Assistant Commercial Manager

Location: Falmer (Hybrid Working)

Salary: Salary and package are to be discussed at the screening stage.

Job Overview

Ready to shape the future of Southern Water’s infrastructure projects? Join us as an Assistant Commercial Manager and help drive commercial excellence across high-value contracts that impact millions. At Southern Water, our Commercial Management team plays a pivotal role in delivering world-class infrastructure by ensuring smart, efficient, and commercially sound decisions are made across the business. We’re not just tracking numbers—we’re managing risk, optimising value, and protecting vital services for our communities.

Responsibilities will include:

• Support delivery of cost management services within a specified business directorate, providing commercial support and advice to the business including appraisal of options, feasibility studies, cost planning, procurement support, cost management, change management, and cost appraisals throughout the contract/project lifecycle.
• Operate within a defined framework of commercial/cost management, control, and audit in line with procurement best practices and techniques.
• Work closely with Project Managers to provide pre-contract capabilities, including support on contract strategy, contract creation, pre-contract assurance and agreement, and contract drafting and paperwork; utilise contract management Centre of Excellence to guide best practices and provide expertise as required.
• Align commercial management activity with quality management and other audits undertaken, liaising with appropriate stakeholders to drive efficiency and ensure audit activity reflects contractual pricing, terms, conditions, and service delivery specification.
• Support and implement standardised audit/site visit procedures, undertake targeted ad hoc audits, and support auditors on site visits, using expertise to drive value-add activities.
• Assist with ensuring all commercial and cost activity is recorded using agreed processes, and that it is incorporated into the costs and budgets.
• Support Commercial Manager to work with Project Managers and contractors to assist setting of target costs/fixed prices as appropriate for the contract form.

About You

We’re looking for someone with a commercial mindset, strong analytical skills, and a collaborative approach. Ideally, you’ll be working towards a degree in Quantity Surveying (or a similar discipline) and have some experience in commercial or cost management—particularly within the utilities or infrastructure sectors. It would be great if you also bring an understanding of NEC contracts (or a willingness to learn), a solid grasp of project lifecycles and commercial models, and a passion for continuous improvement. If you have ambitions for professional membership (such as ARICS), excellent communication and relationship-building skills, and a proactive attitude, you’ll thrive in this role. If you’re excited about growing your career in a sector that’s vital to our communities and constantly evolving, we’d love to hear from you.

Package

This role will be full time Monday to Friday 37 hours a week. Southern Water operate a hybrid approach to working between our Falmer office and home. We are offering a competitive salary depending on skills and experience as well as other benefits including:

• Company and performance-related bonus
• Generous pension up to 11% company contribution
• 25 days annual leave
• Life assurance equal to 4x salary
• Salary sacrifice electric car scheme (after 6 months service)
• Health Cash Plan
• Full funded eye tests
• Two paid volunteering days a year
• Occupational health service
• Discounts with over 800 popular retailers
• Digital GP service
• Study support may be available for job-related qualifications
• Competitive maternity leave and flexible return to work options
• Cycle to work scheme

Does this opportunity excite you but you’re not 100% sure if you meet all the requirements for the role? Or are you concerned that ‘normal’ office hours aren’t possible given your personal circumstances? Whilst we can’t accommodate every flexible working request, we’ll try to find a practical solution. So why not engage with us and find out more about this role?

Our customers are at the heart of everything we do, because delivering water for life is our core purpose. To achieve this, we need 24/7 support in place to resolve incidents quickly and efficiently. All our employees understand the importance of out-of-hours incident support – because when problems appear, fixing them is our top priority. That’s why our people join together and support when and however needed to make sure our customers get the service they deserve. Joining the Southern Water family means you’ll become part of our incident support team. During your interview, your manager will speak to you about any incident support rotas that apply to your position.

Privacy Statement:

Please note: If you are an existing Southern Water employee, you will need to confirm within your application that your Manager is aware of your application. All applicants must be eligible to live and work in the UK. You will need to provide evidence of eligibility (e.g. a passport or long birth certificate and proof of NI) and current proof of address (dated within the last 3 months), will be required as part of the recruitment process. If you do not meet these criteria, your application will not be considered.