Head of Commercial

We are looking for an experienced and proactive Head of Commercial to lead our in-house commercial contracts team, with a focus on commercial contracts across our UK business. This senior role requires expertise in managing complex contracts with partners, clients, and suppliers in a fast-paced and growing company.

Key Responsibilities:

• Commercial Contracts & Negotiations: Lead the drafting, negotiation, and review of high-value commercial contracts with clients, suppliers, and business partners. Ensure that agreements are structured to protect the company’s interests, with a focus on risk management and maximising commercial value.
• Partnership & Collaboration Agreements: Manage and negotiate collaboration agreements with strategic partners, ensuring that the terms support the company’s business objectives and foster strong, mutually beneficial relationships.
• Dispute Resolution: Oversee and manage disputes arising from commercial contracts. Provide advice on dispute resolution strategies, including settlement negotiations, mediation, and, when necessary, litigation.
• Team Leadership & Management: Lead, manage, and develop the legal team, ensuring they are equipped to handle a wide range of legal matters. Mentor junior team members and foster a collaborative environment that promotes high performance and efficiency.
• Commercial Risk Management: Identify potential commercial risks and proactively implement strategies to mitigate these risks. Work closely with senior management to assess business risks and advise on commercial implications of business decisions.
• Cross-Functional Collaboration: Work closely with internal teams such as HR, finance, group stakeholders, and consulting teams to ensure that commercial considerations are integrated into the company's day-to-day activities and long-term strategic goals.
• Compliance & Governance: Ensure compliance with all relevant legal and regulatory requirements, including those relating to commercial contracts.

Qualifications and Skills:

• IACCM Advanced Practitioner with extensive experience in commercial contracts, corporate law, and employment matters.
• Strong experience negotiating and drafting a wide range of commercial contracts, including client, supplier, and partnership agreements.
• Experience of public procurement contracting and regulations would be highly desirable.
• Demonstrated ability to lead and manage a small legal and commercial contracts team, fostering a collaborative and high-performance work environment.
• Experience in managing and mitigating commercial risks across a variety of areas.
• Excellent communication and interpersonal skills, with the ability to work effectively across departments and influence senior management.
• A practical, solution-oriented approach with the ability to navigate complex legal issues and provide clear, actionable advice.
• Ability to work in a fast-paced, dynamic environment, balancing multiple priorities and deadlines.

At BIP, we are trusted by the world’s leading organisations to design and deliver next generation business models that deliver increased volume and quality. The world is changing faster than ever. Shifting demands, business models, competition, inflation, and supply chains are just some of the challenges facing business today. All of this means organisations need to choose their partners with more care than ever before. Partners with a common purpose to create a sustainable legacy. We are problem solvers, market makers, creative disruptors, and future proofers. We are listeners, learners, and collaborators, committed to working with our clients and partners to create maximum value for the long-term. We’re doers, we are makers, we are not Power Point writers... Everything we do is aimed at affecting a material change within a defined timeline, and we combine thoughts and actions to ensure it has the greatest impact in the real world. We aim to make our clients independent. All our projects have a dual objective: to deliver against an outcome, and to equip our clients to keep the activity running on their own. It offers them greater value, and it allows us to focus on where we can make the greatest difference next.