Cost Controller

Description

Job Summary: The Cost Controller is the guardian of the cost journey at Niko, overseeing the process from initial forecasting to actual payment, ensuring expense optimization and control. Key Highlights: 1. End-to-end comprehensive control of the cost cycle 2. Direct influence on cost approval and payment management 3. Key analysis for margin optimization and forecasting **About the Role** ---------------- The **Cost Controller** is the guardian of the cost journey at Niko. There are three cost moments in each installation: theoretical cost (projected by Quoting upon sale, based on historical data), quoted cost (defined by the Planning team when scheduling labor, hardware, and interconnection), and actual cost (what was actually paid upon completion, including scope variations). This role oversees the entire end-to-end journey: it grants final approval of quoted vs. theoretical cost, alerts deviations, pressures involved teams when quoted costs fall outside target, may halt payments upon significant variations, and closes the loop with actual cost analysis. Reports to the Head of Operations Planning \& Supply, with an indirect line to the Head of Finance. **Responsibilities** --------------------- * **Control of Theoretical vs. Quoted Cost** + Receive and understand theoretical costs defined by the Quoting team — the targets that Planning, Procurement, and IX must achieve in their quotations. + Review quoted cost inputs from Site Planning Analysts (labor/EPC), Procurement Analyst (hardware), and the IX team (interconnection), and grant final approval of quoted vs. theoretical cost per installation. + Alert the Head of the respective area about significant deviations, supported by root-cause analysis. + Proactively pressure Site Planning Analysts, Procurement Analyst, and the IX team to revise off-target quotations before cost commitment. * **Control of Quoted vs. Actual Cost** + Upon closure of each installation, lead COGS quoted vs. actual analysis, identifying variations, patterns, and root causes. + Aggregate analysis by batch, client, and business line to identify where the largest margin deviations occur. + Produce periodic margin reports for the Head of Operations Planning \& Supply and for Finance. + Collaborate with Finance to align costing methodologies and reporting formats. * **Payment Management** + Centralize payment requests from the area (EPCs, hardware suppliers, IX managers) and submit them to Finance in an orderly manner, verifying compliance with the quoted budget. + Receive validated invoices from Site Planning Analysts and the Procurement Analyst prior to processing any payment. + Halt payments and escalate to the Head of Operations Planning \& Supply when variations warrant it, pending authorization. + Enter authorized payments into Odoo and record and resolve discrepancies with suppliers. * **Cash Flow Forecasting** + Forecast cash requirements for installations over the next 3 months and support the Head of Operations Planning \& Supply in reporting cash needs to Finance. + Evaluate forecast adherence versus actual payments processed, documenting and explaining variances. **Dashboards and Operational Data** * Build and maintain cost dashboards in BI tools (Metabase or equivalents) for continuous area monitoring. * Ensure information in HubSpot and other tools is reliable and up-to-date as the single source of truth. * Build and maintain essential queries and Excel/Sheets files for area analysis. **What We’re Looking For** ---------------- * 2–4 years in cost control, data analytics, or operational planning roles. * Advanced proficiency in Excel or Google Sheets for modeling and analysis. * Preferred: Experience building dashboards in BI tools (Metabase, Looker, or equivalents). * Preferred: Basic SQL knowledge for data extraction and manipulation. * Preferred: Experience in solar, energy, or fintech sectors; familiarity with HubSpot and an ERP. * Rigorous analytical thinking with executive-level synthesis capability. * Attention to detail without losing sight of business objectives. * Clear communication of complex analyses to non-technical audiences. * Firmness in escalating and halting payments when numbers do not reconcile. * Proactivity in identifying issues before they impact decisions.