Who we are The Senior Cost Planner is responsible for managing financial planning, forecasting, governance, and cost control across a portfolio of technology and business programmes. Working closely with Product, Engineering, Finance, Procurement, and Portfolio teams, the role provides financial insight, ensures strong governance, and supports investment decision-making across Capital and Operational expenditure.

What you’ll do

Key Responsibilities Financial Planning & Forecasting

- Lead budgeting, forecasting, and month-end financial activities across multiple portfolios.
- Develop and maintain financial plans covering Capex, Opex, capitalised overheads, and resource costs.
- Monitor and analyse spend against budget and forecast, identifying risks, opportunities, and corrective actions.

Cost Control & Governance

- Ensure compliance with financial policies, accounting standards, and governance requirements.
- Manage project funding, purchase orders, accruals, recharges, and investment tracking.
- Challenge financial assumptions and forecasts to improve accuracy and control.
- Support audits through accurate, well-documented financial records.

Portfolio Financial Management

- Partner with Product, Engineering, Delivery, and Finance teams to provide financial reporting and insight.
- Track costs against approved funding and investment plans.
- Analyse variances, trends, and cost drivers, providing recommendations to leadership.
- Maintain financial visibility across complex, multi-million-pound portfolios.

Capitalisation & Compliance





- Act as a subject matter expert for Capex, Opex, and capitalisation policies.
- Ensure costs are treated correctly in line with accounting requirements.
- Review resource allocations and capitalisation activities to maximise value and compliance.
- Provide guidance on financial governance and cost management best practice.

Reporting & Insight

- Produce dashboards, reports, and executive presentations.
- Turn complex financial data into clear, actionable insights.
- Report on portfolio performance, forecast accuracy, risks, and opportunities.
- Drive reporting automation and continuous improvement.

Process Improvement

- Identify opportunities to simplify processes and improve financial controls.
- Lead initiatives that increase efficiency and reporting quality.
- Implement automation solutions to reduce manual effort and improve data accuracy.
- Establish scalable processes that support business growth.

Stakeholder Management

- Build strong relationships across Finance, Product, Engineering, Delivery and Procurement teams.
- Serve as the key contact for financial planning and governance matters.
- Influence senior stakeholders through insight-based recommendations.




- Support strategic planning and investment prioritisation.

Team Leadership & Coaching

- Mentor and support other Cost Planners.
- Share best practice and contribute to capability development across the team.

Skills & Experience

- Strong experience in financial planning, budgeting, forecasting, and cost management.
- Good understanding of Capex, Opex, capitalisation, and financial governance.
- Experience supporting large technology, engineering, or transformation portfolios.
- Strong analytical, problem-solving, and stakeholder management skills.
- Ability to present financial information clearly to senior stakeholders.
- Experience using Accounting systems e.g. SAP/Oracle, reporting tools, and financial dashboards.
- Track record of driving process improvement and automation.

Typical Outcomes

- Accurate financial plans and forecasts.
- Strong cost control and governance.
- Improved financial visibility for decision-makers.
- Increased efficiency through automation and simplification.
- Effective investment management and cost optimisation.
- Audit-ready financial documentation.

Essential Qualifications & Experience

- Excellent written and spoken English.
- Experience in a fast-paced IT or Telecommunications environment.
- CIMA/ACCA qualification, or significant experience in IT project accounting.
- Experience managing budgets exceeding £50m.
- Business Intelligence and reporting expertise.

Desirable Qualifications

- Degree in Finance, Business, Economics, Infor

📌 Specialist Cost Planner (Madrid)
🏢 Vodafone España
📍 Madrid