Commercial and Contracts Director

Commercial and Contracts Director

Application Deadline: 31 January 2025

Department: Commercial

Employment Type: Permanent

Location: Milton Keynes

Description

A little bit about us:
East West Rail is an infrastructure programme linking communities between Oxford and Cambridge. The area is currently let down by a lack of transport choices, and we have a once in a generation opportunity to fix that – improving prosperity for people and places along the way. East West Railway Company (that’s us) was created by the Department for Transport (DfT) to oversee the delivery of East West Rail from construction through to wheels in motion, making sure the railway comes together in the right way. At East West Railway Company, we’re committed to building an inclusive railway for all. We believe that to do that, we must nurture a diverse team that represents the UK communities that we impact. Our approach is simple – to create an environment where everyone is welcome and able to be themselves. We celebrate diversity and are proud to be an equal opportunity employer. We encourage applications of all backgrounds and experiences.

Role Summary:
This role will be accountable for leading and developing the team of commercial management professionals, driving compliance with contractual commitments to deliver value.

Function:
The Commercial function provides commercial and procurement capability across the programme lifecycle, including strategy (setting the commercial strategy and advising risk allocation underpinning the delivery strategy), delivering procurement activities for the goods and services required to deliver the asset and run EWR Co, and delivering contract management services for the complex network of suppliers supporting EWR Co. Across all three of these domains the commercial function will run governance and reporting to measure compliance and provide commercial assurance.

Key Responsibilities

• The Contracts Director oversees and sets the overall contract management strategy ensuring sufficient resource is deployed to manage complex contracts.
• Builds strong relationships with internal and external stakeholders and suppliers, driving performance through collaboration.
• Leveraging their construction sector expertise, the Director provides critical advice and constructive challenge to optimise outcomes.
• Is accountable for ensuring comprehensive compliance of suppliers throughout the contract lifecycle, adhering to all contractual obligations.
• Leads on dispute resolution on contracts of high/value/complexity/reputational risk.
• Demonstrates a relentless focus on performance, managing cost and driving the best value out of contracts.
• Anticipates problems and uses insight to act, secure value and minimise risk to EWR.
• They oversee and control changes within contracts, ensuring robust governance is maintained.
• Additionally, the Director is responsible for the development and implementation of Contract Management Plans and Processes, ensuring continuous improvement and effective contract management practices.
• The Contracts Director will work closely with the Project Controls Director to ensure accurate recording of contract performance.
• Responsible for managing and supporting direct reports including: coaching and developing team members to drive individual growth and operational excellence. Leading continuous improvement, through regular performance management and ensuring compliance with organisation policies and updating relevant systems.
• Take responsibility of your own and others’ health and safety by adopting and working to the EWR Co Health and Safety principles.
• Demonstrates a cost-conscious mindset, keeping tax payers’ money at the forefront of decisions.
• Shows a commitment to innovation by proactively seeking creative solutions to challenges and opportunities.
• Act as a role model for EWR Co’s vision and behaviours, working in ways that are aligned with EWR Co’s Ways of Working, as well as encouraging and supporting others to do so too.

Skills, Knowledge and Expertise

• Part of commercial directorate senior leadership team
• Extensive experience in contract management within the construction sector, with a deep understanding of contract lifecycle management, compliance, and governance.
• Proven ability to optimise contract outcomes by providing critical advice and constructive challenges, leveraging sector-specific knowledge and expertise
• Demonstrated track record in managing contract changes and maintaining robust governance structures to ensure adherence to contractual obligations.
• Applies strong knowledge of contract law
• Strong background in securing Value for Money and delivering anticipated benefits, with experience in systematically recording and applying lessons learned to inform future strategy and procurement decisions.

Benefits

What we offer:

• Competitive base salary
• Up to 12% employer’s pension contribution
• 36 days holiday a year (including bank holidays) + up to 2 days to buy
• Life assurance
• Employee Assistance Programme
• Perks platform with hundreds of discounts and freebies
• On-the-spot and annual awards
• Advanced learning and development programmes
• Great work-life balance and flexible working opportunities
• Enhanced family-friendly policies
• Exceptional IT tools

EWR Co strives to embrace a flexible working environment, where a degree of flexibility is maintained to accommodate both the needs and preferences of employees and what is required to achieve business objectives. EWR Co will always work with any individual to assess and accommodate an individual’s work life balance and style.

Diversity and Inclusion:
To discover the best solutions, it’s important we embrace diversity of thought. That’s why we aim to ensure our colleagues feel included, engaged and valued. Inclusiveness is not a buzzword, but a way of being. Our approach to diversity is simple – a workplace where everyone is welcome and everyone is encouraged to be themselves. It helps fuel our innovation and connects us with the customers and communities we serve.

If you want to connect lives and unlock the future, then we’d love to hear from you.

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