Cost Specialist

Job Title:                      Cost Specialist

Location:                      Plymouth, Devon + Hybrid Working Arrangements

Compensation:            £39,607.00 + Benefits

Role Type:                    Full time / Permanent

Role ID:                        SF71074

At Babcock we’re working to create a safe and secure world, together, and if you join us, you can play your part as a Cost Specialist at our Devonport Royal Dockyard site.

The role

As a Cost Specialist, you’ll have a role that’s out of the ordinary. You’ll help keep complex submarine programmes on track across our Naval Nuclear Submarines business. You’ll turn cost data into clear insight - strengthening project performance, enabling confident decision‑making and directly supporting the Royal Navy’s mission. It’s meaningful work with real world impact, and a platform to grow your skills in project controls, cost control and earned value management (EVM).

Day-to-day, you’ll be involved with the collection, processing and analysis of actuals data; providing multi-layered reporting both internally and externally and providing justification, analysis and recommendations to the business based on data and supporting investigations.

• Manage actuals against cost performance baselines and control changes to those baselines.


• Produce clear monthly cost reports for senior leaders and external stakeholders.


• Analyse cost and performance data, providing insight, recommendations and actionable next steps.


• Coordinate accurate forecasts with activity owners and investigate variances to plan.


• Support deep‑dive investigations to drive corrective action and continuous improvement.

This role is full time, 35 hours per week and provides hybrid working arrangements with 3-4 days in the office/onsite and 1-2 days working from home.

Essential experience of the Cost Specialist

• Experience in a cost control/management environment.


• Understanding of project controls - especially cost control, earned value and finance.


• Strong data analysis capability and attention to detail.


• Proficiency with Microsoft Office (Excel, Word, PowerPoint).


• Confident stakeholder management and communication skills.

Qualifications for the Cost Specialist

• APM Project Fundamentals Qualification (PFQ) or APM Project Management Qualification (PMQ) - desirable

Security Clearance

The successful candidate must be able to achieve and maintain Standard (BPSS) / Security Check (SC) security clearance for this role.

Many of the positions within our company are subject to national security clearance and Trade Control restrictions. This means that your eligibility for certain roles may be affected by your place of birth, nationality, current or former citizenship, and any residency you hold or have held. Further details are available at United Kingdom Security Vetting: clearance levels - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk).

What we offer

• Generous holiday allowance


• Matched contribution pension scheme, with life assurance


• Access to a Digital GP, annual health check, and nutritional consultations through Aviva DigiCare+


• Employee share scheme


• Employee shopping savings portal


• Payment of Professional Fees


• Reservists in the armed forces receive 10-days special paid leave


• Holiday Trading is a benefit that allows UK Babcock employees to buy additional leave or to sell up to one working week of annual leave from their annual entitlement. There is an annual Window to request this benefit. ‘Be Kind Day’ enables employees to take one working day's paid leave a year (or equivalent hours) to undertake volunteering work with their chosen organisation or registered charity


• Excellent development opportunities and benefits package including an employee assistance programme supporting physical, mental and financial wellbeing.

Babcock

We’re Babcock — a global FTSE 100 organisation with over 26,000 people working together to make a difference.

Here, you’ll be part of something bigger. From initial design to final decommissioning, your work will contribute to products and services that are essential to national security and public infrastructure. Together, we’re building a future that lasts — not just through the impact we make, but through meaningful careers that respect your work-life balance.

We call that lifetime engineering.

Join us and see how far we can go, together.

We are a disability confident committed employer. If you have a disability or need any reasonable adjustments during the application and selection stages, please email [email protected] with the subject header ‘Reasonable adjustments requirement’. We’re committed to building an inclusive culture where everyone’s free to thrive.

We are happy to talk about flexible working – please ask about alternative patterns of work at interview.

Closing date: 13/02/2026

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