Portfolio Costs Lead

Portfolio Costs Lead

Location: Hybrid office in South & Southeast England, London or Scotland offices. 2-3 days per week, with UK travel.

Employment type: Personal Contract (Full time).

Salary: £47.1k - £58.3k per annum, dependent on skills and qualifications.

Benefits: Joint contribution pension, enhanced maternity & family leave, life assurance, HolidayPlus, Virtual GP & Employee Assistance Programme, and retail & leisure discounts.

About the role

The Portfolio Cost Lead supports the financial management of a transformation portfolio within the Operations directorate, focusing on accurate cost forecasts, purchase orders, requisitions and tracking spend across multiple projects.

Responsibilities

• Cost forecasting and tracking; support Project Managers in developing and maintaining project cost forecasts.
• Consolidate and maintain portfolio level cost views across multiple projects.
• Track actuals vs forecast, highlight variances and risks.
• Ensure forecasts are regularly updated and aligned with delivery plans.
• Raise and manage purchase orders (POs) and requisitions in the finance system; ensure accurate coding and alignment to project budgets.
• Track PO lifecycle including approvals, receipts and closure; support invoice matching and query resolution.
• Track supplier payments and accruals where required.
• Monitor project spend and commitments across the portfolio; produce regular cost reports for Project Managers and senior stakeholders.
• Maintain clear audit trails and financial records.
• Act as key support to Project Managers, the Portfolio Office and senior stakeholders on cost related processes.
• Work with Finance teams to ensure alignment with financial controls and reporting cycles.
• Provide guidance to project teams on procurement and cost management processes.
• Ensure adherence to internal financial controls and governance requirements.
• Identify and implement improvements to cost tracking and reporting processes; support audits and reviews with accurate and well maintained documentation.

Qualifications

• Experience in a project, programme or portfolio support role (PMO, cost control, finance admin or similar).
• Experience raising purchase orders and requisitions within finance systems.
• Strong Excel, data management and administrative skills.
• High attention to detail and accuracy.
• Experience working in utilities, infrastructure, engineering or other regulated environments (desirable but not essential).

We value diverse backgrounds

We encourage applications from people of all backgrounds, including women and underrepresented groups, even if they do not tick every box.

We are committed to providing an inclusive and accessible application experience. If you require any accommodations or support during the application process, please let us know.