment and/or education history for the past three years. Appointment to this role is subject to the successful completion of all pre‐employment checks, including security vetting. Please note that if a candidate does not meet the required security standards or fails to pass the vetting process, Southern Water reserves the right to withdraw the offer of employment. Some positions may also require higher levels of security vetting, which may involve providing additional documentation.

Interested in the role? We reserve the right to close this advertisement early if we receive a high volume of suitable applications, so if you are interested in the position please do send your application over today to ensure consideration. We truly appreciate every application. Please note, that due to the volume of interest, we may not be able to provide personalised feedback to all applicants.