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A graduate of IÉSEG’s Grande École Program, Cécile has been working for nearly ten years in the field of Project and Program Cost Management. Today, she is a Senior Cost Manager, balancing budget oversight, risk anticipation, and critical thinking, she supports large-scale projects. She tells us about her day-to-day work at AstraZeneca in Dunkirk.

Can you tell us about your job?

My current position is Senior Cost Manager. Broadly speaking, I oversee the budgetary and financial aspects of capital investment projects (CAPEX). For example, I’m currently working on an expansion project for a production site at AstraZeneca in Dunkirk, where inhalers for asthma patients are manufactured. It’s a new construction project that includes additional production lines, a fully automated high-bay storage facility, and a new logistics area.

My role as Senior Cost Manager is cross-functional: I work closely with engineers, as well as project and program directors. On large-scale projects, everyone has their specific role, and all functions collaborate toward the same goal.

In other words, what does it involve?

My job is to make sure a project’s initial budget isn’t exceeded and to manage day-to-day spending over several years. For some projects, we’re also responsible for establishing that initial budget. In practice, I monitor costs and raise the alarm whenever I identify a risk of overspending — what we call “managing cost at completion.”

To give a simple example: if someone tells me they want to add three extra doors to a room that weren’t in the original plan, that means more money. Sometimes I’ll discuss with the project manager to determine whether that expense is really necessary. Part of my job is to challenge changes to the project scope to help limit additional costs. It’s essential to keep a critical mindset and ensure financial resources are used wisely.

In which sectors can this job be done, and what types of projects do you work on?

This role exists across all industries and around the world — anywhere projects are large enough to require dedicated cost management resources. Examples include pharmaceuticals, defense, IT, real estate (office buildings, hotels, etc.), and infrastructure (bridges, metros, highways…).

My work can apply to any kind of project, but personally, I love what we call “mega-projects” — those with budgets exceeding one billion euros. Their sheer scale requires a more robust management structure, and the complexity of activities — from contractual and legal negotiations to reporting systems and client requirement management — adds a whole new dimension to cost management.

How has your work evolved since you started nearly ten years ago?

After almost a decade in the field, my responsibilities have expanded. Today, my role includes a much more contractual dimension. I consult peers to exchange perspectives rather than just receiving instructions, and I also train junior colleagues.

At first, my job was limited to tracking a budget, controlling expenses, and alerting my manager if needed. With experience, you develop a broader vision and deeper expertise, which lets you contribute to related areas — since the role is so cross-functional. You start helping other teams by bringing a fresh perspective. To sum it up: our job is to monitor, assess, negotiate, and challenge.

What does a typical day or week look like for you?

There’s no typical day or week actually— it’s more like a typical month. Each month starts with financial close. We make sure that the expenses recorded in the system accurately reflect the real activities performed on the project. That part is quite financial and accounting-focused. Then comes the monthly reporting. On my current project (around €100 million), that takes one to two days. On larger projects, it can take up to ten.

Reporting means explaining cost variations: why we spent more or less than expected, whether an activity is delayed, if a contract wasn’t signed on time, and so on. It’s about giving a clear picture of the current situation and anticipating potential overruns. Whenever new information comes in, we adjust cost forecasts. If an activity is delayed, we update the projected spending and provide our project manager with an updated financial view. We must always be able to answer the question, “Where do we stand?” That requires continuous tracking.

How did you become a Senior Cost Manager?

After graduating from IÉSEG, I was lucky to do my final internship at AstraZeneca’s Dunkirk production site — where I now work again. During that six-month internship, I discovered this job, which I’d never heard of before. I stumbled into it by chance… and I loved it so much that I never left!

This career doesn’t necessarily require deep financial or accounting expertise. You need some basic knowledge, of course, but the core of the job is cost and project management. What really matters is the ability to coordinate, negotiate, work in teams, manage resources, and sometimes mediate. These are all skills we developed extensively at IÉSEG.

What are the main challenges of your job?

I’d say the biggest challenge is being able to challenge others — the people you work with. That’s not always easy, especially when you don’t have an engineering background. You need to be curious enough to understand the topics and the people you’re collaborating with, in order to maintain constructive communication despite differences in opinion or objectives across project functions.

A few years ago, I might have belived a colleague if they told me a change wouldn’t cost anything. Today, with experience, I’ve learned to ask the right questions. That comes with time.