Senior Cost Administrator

UGL Limited, a major Australian services company operating in the industrials and resources space, is looking for a seasoned Senior Cost Administrator to join its Brisbane team. The role is full-time and onsite, based in Brisbane, and reports to the Finance Lead. It’s well suited to someone who has a solid background in cost control, client billing and project administration and who wants to help keep multiple projects financially on track.

The Senior Cost Administrator works across several projects, keeping a tight rein on client claims, billings and cost reporting while partnering with project teams, finance colleagues and clients to uphold strong financial controls and support successful project delivery.

UGL positions itself as a collaborative employer with a clear focus on safety, development and continuous improvement, offering opportunities for growth within a national organisation.

Turning numbers into project momentum

Reporting to the Finance Lead, the person in this role helps ensure client claims, project billings and cost reporting are prepared accurately and on time. You’ll work closely with project teams, finance staff and clients to maintain robust financial controls and support smooth project delivery. Your day-to-day will include setting up service orders and WBS structures in SAP, helping with timesheet submission and payroll, and raising purchase orders in line with policy. You’ll monitor labour, subcontractor and project costs to keep them accurate, ensure accounts payable are processed promptly, and contribute to cost control and project reporting activities. You’ll reconcile data between client systems and internal records, always looking for ways to streamline processes and improve cash flow outcomes.

What you’ll need to bring

Essential experience includes a minimum of five years in cost administration, project administration or a similar finance-support role, with a proven ability to manage project costs, billing and claims. You should be comfortable using advanced Microsoft Excel, and you’ll need strong analytical and problem-solving skills, plus solid organisational capability to juggle multiple priorities and deadlines.

Nice-to-haves include experience using SAP and a relevant degree or studies in Finance, Accounting, Business or a related discipline.

Pay, benefits and practical details

This is a permanent full-time opportunity with a leading Australian services company. The role is listed with a primary location of Australia-QLD-Brisbane CBD & Inner Suburbs, with other locations including Australia-QLD-Brisbane - Bayside & Eastern Suburbs and Australia-VIC-Melbourne CBD & Inner Suburbs. The position is onsite in Brisbane and sits within a work environment that emphasises safety, development and continuous improvement, with clear opportunities for career growth across a national organisation.

The requisition also lists a contact phone number: 0427502846.

Advice for applicants

Lead your resume with a concise summary that highlights at least five years in cost or project administration and your track record in managing project costs, billing and claims. Tie this to tangible outcomes whenever possible, and if you’ve used SAP, mention it clearly along with any significant Excel-based cost models you’ve built.

To prove the must-have skills, include concrete examples of cost control reporting or billing schedules you’ve produced, and, if applicable, a sample of an AR or AP reconciliation you’ve handled. If you have SAP experience, call that out and describe how you used it to support project cost control and billing processes.

Be ready to discuss how you approach cost control and billing in a multi-project environment, including how you prioritise deadlines and maintain accuracy under pressure. You might be asked to describe a time you improved a billing process or helped optimise cash flow, so have a short, concrete story ready.

When you’re in the interview, consider asking about how the Brisbane team collaborates with project accounting to validate billing data and how they measure improvements in the billing cycle. A good question could be: can you share a recent example of a billing process improvement and the impact it had on cash flow?