Progressive
Cost Engineer

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Contract Cost Engineer (Inside IR35) | Nuclear Sector | Reading | £70.68/hr Umbrella
We're recruiting for an experienced Cost Engineer to support a major project within the UK nuclear industry. This is an immediate-start contract opportunity based near Reading, working on a hybrid basis with 3 days per week on site and 2 days remote.
The successful candidate will play a key role in the development, management, and reporting of project costs, ensuring robust financial control throughout the project lifecycle.
Key Responsibilities
- Develop, implement, and maintain project baseline budgets, Control Account Plans, Responsibility Assignment Matrices, and WBS dictionaries.
- Monitor, control, and validate project accruals, commitments, resource forecasts, and financial data.
- Manage cost risk budgets, contingency drawdown, and support wider project risk management activities.
- Control financial change management, ensuring alignment with contractual and business requirements.
- Produce internal and external cost reports, including Earned Value Management (EVM) and variance analysis.
- Maintain Estimates at Completion (EACs), support forecasting activities, and provide financial performance insights to project stakeholders.
Reasons to use Rodeo
I’m in my final year doing Economics and I don’t know whether to apply for grad schemes now or do a masters first. What do you think?
Honest answer — it depends on where you want to end up. A lot of top grad schemes (Big 4, civil service, banking) don’t need a masters. Let’s look at the ones you’d be competitive for now, and we can decide if a masters actually adds anything.
Also worth knowing: most autumn 2026 applications are open now. Timing matters more than you think.
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Graduate Consultant — 2026 Scheme
Why you're a good match
StrongYour economics background and your summer at a regional bank line up with what PwC looks for on the consulting scheme. Applications close in four weeks.
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Why you're a good match
You’ve got the grades and the economics background, and your bank internship is exactly the experience this scheme looks for. Apply soon — deadlines close within the month.
Experience fit
Your summer at the bank plus your econometrics coursework map directly to the day-one responsibilities on this scheme — client modelling, market briefings, and deal support.
Only hits
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Requirements
- Significant experience in cost engineering, project controls, or quantity surveying within a complex engineering, construction, infrastructure, defence, or nuclear environment.
- Strong understanding of budgeting, cost control, forecasting, change management, and earned value analysis.
- Experience across the full project lifecycle from bid phase through to project close-out.
- HNC (or equivalent) in Cost Engineering, Quantity Surveying, or a related discipline.
- Professional membership or qualification (e.g. APM, AcostE, RICS) highly desirable.
- Advanced knowledge of EVM and project cost management methodologies.
Contract Details
- Location: Reading
- Duration: 26 weeks
- Rate: £70.68/hr Umbrella
- Per Diem: £100/day Umbrella for site days where home address is more than 30 miles from site
- Hybrid Working: 3 days onsite
- Start: ASAP, subject to clearance


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Security Requirements: Candidates must be eligible for SC Clearance and have lived and worked in the UK continuously for the last 5 years. Applicants may start on BPSS clearance providing SC clearance is in progress. A valid CSCS/ECS card is required prior to commencement.
To apply, please send your CV highlighting your cost engineering and project controls experience.
Please click here to find out more about our Key Information Documents. Please note that the documents provided contain generic information. If we are successful in finding you an assignment, you will receive a Key Information Document which will be specific to the vendor set-up you have chosen and your placement.
To find out more about Progressive please visit www.progressiverecruitment.com
Progressive Recruitment, a trading division of SThree Partnership LLP is acting as an Employment Business in relation to this vacancy | Registered office | 8 Bishopsgate, London, EC2N 4BQ, United Kingdom | Partnership Number | OC387148 England and Wales
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