Pricing & Costing Specialist (PCS)

Overview of CTG:

• CTG support and manage humanitarian projects in fragile and conflict-affected countries around the world. With past performance in 15 countries – from the Middle East, Africa, Europe, Asia and Central and South America – we offer a holistic fabric of project management, implementation and support. Skilled in emergency response to crises such as the Ebola outbreak in West Africa, we have the ability to act quickly (crisis response teams can be on the ground in 24 hours) and to establish structured operations in high-risk environments. CTG recruit and manage qualified, skilled teams with extensive experience operating in challenging conditions.

Overview of the position:

• CTG is recruiting for a qualified Pricing and Costing Specialist (PCS) for our parent group Chelsea. Find out more about the Chelsea Group at www.chelseagroupworldwide.com
• Founded in 1999, the Chelsea Group (R W Chelsea Holdings Ltd) is a family of companies that offers integrated, end to end solutions specialising in challenging environments. With operations in 69 countries, the Chelsea Group’s services include – risk management, crisis management, specialist HR & contracted services to humanitarian agencies, power generation, aviation security, leadership training, camp construction & management.
• The Chelsea Group’s shared Bid Team is looking to expand with a Pricing and Costing Specialist (PCS). The office is currently located in Wynberg, Cape Town & consists of 5 people within Marketing & Bid Management.
• The team is in constant liaison with our Head Offices in Dubai, London & Cyprus, as well as our other entities in mainly the Middle East & Africa. The Bid Team is managed by the Bid Manager, who with the support of the Bid Coordinator & Bid Writer is responsible for the compilation of all proposals with the goal of winning new contracts in any of our countries of operation. This entails researching, preparing, writing, managing & submitting all necessary information required by clients or potential business associates, playing a key role in winning new contracts for the companies within the Group.

Role objective:

This role will form part of the centralised Bid Team & support with accurate pricing & costing for all our Financial Proposals. The PCS will be responsible for the overall costing development process for assigned proposals in accordance with organizational procedures & client requirements, ensuring all financial proposals are strategically & competitively priced, compliant, completed on schedule & are of the highest quality. The role will consist of the following:

• Assist in the qualification of sales opportunities based on potential revenue & profit margin.
• Read & understand client requests & their requirements & inform the extended bid team of potential pricing issues & / or seek clarification as needed.
• Identify all costing elements / cost drivers based on client requests.
• Source & verify unit costs & staff salaries from suppliers & the financial / operational teams.
• Develop & manage costing models for the different companies within the Group.
• Lead & manage all costing aspects of the financial proposal.
• Share pricing strategies to make the financial proposals more competitive & cost efficient.
• Participate in & support reviews / meetings as defined by the Bid Manager, including Bid / No-Bid, Bid Solutions Meetings, Bid Review Meetings, Handover Meetings & Win / Loss Assessments.
• Manage the bid timeline & ensure that the financial proposal is completed within the stipulated time frames.
• Support handover of cost commitment to Operations.

Project reporting:

• The PCS will report to the Bid Manager & will work closely with the finance teams across our operations.

Team management:

• This role has no team management responsibility.

Geographical experience:

• Minimum of 5 year of experience in Africa (essential).

Languages:

• Fluency in English is essential.

Required experience & key competencies:

• We are looking for someone with at least a few years relevant experience within a similar field, preferably from a sales environment.
• Minimum a Bachelor’s Degree in Business Administration, Accounting, Finance, or other relevant field.
• Minimum 3 – 5 years of experience in costing analysis & development in an international environment.
• Demonstrated knowledge of cost modelling & understanding of cost drivers.
• Prior experience with financial proposal development in the international development field preferred.
• Experience from supplier negotiations & procurement processes.
• Excellent computer skills including advanced MS Excel.
• Fluent in corporate English.
• Knowledge of general accounting principles.
• Excellent communication & interpersonal skills with demonstrated ability to work closely with staff from across the organization.
• Ability to work well under pressure, handle multiple tasks simultaneously & meet deadlines.
• Accuracy, high attention to detail & organization skills.
• Must be able to work extended hours during peak periods.

Other relevant information:

• We would ideally prefer candidates to be based in Cape Town, South Africa.