Cost Manager

Cost Manager at Talent Shore in South Africa.

Role Summary

Cost Manager

Reporting to: Nabil

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.

1. 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.

1. 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.

1. 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.

1. 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.

Requirements

•  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.