Cost Controller – Smart Metering Programme

About the role

The Cost Controller will own the end‑to‑end financial control of a Smart Metering Programme, ensuring accurate forecasting, reporting and governance across both Opex and Capex. You will act as the single source of financial truth, supporting workstream leads and senior stakeholders.

Key responsibilities

• Maintain a single source of financial truth and deliver consistent, timely reporting at all levels.
• Capture, track and analyse detailed Opex and Capex spend, including purchase order and invoice processing.
• Coach workstream leads on forecasting, spend profiling and budget risk identification.
• Own month‑end/period‑close activities: timetable, cut‑off, accruals, pre‑payments and reconciliations.
• Ensure Capex governance and accounting compliance, validating Opex vs Capex treatment and approvals.
• Maintain an audit trail of budget approvals, changes and change‑control impacts.
• Control vendor and contractor costs by checking invoices against contracts, SOWs, milestones and rate cards.
• Run regular cost reviews with workstream leads and contribute financial inputs to programme governance packs.

Required profile

• Significant experience in project finance, management accounting or finance coordination supporting large programmes.
• Proven track record managing detailed Opex/Capex budgets, forecasts and variance analysis.
• Hands‑on experience with purchase order and invoice processing, cost coding and resolving exceptions.
• Experience working to month‑end timelines and maintaining clear audit trails of budget changes.

Required skills

• Advanced Excel (pivot tables, lookups, basic data modelling).
• Finance systems experience – SAP, Bex or similar.
• Knowledge of project cost structures – WBS, cost centres.
• Purchase order and invoice processing.
• Month‑end close procedures.
• Financial reporting and data quality control.

What we offer

• Salary starting from £45,000 per year, dependent on skills and experience.