Job Description

Position: Senior Commercial Manager – Major Defence Facility Programme

Location: East Midlands

Duration: 12 Months+ Contract

Overview

An exceptional opportunity has arisen for an experienced Senior Commercial Manager to join a nationally significant infrastructure and advanced manufacturing programme.

The role will support the development and delivery of a major production facility project within a highly regulated environment, requiring robust commercial leadership from concept and design development through to construction delivery and handover.

The successful candidate will play a critical role in shaping commercial strategy during the Early Contractor Involvement (ECI) phase, establishing collaborative delivery models, managing NEC4 contractual frameworks, and ensuring commercial governance across a complex multi-billion-pound programme.

This role demands a commercially astute professional with extensive experience of major capital projects, ideally within nuclear, defence, infrastructure, energy, or similarly regulated sectors.

Key Responsibilities

Commercial Leadership

• Lead all commercial activities across the project lifecycle from pre-construction through delivery.

• Develop and implement commercial strategies aligned to programme objectives, risk allocation principles, and value-for-money requirements.

• Provide commercial leadership to multidisciplinary project teams, consultants, contractors, and supply chain partners.

• Support senior stakeholders in commercial decision-making and governance approvals.

Early Contractor Involvement (ECI)

• Lead commercial engagement during ECI phases to establish delivery strategies and target cost development.

• Facilitate collaborative working arrangements between client, designers, contractors, and key supply chain partners.

• Develop commercial mechanisms that promote innovation, programme certainty, risk mitigation, and cost transparency.

• Assess and challenge contractor proposals, build-up rates, assumptions, and cost models.

• Support procurement and market engagement activities to secure optimum delivery outcomes.

NEC4 Contract Management

• Act as the subject matter expert for NEC4 contractual arrangements.

• Draft, negotiate, administer, and manage NEC4 contracts, including ECC Option C, D and associated secondary options where applicable.

• Ensure compliance with NEC4 processes relating to compensation events, early warnings, programme management, and change control.

• Provide strategic guidance on contractual risk management and dispute avoidance.

• Support the development and implementation of NEC4 governance procedures across the programme.

Cost Management & Controls

• Oversee project cost planning, forecasting, reporting, and change management activities.

• Review contractor applications, assessments, target cost submissions, and final account negotiations.

• Ensure accurate cost visibility and commercial reporting for senior leadership and governance boards.

• Monitor programme performance against approved budgets and commercial targets.

• Drive continuous improvement and value engineering initiatives.

Risk & Opportunity Management

• Lead commercial risk identification, quantification, allocation, and mitigation strategies.

• Support integrated risk workshops with project teams and contractors.

• Ensure commercial risks and opportunities are appropriately reflected within target costs and programme forecasts.

• Develop contingency management strategies aligned with programme requirements.

Stakeholder Management

• Build effective relationships with senior client representatives, contractors, consultants, regulators, and supply chain partners.

• Present commercial recommendations and reports to executive leadership teams and governance forums.

• Support audits, assurance reviews, and regulatory engagements where required.

Essential Experience

• Significant commercial management experience on large-scale capital projects valued in excess of £100m.

• Demonstrable experience leading commercial activities during Early Contractor Involvement (ECI) phases.

• Extensive NEC4 contract management experience, including administration of NEC4 ECC contracts.

• Proven track record managing complex commercial relationships within highly regulated environments.

• Experience of target cost development, cost assurance, change control, and commercial governance.

• Strong understanding of procurement strategies and contractor engagement models.

• Experience leading commercial teams and managing multiple stakeholder interfaces.

Desirable Experience

• Experience within defence, aerospace, nuclear, major infrastructure, energy, rail, or similarly regulated sectors.

• Experience of collaborative contracting models and alliance-style delivery arrangements.

• Familiarity with government-funded or publicly regulated programmes.

• Experience supporting manufacturing facility, industrial plant, or complex engineering projects.

Qualifications

• Degree qualified in Quantity Surveying, Commercial Management, Construction Management, Law, Engineering, or related discipline.

• Chartered status preferred (MRICS, FRICS, MCIOB, MICES or equivalent).

• NEC4 Accreditation or Advanced NEC qualifications highly desirable.

• Relevant professional memberships preferred.

• Ideally holds a current BPSS Clearance

• SC Status is highly desired but not essential