Cost Assurance Consultant

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Sector: Construction and Building Services
Role: Consultant
Contract Type: Permanent
Hours: Full Time

Position status: This opportunity is for an unsecured role. If you would like to be considered as we progress with this position, please click to apply.

At Mace, our purpose is to redefine the boundaries of ambition. We believe in creating places that are responsible, bringing transformative impact to our people, communities and societies across the globe. To learn more about our purpose, culture, and priorities, visit our strategy site.

The project:
An exciting opportunity to join the cost and commercial assurance team working with a range of key clients in the UK and internationally. The role will involve supporting the review of contractor's systems, processes and costs to provide a risk and compliance assessment.

The role of cost consultant will be to support service delivery, often with respect to large and complex commissions covering both private and public sector clients. Your role will be to ensure that client objectives are met through the delivery of a value-added cost and assurance services, and to assist our continuing growth and make the difference to both our business and our clients.

You'll play a vital role in delivering cost and commercial assurance commissions for our clients. This involves taking ownership of stages within the assurance programme and taking responsibility for timely delivery. The role will require the successful individual to be confident in contributing and being part of the team presenting reports to both clients and contractors. As a cost and commercial assurance consultant, you will need to be able to work remotely, and happy to travel both throughout the UK and internationally. Travel may at times be frequent and could require time away from your base location.

Our values shape the way we consult and define the people we want to join us on our journey, they are:

• Safety first - Going home safe and well:
  You will be an advocate of Mace's value of safety first, and be accountable for leading and maintaining exceptional safety, quality, cost, programme, sustainability and project compliance standards.
  You will possess technical expertise in local health and safety rules and regulations relevant to project portfolio.
  You will champion a diverse and inclusive working environment and understand the importance of the wellbeing of the people you manage.
• Client focus - Deliver on our promise:
  You will support cost planning including ownership of and presenting cost plans to clients and internal stakeholders.
  You will support the procurement process, ensuring stages including prequalification, enquiry, analysis, selection and contract preparation are performed effectively.
  You will support the delivery of cost management services to deliver key strategic outcomes and KPIs, directly influencing strategic development of plans.
  Analysis and verification of cost data to identify patterns, themes, trends, and risks.
  Appraisal of cost capture and commercial management processes.
  Capture of process improvement opportunities.
  Interfacing and engagement with project staff including finance staff to complete cost verification, substantiation together with obtaining key documentation/data.
  Support management of stakeholders and their expectations.
  Supporting the production of close-out reports.
  Mentoring junior staff.
• Integrity - Always do the right thing:
  You will support management operations that are fiscally and ethically viable, influencing the achievement of business objectives that align with business and legislative compliance obligations.
  You will work collaboratively towards the common goal of net zero carbon transition and share responsibility for the proactive identification and management of the associated carbon emissions and reductions during the delivery of work.
  You will commit to making a positive impact for our people, our clients, and our planet, and take ownership for holding others to account who do not uphold the Mace values.
• Create opportunity - For our people to excel:
  You will manage teams, demonstrating effective leadership to ensure excellence in delivery against plans, championing a continuous improvement culture throughout all activities.
  You will actively network, innovate, and seek understanding of best practice, utilising the full depth of knowledge of Mace group, the centres of excellence, Mace way control centre and knowledge hub.
  You will guide assistant cost consultants and other junior team members to identify and execute opportunities that improve cost management procedures, templates and products to enhance services provided to stakeholders.

You'll need to have:

• Demonstrable experience of delivering service excellence to clients.
• Experience in delivering cost and commercial assurance / audit activities.
• NEC Contract experience.
• Comfortable and experienced in analysing high volumes of data that are primarily excel driven, ideally with experience of different cost systems.
• The ability to extract, interrogate and assess large data sets to problem solve and produce outputs that can be used in the decision-making process.
• Ability to work autonomously and in fast-paced environment, and able to adapt and meet challenges as they develop during the delivery stage.
• Strong interpersonal skills will be required to communicate with a variety of stakeholders with varying levels of seniority and engagement.

You'll also have:

• Degree qualification is preferred but is not essential.
• Professional memberships are an advantage but are not essential.
• Degree in quantity surveying/cost management (or equivalent).
• Professional membership or working towards i.e. MRICS/RICS (or equivalent), or equivalent demonstrable professional or personal development.
• Commercial and financial acumen.
• Knowledge of value engineering, life cycle costing, contract law and contractual frameworks relating to construction.
• Experience of managing parts of projects within large, diverse teams.
• Experience of developing relationships with key senior stakeholders.
• Knowledge of how carbon and sustainability considerations will shape the outlook of the projects you are working on.

Mace is an inclusive employer and welcomes interest from a diverse range of candidates. Even if you feel you do not fulfil all of the criteria, please apply as you may still be the best candidate for this role or another role within our organisation.

We are also open to discussing part-time, flexible, and hybrid working options if suitable within the role.