Project Cost Clerk

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Experienced Cost Clerk - Construction Project

Role Overview

The Cost Clerk will provide accurate, timely and well-controlled cost administration for a construction project. Working closely with the Project Manager, Commercial Manager, Quantity Surveyors, finance team, procurement and site personnel, the role will maintain reliable cost records, validate project expenditure, support forecasting and reporting, and help ensure that costs are correctly authorised, coded and allocated. The successful candidate will bring substantial cost-control experience from a construction, civil engineering or infrastructure environment and will be confident working independently in a fast-paced site-based setting.

Key Responsibilities

• Maintain accurate project cost records, cost ledgers, commitment schedules and supporting documentation.
• Process and reconcile purchase orders, delivery notes, goods-received records, subcontractor applications, invoices, credit notes and accruals.
• Check that expenditure has appropriate approval, supporting evidence, contract or order coverage, and correct project, work-package and cost-code allocation.
• Monitor actual costs, commitments and forecasts against budgets, identifying anomalies, duplicate charges, coding errors, missing liabilities and emerging variances.
• Prepare regular cost reports, reconciliations and supporting schedules for project and commercial reviews.
• Assist with period-end activities, including accruals, prepayments, cost transfers, reconciliations and completion of audit-ready working papers.
• Liaise with suppliers, subcontractors, procurement and site teams to resolve invoice, quantity, rate, tax and payment queries promptly.
• Maintain records of labour, plant, materials, hired equipment and other site costs, ensuring charges are complete and supported.
• Support cash-flow forecasting, applications for payment, subcontract administration and change-control processes where required.
• Maintain organised electronic and hard-copy records in accordance with project procedures, document-retention requirements and audit standards.
• Contribute to improvements in cost-control processes, reporting accuracy and data quality.
• Comply with company policies, delegated authorities, contractual requirements and site health, safety and environmental procedures.

Experience and Knowledge

• Significant experience in a Cost Clerk, Project Cost Administrator, Commercial Administrator or similar role on construction, civil engineering or infrastructure projects.
• Strong practical knowledge of purchase-to-pay processes, project cost coding, commitments, accruals, reconciliations and cost reporting.
• Experience working with subcontractors, suppliers, quantity surveyors and site-based project teams.
• Demonstrable ability to investigate discrepancies and maintain accurate records across a high volume of transactions.
• Understanding of construction terminology, work packages, plant and material costs, and subcontract payment processes.
• Experience supporting month-end reporting and internal or external audit requirements.
• Advanced working knowledge of Microsoft Excel, including lookups, pivot tables, filters and reconciliation techniques.
• Experience with construction ERP, finance, procurement or cost-management systems; familiarity with systems such as COINS, SAP, Oracle, Causeway or similar is advantageous.

Skills and Behaviours

• Excellent numerical accuracy and attention to detail.
• Strong organisational skills, with the ability to prioritise competing deadlines.
• Analytical and methodical approach to resolving cost and data discrepancies.
• Clear, professional communication with commercial, operational and finance stakeholders.
• Confident challenging incomplete or non-compliant documentation constructively.
• High standards of integrity, confidentiality and accountability.
• Proactive, dependable and comfortable working with limited supervision.
• Collaborative approach and willingness to support the wider project team.

Qualifications and Practical Requirements

• GCSEs or equivalent in English and Mathematics.
• AAT qualification, bookkeeping credential or relevant finance or commercial training is desirable.
• Construction-related training or familiarity with standard forms of contract is advantageous.
• Ability to work from the project office or site as required and attend relevant project meetings.
• Right to work in the project location and willingness to comply with any site-access requirements.

Reporting Line and Key Relationships

Reports to: Commercial Manager, Project Finance Manager or Project Manager, depending on the project structure.

Key relationships: Quantity Surveyors, project controls, procurement, accounts payable, site management, engineers, suppliers and subcontractors.

Key Performance Measures

Accuracy and completeness of project cost records. Timely processing and resolution of invoices, commitments and queries. Quality and punctuality of period-end reconciliations and cost reports. Reduction in coding errors, unmatched transactions and unsupported costs. Compliance with project procedures, approval limits and audit requirements. Constructive support provided to commercial, finance and site teams.

Equal Opportunities

Aureos are an equal opportunities employer, and we are determined to ensure that no applicant or employee receives less favourable treatment on the grounds of gender, age, disability, religion, belief, sexual orientation, marital status or race, or is disadvantaged by conditions or requirements which cannot be shown to be justifiable. Aureos is a multi-disciplinary energy and transport networks specialist engineering services provider, spanning the design, engineering, installation, maintenance, and crisis response of critical infrastructures across power, renewables, nuclear decommissioning, railways, highways and local government sectors.

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