Budget Specialist - UAEN

Job Purpose The Budget Specialist is a technically focused finance professional responsible for the day-to-day integrity of budget management, forecasting, and cost control. Reporting to the Senior Manager — Finance, this role provides the granular financial discipline that underpins effective capex deployment. Principal Accountabilities Core: The Budget Specialist acts as the financial engine behind project performance reporting — tracking actuals against approved budgets, identifying variances early, and supporting the value engineering programme by quantifying and validating cost savings. This is an ideal role for a detail-oriented finance professional looking to deepen their expertise in infrastructure cost management. Budget Management & Control • Maintain detailed project budgets across the full portfolio, ensuring alignment with approved capex allocations • Track and reconcile actual costs against budget on a weekly and monthly basis, producing clear variance reports • Process and review budget transfers, variations, and change orders in the project cost tracker • Maintain the project cost tracker as the single source of truth for all budget and commitment data • Ensure correct coding and classification of all expenditure across cost centers Forecasting & Planning • Prepare rolling cost-to-complete (CTC) forecasts in collaboration with project managers and engineers • Support the annual budget cycle by consolidating project-level inputs into portfolio-level submissions • Model scenario analyses for scope changes, risk events, or program re-phasing • Contribute to monthly management accounts by providing accurate project accruals, prepayments, and commitments • Assist in the development of financial models for feasibility studies and project investment appraisals Reporting & Variance Analysis • Produce monthly project financial dashboards for the Senior Manager — Finance and project leadership • Conduct root-cause variance analysis on cost overruns, highlighting drivers and recommending corrective actions • Support preparation of board and executive reporting packs, ensuring data accuracy and narrative clarity • Maintain audit-ready records of all budget approvals, transfers, and supporting documentation Value Engineering Support • Quantify and validate cost savings identified through value engineering initiatives against baseline budgets • Maintain the VE savings tracker, ensuring all submissions are correctly logged, evidenced, and tiered per the incentive framework • Liaise with cost managers, quantity surveyors, and procurement to verify that savings are realized and locked in • Provide financial analysis to support VE proposals at technical and commercial review stages Systems & Process • Operate and maintain the project cost management system, always ensuring data integrity • Develop and improve budget templates, reporting tools, and forecasting models • Support finance system upgrades and implementations as required • Identify and recommend process improvements across budget control and reporting workflows Knowledge, Skills, and Experience Academic Qualifications: • Fully qualified accountant — CA, CIMA, ACCA, or ACA Experience: • Minimum 3–5 years of experience in a budgeting, cost control, or project finance role • Experience working in infrastructure, construction, engineering, or capital project environments Other Skills: • Familiarity with ERP systems (SAP, Oracle, or equivalent) for cost and budget management • Strong understanding of CAPEX vs OPEX treatment and project cost accounting principles • Exposure to rail, utilities, or regulated infrastructure sectors • Experience with project management information systems or cost management platforms • Power BI or similar data visualization experience • Understanding of earned value management (EVM) principles