# Senior Cost Planner

## About the Role

The Senior Cost Planner will oversee financial planning, forecasting, governance, and cost control across a portfolio of technology and business programmes. The role covers both capital and operational expenditure, including resource costs and capitalised overheads.

Working with Product, Engineering, Delivery, Finance, Procurement, and Portfolio teams, you will provide financial insight, strengthen controls, and support investment decisions across complex, multi-million-pound portfolios.

The position will also improve reporting, automate financial processes, and mentor other Cost Planners. It has no direct line-management responsibility but includes coordinating cross-functional activities and providing portfolio-level guidance.

## Key Responsibilities

– Lead budgeting, forecasting, and month-end activities across multiple portfolios.
– Maintain financial plans covering Capex, Opex, capitalised overheads, and resource costs.
– Monitor expenditure against budgets and forecasts, identifying risks, opportunities, variances, and corrective actions.
– Manage project funding, purchase orders, accruals, recharges, and investment tracking.
– Ensure compliance with financial policies, accounting standards, and governance requirements.
– Review financial assumptions and forecasts to improve accuracy and control.
– Maintain accurate, audit-ready financial records and support audit activity.
– Track portfolio costs against approved funding and investment plans.
– Provide financial reporting, analysis, and recommendations to senior stakeholders.
– Advise on Capex, Opex, and capitalisation policies, including resource allocation and capitalisation treatment.
– Produce dashboards, reports, and executive presentations covering portfolio performance, forecast accuracy, risks, and opportunities.
– Translate complex financial information into clear, actionable recommendations.
– Improve reporting processes, financial controls, data accuracy, and operational efficiency through automation.
– Build effective relationships across Finance, Product, Engineering, Delivery, Procurement, and Portfolio teams.
– Support strategic planning and investment prioritisation.
– Mentor Cost Planners and contribute to team capability development.
– Coordinate cross-functional activities without direct line-management responsibility.

## Required Skills

– Strong experience in financial planning, budgeting, forecasting, and cost management.
– Knowledge of Capex, Opex, capitalisation, and financial governance.
– Experience supporting large technology, engineering, or transformation portfolios.
– Experience working in a fast-paced IT or telecommunications environment.
– Experience managing budgets exceeding £50 million.
– CIMA or ACCA qualification, or significant experience in IT project accounting.
– Business Intelligence and financial reporting expertise.
– Experience with accounting systems such as SAP or Oracle, reporting tools, and financial dashboards.
– Strong analytical, problem-solving, and stakeholder-management skills.
– Ability to present financial information clearly to senior stakeholders.
– Demonstrated experience in process improvement and automation.
– Excellent written and spoken English.

## Preferred Skills

– Degree in Finance, Business, Economics, Information Management, or a related subject.
– Knowledge of Agile, Lean Portfolio Management, PRINCE2, or P3O.
– Experience with Lean Six Sigma or other process-improvement methodologies.

## Cloud Platforms & Technologies

### Enterprise and Financial Systems
– SAP
– Oracle

### Reporting and Business Intelligence
– Business Intelligence tools
– Financial dashboards
– Reporting tools

## Expected Outcomes

– Accurate financial plans and forecasts.
– Effective cost control and governance.
– Improved financial visibility for decision-makers.
– Greater efficiency through automation and process simplification.
– Effective investment management and cost optimisation.
– Complete, audit-ready financial documentation.

## Benefits

– Hybrid working model.
– Bonus in addition to gross salary.
– Ticket Restaurant meal voucher in addition to gross salary.
– Flexible working hours Monday to Thursday, with an intensive Friday schedule.
– Intensive summer working schedule during July and August.
– Up to 20 days of fully remote work per year from other locations.
– Private health and life insurance.
– 25 days of annual leave, plus 24 and 31 December off.
– Optional pension plan.
– Access to an online learning platform for continuous training.

## Why You Might Be Interested

This role offers responsibility for financial planning and governance across large technology and business portfolios, including budgets above £50 million. It combines portfolio finance, senior stakeholder engagement, capitalisation expertise, and process automation. The position also provides opportunities to influence investment decisions and support the development of other Cost Planners.