Commercial Manager

Wood PLC

RESPONSIBILITIES

• Transition Management: Work closely with the Commercial Director to jointly lead structured inductions to the project team, ensuring the contract is well understood and that all project team members are aware of and fully understand the commercial obligations that affect their work, especially around change management and sub contract / claims management.

Post-Award Contract Administration and Compliance

• Compliance Oversight: Manage commercial administration procedures in line with our existing policies/procedures to ensure strict adherence to contract terms. This includes handling responsibilities from initiating notices to maintaining detailed documentation.
• Commercial Deliverables: Oversee the maintenance of contract-required deliverables, including guarantees, insurances, change management plans, invoicing, and templates.
• Contractual Correspondence: Actively manage contractual letters with the client or other third parties, managing all formal correspondences and addressing issues as they arise.

Risk Management

• Risk Handover from Pre to Post Award: Gain a thorough understanding of the risks identified during the Capture/Acquire phases, ensuring that all commercial risks and mitigation strategies embedded in the contract are clearly documented, communicated, and understood by the project team.
• Collaboration on Risk Strategy with Commercial Director: Support the project in implementing a robust, ongoing risk management approach. This includes encouraging proactive risk identification across functions, facilitating open discussions about potential risks and opportunities, and supporting the team in taking pre-emptive actions when possible.

Change Management

• Understanding the Contractual Change Mechanisms: Gain a comprehensive understanding of the contract's terms and conditions related to change, including notification periods, required formats, and timelines. Ensure that these mechanisms are clearly communicated to the project team and that they understand the processes required to comply fully with change-related contractual obligations.
• Compliance with Terms and Notices: Establish and enforce a change management protocol that ensures all change-related actions comply with contractual terms. This includes issuing timely and accurate notices, maintaining appropriate documentation, and rigorously following the notification requirements stipulated in the contract.
• Strategic Pricing and Placement of Change Orders: Collaborate with the project and commercial teams to carefully price and structure change orders to maximise entitlements and safeguard margins. Ensure that each change order is supported with detailed records, cost breakdowns, and any necessary supporting evidence to substantiate the company's position.
• Maintaining Comprehensive Supporting Records: Maintain meticulous records of all changes, ensuring that all necessary documentation (correspondence, cost estimates, schedules, etc.) is organised and accessible to support ongoing negotiations and potential claims. This documentation ensures compliance, validates entitlements, and substantiates claims if disputes arise.
• Negotiating Change Outcomes: Lead or support negotiations with clients or third parties to achieve favourable outcomes, leveraging contractual knowledge and commercial insight to secure agreements that maximise the company's entitlements and manage any additional risk exposure. Ensure that negotiated changes align with the contract's terms and benefit the project's financial and operational goals.
• Developing and Adopting a Strategic Change Management Plan: Design or adopt a tailored change management strategy aimed at maximising the company's entitlements within the project scope. This includes establishing a structured approach for identifying potential change events early, assessing their impacts, and implementing proactive measures to manage or capitalise on these changes to benefit the project's financial position.

Financial and Cash Flow Management

• Commercial Contribution: Actively manage commercial contributions to profitability, monitoring project returns and contingencies, ELF and implementing/recommending necessary adjustments.

Project Monitoring and Reporting

• Performance Review: Attend Project Management Reviews (PMRs), probing for risks or opportunities and evaluating project metrics (cost, schedule, productivity) against established benchmarks.
• Stakeholder Reporting: Provide input into regular reports for senior management detailing project contract and change management.

Project Oversight and Supervision

• Team Supervision: Where appropriate, supervise Contracts team, ensuring effective contract management, administration, and resource allocation.

Commercial Closeout

• Issue Resolution: Support the resolution of claims, variations, and disputes, ensuring all are managed in alignment with FMF procedures.

QUALIFICATIONS

Experience and Skills

• Extensive Project Commercial Management Experience: 25 years of proven experience in commercial management of large-scale projects, ideally in engineering or construction-related industries.
• Contractual Knowledge: In-depth understanding of post-award contract management, including compensation models, risk mitigation, and change management.
• Versatility in Role: Ability to supervise or deliver directly contract management as needed.
• Strategic Communication: Strong communication skills, with the ability to influence, negotiate, and collaborate effectively across all levels of the organization.
• Financial and Analytical Skills: Proficient in financial analysis related to project cash flow, profitability, and return on investment.
• Organization and Detail-Oriented: Exceptionally organized, with a keen eye for detail and a methodical approach to managing tasks and coordinating resources.

Educational Background

• Preferred Qualifications: Bachelor's degree in Quantity Surveying (QS), Engineering, Business, or Law.
• Commercial Experience Requirement: Substantial experience in Project Commercial Management (25 years) will be a key selection criterion, particularly in roles involving contract negotiation, project delivery, and financial management.