Cost Manager

Reporting to: Nabil

Key Responsibilities

1. Real-Time Cost Surveillance & Monitoring

 Live Tracking: Move beyond monthly reviews to weekly cost variance tracking across all studios.
 Operational Visibility: Maintain real-time dashboards for key cost drivers, including:

o Labour and Contractor spend.
o Film and Consumables.
o Reworks and material wastage.

 Budget Alignment: Own the Actual vs. Budget relationship per studio, ensuring every pound spent is continuously tracked against approved limits.

2. Threshold Management & Escalation

 Define Limits: In collaboration with the SLT, establish pre-defined spending thresholds for every cost line (e.g., film, labour, utilities).
 Automated Flagging: Implement systems to trigger immediate alerts when:

o A studio exceeds its allocated budget.
o Spending trends indicate a projected overspend.
o Wastage exceeds defined tolerance levels.

 Escalation Path: Manage the corrective action process, ensuring the right stakeholders are notified and an intervention plan is executed immediately.

3. Granular Wastage & Performance Analysis

 Film Attribution: Conduct deep-dive analysis into Paint Protection Film (PPF) and material usage against expected norms.
 Accountability Mapping: Attribute wastage and inefficiencies down to the Studio, Job Type, and Individual Installer level.
 Root Cause Correction: Identify the why behind wastage and recommend training or process changes to mitigate future loss.

4. Commercial Strategy & Supplier Aggression

 Continuous Renegotiation: Actively challenge and renegotiate terms for trade accounts, contractors, utilities, and service providers.
 Group Consolidation: Identify opportunities to consolidate spend across multiple studios to leverage volume discounts and drive group-wide savings.
 Re-tendering: Lead regular re-tendering exercises to ensure the group is always receiving the most competitive market rates.

5. Cost Justification & Ownership

 Line-by-Line Auditing: Ensure every cost line (recurring or ad-hoc) has a designated Owner, a clear Justification, and a defined Expected Value.
 Value Alignment: Challenge any spend that does not directly contribute to operational value or strategic goals.

Candidate Profile

 Proactive Mindset: You don't wait for the month-end report; you seek out variances as they happen.
 Analytical Rigor: Ability to dissect complex data (specifically in materials/labour) and turn it into actionable intelligence.
 Commercial Edge: A tough-but-fair negotiator who is comfortable challenging long-standing supplier relationships.
 Operational Insight: Ideally experienced in a multi-site automotive, manufacturing, or studio-based environment where material wastage is a critical KPI.
 Communication: Able to hold studio managers and installers accountable while maintaining a collaborative working environment.