Cost Engineer

Cost Engineer Duration: 6 months  Rate: £60 - £70 p/h p/d (outside IR35)

Location:

Remote  ad-hoc attendance in Chorley We are seeking an experienced Cost Engineer to join a specialist design consultancy delivering complex nuclear projects. This is an opportunity to play a key role in maintaining robust cost control, supporting informed decision-making and ensuring financial performance is effectively managed throughout the project lifecycle. Working closely with project managers, commercial teams, planners, procurement specialists and technical stakeholders, you will provide accurate, timely and auditable cost information in support of project delivery.

You will operate within a highly regulated environment, ensuring cost management activities comply with project governance, assurance processes and the rigorous standards required across the nuclear sector.

Key Responsibilities Cost Control and Management:
Develop and maintain project cost baselines and budgets, monitoring commitments, actual expenditure, accruals and forecast costs throughout the project lifecycle. Forecasting and Cost Reporting:
Prepare regular cost forecasts, estimates-to-complete and estimates-at-completion, providing clear visibility of projected final costs and emerging financial risks. Variance and Trend Analysis:
Analyse cost performance against approved budgets and baselines, identify variances and emerging trends, investigate root causes, and recommend appropriate corrective actions. Change Control:
Assess the cost implications of scope changes, technical changes and project instructions, supporting change management, impact assessments and the maintenance of a robust cost baseline. Commercial and Procurement Support:
Support procurement and commercial activities through cost analysis, commitment tracking, package-level cost reporting and the assessment of supplier and subcontractor cost information. Cost and Schedule Integration:
Reconcile cost data with project schedules, progress information and delivery milestones to ensure forecasts reflect actual performance and anticipated programme developments. Cost Records and Auditability:
Maintain accurate, complete and traceable cost records, ensuring supporting documentation, assumptions, calculations and approvals meet project requirements. Management Information and Reporting:
Produce timely cost reports, dashboards and variance analyses for project teams, senior management and clients, highlighting key financial indicators, risks, opportunities and forecast movements. Governance and Assurance:
Ensure cost control activities comply with established project procedures, reporting cycles, governance arrangements and high-integrity assurance requirements appropriate to nuclear projects. Stakeholder

Collaboration:

Work proactively with multidisciplinary project teams to resolve cost data discrepancies, challenge assumptions and promote consistent, transparent cost management practices. About You You will be a commercially aware and detail-oriented Cost Engineer with experience in project cost management, ideally gained within a design consultancy, engineering organisation or other complex project environment. You will be comfortable working with large volumes of project data, translating financial information into meaningful insight and communicating cost performance clearly to both technical and non-technical stakeholders.

Essential Requirements Experience in project cost engineering, cost control or project controls within a complex engineering or infrastructure environment. Strong understanding of budgeting, cost baselines, commitments, actual expenditure, accruals, forecasting and estimate-to-complete processes. Experience producing cost reports, variance analysis, trend assessments and financial forecasts. Knowledge of change control processes and the cost implications of scope, schedule and technical changes. Ability to reconcile cost information with project progress, schedules and commercial data.

Strong analytical, numerical and problem-solving skills, with excellent attention to detail. Experience maintaining accurate, auditable cost records and working within formal project governance and assurance frameworks. Proficiency in Microsoft Excel and experience using cost management, ERP or project controls systems. Excellent communication skills and the ability to collaborate effectively across multidisciplinary teams. For more information on this role, please contact Scarlet Wilson.