Project Costing Commercial Lead

Dublin, IrelandOn siteToday

Job description

CEL Critical Power is a global provider of mission-critical power solutions operating at the centre of the AI, hyperscale data centre and critical infrastructure ecosystem. Demand for CEL's products is strong and accelerating. The challenge is not sales demand, it is executing growth at pace without compromising delivery certainty, production discipline or customer trust. Operating from its Irish base, CEL continues to scale its production capability in parallel with its US expansion, with similar ambitions to significantly increase output over the coming years. Ireland remains central to CEL's global operating model and will continue to play a critical role in delivering high-quality, engineered products at scale. CEL Critical Power is looking for a Project Costing Commercial Lead to own how we cost, price and measure the profitability of our products, services and long-term data centre projects. Reporting to the Chief Financial Officer, you'll set the costing framework and lead the Cost and Management Accountant team. You will also work as the commercial finance partner for Operations, Sales and Project leadership, turning cost data into decisions on pricing, margin and delivery. ### Costing Strategy & Governance - Own CEL's costing framework: standard costing, BOM costing, overhead allocation and absorption methodology across LV switchgear, critical power systems and services - Approve standard cost updates and periodic cost reviews so costs reflect operational and market reality - Set costing policy and controls, and make sure it aligns with inventory valuation and FRS 102 revenue recognition for long-term contracts - Lead make vs. buy, outsourcing and capacity investment analysis, with clear recommendations to the CFO and leadership Commercial & Project Finance Partnering - Act as finance lead on bids and tenders: review cost build-ups, pricing assumptions, contingency and target margins before submission - Own project financial governance: cost-to-complete, estimate at completion (EAC), margin fade/gain and change-order tracking - Lead project and contract review meetings, giving constructive challenge to Project, Operations and Commercial leaders - Partner with Sales on pricing strategy, discount governance and contract terms that affect margin Profitability & Performance Insight - Own profitability reporting by product, service line, channel, region and project, and present insights to the CFO and leadership team - Lead gross margin bridge analysis vs. prior period, budget and forecast, and turn the findings into corrective actions - Identify, quantify and drive cost reduction and margin improvement programmes across manufacturing and project operations - Define and report cost and project KPIs: margin by contract, cost-to-complete accuracy, forecast variance, budget adherence Budgeting & Forecasting - Lead the operational cost and project margin elements of the annual budget and rolling forecasts - Build scenario models for volume changes, new contracts, material price movements and operational decisions Inventory, COGS & Controls - Oversee inventory valuation, COGS reconciliation, WIP and stock count processes delivered by the Cost and Management Accountant - Make sure balances between SAP and project trackers are reconciled, controlled and audit-ready Systems & Process Improvement - Lead the roadmap for costing and project finance tools, including SAP discipline, standardised cost models and Power BI reporting - Drive automation and digitisation of cost tracking across the product and project lifecycle - Build financial capability in operational and project teams through training and clear processes Leadership