Commercial Manager

💼 Commercial Manager

Full-Time

The Commercial Manager will provide commercial leadership, governance and assurance within a highly regulated environment.

Working closely with senior leadership, Project Managers, Finance, Procurement, Project Controls and delivery teams, the role will ensure strong commercial performance, contract management and financial governance.

A key focus will be supporting projects throughout the commercial lifecycle, particularly project performance, contract close-out, transition activities and ensuring projects “finish strong.”

🎯 Key Responsibilities

🏢 Commercial Leadership & Governance

🔹 Provide commercial leadership, advice and assurance to project and business leadership teams.

🔹 Support informed commercial and contractual decision-making.

🔹 Ensure compliance with contracts, delegated authorities, company policies and governance requirements.

🔹 Maintain effective commercial processes, controls, reporting and governance.

🔹 Identify and manage commercial risks, opportunities and contractual obligations.

🔹 Promote consistent commercial best practice across projects and business areas.

📊 Project Reviews & Commercial Assurance

🔹 Lead monthly project reviews and provide clear insight into project performance.

🔹 Review and challenge costs, forecasts, EAC/FTC, budgets, purchase orders, milestones, risks, opportunities and change.

🔹 Track actions arising from project reviews and escalate significant issues to senior leadership.

🔹 Develop concise commercial dashboards and management information to support decision-making.

🔒 Contract Close-Out

🔹 Lead the commercial close-out of projects and contracts.

🔹 Manage outstanding contractual actions, final accounts, changes, purchase orders, accruals, claims, disputes, subcontractor close-out and financial reconciliation.

🔹 Establish a consistent contract close-out process and ensure lessons learned are captured.

🔹 Work with stakeholders to ensure contracts are formally and effectively closed.

🏁 “Finishing Strong”

🔹 Develop a practical and repeatable commercial approach for projects approaching completion.

🔹 Support project teams with commercial close-out, change management, final forecasting, risk, supply-chain close-out, deliverables, lessons learned and audit requirements.

🔹 Monitor implementation and report progress and emerging issues to leadership.

🌐 Wider Commercial Support

🔹 Provide commercial support, challenge and assurance across projects and business areas.

🔹 Support reporting, forecasting, governance and commercial decision-making.

🔹 Promote consistent commercial management processes across the organisation.

📑 Contract & Change Management

🔹 Manage contracts throughout the lifecycle, from pre-award through delivery to final close-out.

🔹 Administer NEC and, where applicable, FIDIC contracts.

🔹 Manage variations, compensation events, claims, change and commercial negotiations.

🔹 Ensure changes are identified, notified, assessed and reflected in forecasts and reporting.

🔹 Maintain robust contractual records and support dispute resolution where required.

🛒 Procurement & Supply Chain

🔹 Support procurement strategy, ITTs, tender evaluations, negotiations and contract awards.

🔹 Review and approve commercial documentation within delegated authority.

🔹 Manage key supplier and subcontractor relationships and monitor commercial performance.

🔹 Support supplier final accounts and contract close-out.

🤝 Stakeholder Management

🔹 Build strong relationships with clients, partners, suppliers and internal stakeholders.

🔹 Collaborate with Project Management, Procurement, Finance, Legal, Project Controls, Engineering and Delivery teams.

🔹 Communicate complex commercial matters clearly to commercial and non-commercial audiences.

🔹 Represent the commercial function at project, governance and senior leadership meetings.

👥 Team Development & Knowledge Transfer

🔹 Provide mentoring, guidance and commercial support to project teams and developing commercial professionals.

🔹 Share commercial knowledge, best practice and lessons learned.

🔹 Ensure effective knowledge transfer and handover to maintain continuity during organisational or personnel changes.

🎯 The successful candidate will demonstrate:

💼 Strong commercial and contract management experience within major projects or complex programmes.

📋 Experience managing multiple projects or contracts simultaneously.

📑 Strong knowledge and practical application of NEC contracts.

🤝 Demonstrable experience of contract administration, change control, claims, variations and commercial negotiations.

🔒 Experience of taking contracts and projects through commercial close-out and final account.

💰 Strong understanding of project financial management, including forecasting, EAC, cost control, cash flow and variance analysis.

🎓 Degree or equivalent professional experience in Quantity Surveying, Commercial Management, Construction, Engineering, Law, Business or a related discipline is desirable.

⭐ Desirable

🎓 Degree or equivalent professional experience in Quantity Surveying, Commercial Management, Construction, Engineering, Law, Business or a related discipline is desirable.

🏅 Professional membership, or working towards membership, of an appropriate professional body such as RICS, CICES or CIOB is desirable.

📚 Relevant NEC accreditation or formal contract-management training would be advantageous.

Whilst we encourage applications from all nationalities, Assystem within the UK are subject to security and export control restrictions due to the nature of work to be undertaken.
These restrictions mean that factors including your nationality, any previous nationalities you have held, and/or your place of birth may limit those roles that you can perform for the organisation. 

NOTICE TO CANDIDATES ON RECRUITMENT FRAUD - We are committed to safeguarding candidates from fraudulent activity associated with our recruitment process. Please note that we will never offer specialist CV writing services, request payment or ask for sensitive personal information during the recruitment process.

We are committed to equal treatment of candidates and promote, as well as foster all forms of diversity within our company. We believe that bringing together people with different backgrounds and perspectives is essential for creating innovative and impactful solutions. Skills, talent, and our people’s ability to dare are the only things that matter !. Bring your unique contributions and help us shape the future.