Cost Planning Specialist

**Job Role**:
The Cost Planning team play a pivotal role in driving the right investment for VB Group product delivery to achieve the greatest value for Vodafone. They work closely with a wide variety of stakeholders, collaborating with Portfolio Clusters, Technology, Lean Portfolio Management (LPM) and Finance to establish a cadence and culture around best practices, and support product portfolios to work more effectively.
The Cost Planning Specialist will provide support to VB Group Portfolios to track and run the budget. This includes management of the budget tracker outlook, work order assurance and overseeing the procurement process, month end activity, financial reporting, budget risks and opportunity management and supporting planning activities.
- Main responsibilities will involve:

- Work with LPM and portfolio budget owners to capture the latest full year outlook in the budget tracker ensuring at all times that it is in line with the latest plan, is a realistic view of what can be spent, correct cost treatment is applied as per accounting rules.
- Ensure the portfolio budget is controlled as per governance approval and any spend risks and opportunities are communicated to Finance. This involves daily and weekly interactions with these stakeholders.
- Carry out project accounting activity from monthly forecasting, commitment receipting, month end reconciliation, set up of budget in SAP, budget tracker management and spend analysis/variance reporting.
- Management of budget tracker so that it is in line with Finance ledger/SAP actuals, commitments and latest view of spend from portfolio.
- Manage and consolidate financial reporting, ad-hoc reporting requirements across portfolio as required by Finance, LPM and delivery stakeholders.
- Review and manage the CAPEX and OPEX budget position every month for each Product Portfolio. Analysing the data to provide clear insight on any cost increases, current spend rate of each Portfolio & provide recommendations for any overspend or underspend.
- Attend Monthly Portfolio Sync meetings to review delivery progress for each Product Portfolio, understand any changes in delivery timelines, budget requirements & scope etc and the commercial impact of these changes.
- Highlight any significant cost increases to the Commercial Governance Team to support the assessment of a Product Portfolio’s Business Case.
- Partner with the equivalent Portfolio LPM (Lean Portfolio Manager) to run quarterly Strategic Portfolio Reviews, challenging investment decisions based on your budget and spend analysis.

**Key accountabilities and decision ownership**:

- Assurance of portfolio outlook ensuring is a realistic view of what can be spent and correct cost treatment is applied as per accounting rules.
- Run regular calls with portfolio to review outlook and act as an advisor in budget related activity and decisions.
- Analysis of budget forecasts ensuring clear communication of changes or budget risks and opportunities with stakeholders.
- Provide regular budget status reports as required by Finance, LPM, portfolio and PMO Manager.
- Communicate cost planning and financial processes to ensure stakeholders can accurately manage their budgets
- Continuously seek ways to simplify and automate cost planning activity and ways of working

**Core competencies, knowledge and experience**:

- Advanced analytical and data interpretation skills
- Finance skills along with excellent presentation skills, flexibility to adapt concepts and proposals to strategic priorities
- Advanced Excel skills
- Experience managing portfolio Capex budgets at a bottom up level
- Experience using SAP Finance & Accounting
- Understanding of cost treatment accounting rules
- Successfully worked in a complex environment with virtual teams in a matrix organisation
- Strong Relationship Management
- Experience of working in IT Delivery
- Business Transformation and PMO environment

**Not a perfect fit?**:
**Must have technical / professional qualifications**:

- 5 years analytical experience with finance, budgeting or planning background
- University degree in business economics, financial management, information management or similar
- Excellent English skills - written and spoken
- Telecoms background and/or experience in similar fast paced industry