Senior Commercial Manager in Saxmundham

Senior Commercial Manager
Overall purpose of the role
The organisation has been appointed as a delivery partner on the Sizewell C Major Civils Framework, supporting one of the UK's most strategically important low-carbon energy programmes in Suffolk. The framework includes major civils, roads, ancillary works and complex infrastructure packages, with early works including North Plaza and potential future task orders across the Sizewell C programme.
The Sizewell C framework requires strong commercial leadership, robust contract administration, disciplined cost control and a collaborative approach to change, procurement, forecasting and commercial assurance across the project, client and supply chain.
The Senior Commercial Manager will provide senior leadership of the commercial function across Sizewell C framework activities, providing visible leadership, contract expertise and commercial governance across project teams, subcontractors and supply chain partners. The role will report day-to-day to the Project Director and functionally to the senior commercial leadership team.
The role is responsible for leading and coordinating all commercial management activities required across Sizewell C framework projects. This includes NEC contract administration, target cost control, change management, procurement, subcontract management, commercial reporting, risk and opportunity management, cashflow, applications for payment and final account strategy.
The Senior Commercial Manager will play a key role in establishing and maintaining the commercial strategy, governance and controls required to support current and future task orders, ensuring commercial performance is effectively managed throughout the project lifecycle.
Key tasks and accountabilities
- Lead, manage and develop the Sizewell C framework commercial team, ensuring appropriate levels of competent resource are available to support current and future task orders.
- Provide senior commercial leadership across the framework, setting clear expectations for commercial performance, governance, reporting and contract compliance.
- Develop strong working relationships with the Project Director, Operations Director, Senior Project Managers, Construction Manager, planning, engineering, HSW, environment, quality and procurement teams.
- Build and maintain effective relationships with the client, supply chain partners and other key stakeholders, promoting a collaborative and commercially robust approach.
- Lead the administration of NEC contract requirements, ensuring notices, early warnings, compensation events, communications and contractual records are managed accurately and within required timescales.
- Establish and maintain robust commercial controls, including cost capture, value recognition, forecasting, CVR reporting, cashflow management and commercial governance.
- Lead the preparation, submission and agreement of applications for payment, ensuring accurate measurement, substantiation and reconciliation against target cost and contractual requirements.
- Develop and implement appropriate subcontract procurement and commercial strategies, ensuring effective risk allocation, contract terms, payment assessment and change control.
- Work closely with delivery, planning and engineering teams to identify, substantiate and manage change, including programme impacts, cost implications, entitlement and commercial recovery.
- Provide clear and accurate commercial performance reporting, metrics and KPIs to project leadership, framework governance forums and senior business leadership.
- Maximise commercial value, protect the organisations contractual and commercial position and minimise exposure to financial and contractual risk while maintaining strong collaborative relationships.
- Lead risk and opportunity management from a commercial perspective, ensuring risks are identified, quantified, mitigated and reviewed throughout the project lifecycle.
- Provide senior input into project and framework commercial strategy, including contract strategy, procurement, change management, cost control and commercial governance.
- Ensure compliance with the organisations Integrated Management System, delegated authorities, governance requirements and project-specific commercial procedures.
- Mentor, develop and support commercial team members, building capability, succession and high-performing commercial teams.
- Lead commercial mobilisation planning for future Sizewell C task orders, ensuring commercial arrangements are embedded within procurement, contract strategy, resource planning and project controls.
- Support continuous improvement across commercial processes, identifying opportunities to improve reporting, controls, forecasting, procurement and commercial performance.
- Provide commercial leadership during key project gateways, reviews, negotiations and final account processes.
- Support senior leadership with commercial strategy, forecasting, business planning and decision-making across the wider programme.
Diversity, inclusion and wellbeing
- Promote the wellbeing of the team and ensure an inclusive workplace where diversity of thought, backgrounds and experience are actively encouraged and valued.
- Create an environment where individuals are supported to develop their skills, build confidence and achieve their potential.
- Promote a positive culture based on collaboration, respect, accountability and continuous improvement.
This profile is not exhaustive. From time to time, you may be required to perform other tasks that are within your capabilities and, where necessary, appropriate training and support will be provided.
Expected behaviours
Collaborative
- Promotes safety and wellbeing across the project and commercial team.
- Works effectively with other functions and disciplines to achieve high standards.
- Delegates effectively and empowers team members to develop.
- Develops and retains high-performing commercial teams.
- Encourages constructive challenge and feedback.
- Promotes continuous learning and professional development.
- Builds effective relationships with clients, stakeholders and supply chain partners.
- Encourages collaborative problem solving and early resolution of commercial issues.
Trusted
- Demonstrates honesty, integrity and openness in communication.
- Understands and responds to the needs of the client, project and wider stakeholders.
- Shares accurate, timely and commercially appropriate information.
- Builds strong relationships based on trust and professional credibility.
- Communicates effectively across all levels of the project and organisation.
- Manages expectations of project and senior business leadership.
- Maintains high standards of commercial governance and contractual compliance.
- Delivers commitments and takes ownership of commercial outcomes.
Focused
- Communicates clearly with the commercial team and wider project team.
- Encourages effective and timely decision-making.
- Sets clear objectives and performance expectations for the commercial function.
- Addresses underperformance and supports individuals to improve.
- Holds people accountable while providing appropriate support and development.
- Makes sound, balanced and evidence-based commercial decisions.
- Maintains focus on cost, value, programme, risk and contractual outcomes.
- Encourages initiative, innovation and continuous improvement.
- Recognises and celebrates high performance and excellence.
Mandatory and recommended training and development
- Degree, HNC/HND or equivalent qualification in Quantity Surveying, Commercial Management, Construction, Civil Engineering or a related discipline.
- Chartered or working towards membership of RICS, CICES or an equivalent professional body would be advantageous.
- Significant demonstrable commercial management experience within complex civil engineering, major infrastructure, highways, energy or regulated project environments.
- Proven experience operating at Senior Commercial Manager level, or demonstrable capability to lead a significant commercial function across complex projects.
- Strong working knowledge of NEC contracts, ideally NEC3 or NEC4 Option C target cost arrangements, including compensation events, early warnings, payment mechanisms and subcontract administration.
- Strong financial and commercial acumen, including cost reporting, forecasting, CVR processes, cashflow, value recognition, risk and opportunity management and final account management.
- Proven experience leading and developing commercial teams.
- Experience of managing commercial strategy across multiple workstreams, projects or task orders.
- Experience of negotiating with clients, subcontractors and supply chain partners.
- Experience of nuclear, energy, highways, earthworks, structures, drainage or major civils environments would be advantageous.
- Strong written and verbal communication skills, with the ability to engage confidently with project teams, client representatives, supply chain partners and senior leadership.
- Excellent IT and reporting capability, including Microsoft Office and relevant commercial, cost management or contract administration systems.
- Strong analytical and problem-solving skills, with the ability to interpret complex commercial and contractual information and translate it into clear recommendations.
- Ability to operate effectively in a high-profile, complex and highly regulated infrastructure environment.
- Demonstrable commitment to safety, quality, environmental responsibility and ethical commercial practice.