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Together we are Trusted to Serve Scotland.
How’s this for job satisfaction? At Scottish Water we look after Scotland's most precious natural resource. From source to tap, we’re guarding Scotland’s reputation for refreshingly pure water, and caring for our environment at the same time.
Sound good? Scottish Water’s Strategic Pricing Team, part of the Capital Investment function, who are responsible for using historical cost data to produce cost models which are then used to establish early project estimate costs, Business Plan and Annual Return prices are planning to increase the depth and range of the models provided to our internal stakeholders. We are looking for a Senior Costing Specialist to help ensure that the increased workload can be delivered.
The location will be flexible and includes hybrid working but will be based in one of our Central Belt office locations at Fairmilehead (Edinburgh) or Stepps (Glasgow). The role will report to the Strategic Pricing Team Leader.
What you’ll do
In this role, your primary responsibilities include utilising our BEA (Benchmark Estimating Analytics) costing system to produce models from historical cost and carbon data, following process and procedures to ensure that the outputs are robust and credible. As we increase our model offering notably to include carbon, you will work with industry professionals to shape improved BEA functionality. Your contributions will directly support Scottish Water’s strategic ambitions, including its carbon commitment to achieve net-zero emissions by 2040.
You’ll also play a key role in planning, producing, and ensuring compliance with internal Service Level Agreements (SLA’s) with Finance and Regulation for regulatory returns and audits. You will work within a collaborative environment, engaging with internal and external stakeholders to drive the importance of cost data accuracy, robust model outputs and efficiency. Another significant aspect of the role is conducting analysis on project data to maintain the accuracy of the cost and carbon models.
You’ll mentor, manage and contribute to development of team members, as well as collaborate with key stakeholders across Scottish Water to ensure the models can help us make informed decisions about strategic and corporate investments through reporting and communication.
What you’ll need
You'll have excellent Excel skills, encompassing complex formulae and use of Macros/VBA. High attention to detail is essential, as the role involves managing, interpreting, and understanding large volumes of complex data.
Experience in the construction industry and specifically the water industry along with knowledge of Methods of Measurement (e.g. CESMM, NRM) would be an advantage.
Strong numerical, analytical, and written communication skills are required, alongside the confidence to deliver constructive feedback positively and communicate naturally with others.
A background or relevant experience in engineering or mathematics fields would be particularly beneficial, as would experience with Benchmark Estimating Software, Power BI and presentation capabilities.
Finally, a continuous improvement mindset and the ability to liaise effectively with internal and external stakeholders will contribute greatly to your success in this position.
We are also looking for a few ‘nice to haves’ including the ability to work across disciplines within a specialist team, knowledge of the Scottish Water Business and Delivery Plans.
Looking out for you
While the work we do is important, we know it’s not the only thing that matters. That’s why we make sure you have everything you need to find a good work-life balance.
You’ll get plenty of time to recharge with 38 days of holiday every year (including public holidays). And you can even buy five more if you need a little extra time. You can also take paid time off to volunteer in your community.
When it comes to major life events we have family-friendly policies around adoption, maternity, and parental leave. And for the everyday? We embrace flexible working.
For your future, there’s our pension (the ‘know-what-you’ll-get-when-you-retire’ kind), as well as life assurance.
As for some nice extras? You can expect an annual company bonus. Not to mention access to SW Splash – handy rewards that can save you money on holidays, bills, and shopping.
The not-so-small print
This role will be a Grade 7. If you’re new to Scottish Water, you’ll join us on a starting salary of £44,030. Performance-driven pay progression would then allow you to move through the range to a maximum of £55,000.
If you’re interested in this role – or know someone else who might be - we’ll be accepting applications until midnight on Tuesday 19th August 2025.
Job offers at Scottish Water are conditional, and will be confirmed on completion of our pre-employment screening, e.g. referencing, criminal record checks, license checks, etc. Screening is conducted on our behalf by a third party, and must be completed before your start date. Don’t worry - we’ll only start these checks once you’ve accepted an offer.
A few final things worth knowing…
Research shows that some people avoid applying for jobs unless they can meet every single criteria. If you’re interested in this job, but don’t tick all the boxes, apply anyway! We hardly ever hire people who can do every part of a job from Day One. Everyone has a learning curve. So don’t rule yourself out!
Let us know if there are any changes we can make to our recruitment process to help you perform at your best. Lots of our people have disabilities or neurodiverse conditions (including some of our recruiters!). We're also aware that some people might be experiencing temporary challenges because of life events, like menopause. We’re very used to making adjustments, so please don’t be afraid to ask.
As part of our commitment to developing a flourishing Scotland, it’s important that all our employees are Scottish taxpayers. If you join us, your home address will need to be in Scotland. If you don’t already live here, you'll need to commit to moving here within your first three months.
Finally (finally!), candidates who haven’t submitted an application in the last 12 months will have their records removed from our recruitment database. You won’t need to do anything. Your data will be automatically deleted.
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