Commercial Lead in Crawley

This Commercial Lead will report to the Regional Commercial Manager and will work on the Emergency System Restoration (ESR) programme being delivered from our Crawley office. This is a permanent position.

Salary: £94,906 plus car and a 3% bonus. The role offers blended working after probation (6 months): 3 days in the office and 2 remote.

Close Date: 11/02/2026.

We also provide the following additional benefits:

• 23 Days Annual Leave plus bank holidays.
• Reservist Leave – Additional 18 days full pay and 22 unpaid.
• Personal Pension Plan – Personal contribution rates of 4% or 5% (UK Power Networks will make a corresponding contribution of 8% or 10%).
• Tenancy Loan Deposit Scheme, Season Ticket Loan.
• Tax efficient benefits: Cycle to Work, Home & Tech, and Green Car Leasing Schemes.
• Occupational Health support.
• Switched On – discount on hundreds of retailers' products.
• Discounted gym membership.
• Employee Assistance Programme.

Job Purpose:

To assist the Commercial Manager and the wider commercial team in providing competent and professional commercial support to the Southern Region Commercial Manager, on the ESR programme delivered from Crawley. The successful applicant will be working on schemes in all three UKPN areas (SPN, EPN and LPN) and will provide support during initial procurement before taking ownership for delivery through to final account.

To manage commercial matters for contracts and projects including contract set-up, management, pricing, service delivery, scope change and dispute resolution to ensure contract requirements are compliant with standards and coordinated to maximise profit delivery. To proactively support a wider project team, including Programme Managers, Project Managers, Designers, P6 Planners, Consents Surveyors and Administrators.

Main Responsibilities:

• Be the commercial lead on a portfolio of client construction projects.
• Comply with UKPN guidelines, identify and report non-conformance to the Regional Commercial Manager and wider team.
• Ensure project delivery teams act in accordance with the Contract; liaise with external and internal stakeholders to progress projects without delay, meeting reasonable requests in a timely manner under guidance of the wider team.
• Assist in preparing activity schedules and tender documentation; attend interviews; carry out full tender analysis and comparisons to fixed rates.
• Interface with Portfolio Manager, Programme Managers, Senior Project Managers and P6 Planners to deliver advice and support and ensure contracts are managed to meet reporting deadlines.
• Manage programme workload to allocate resources to contracts.
• Assist the Commercial Manager in guiding junior staff.
• Demonstrate belief, make decisions, justify them when challenged and produce quality reports.
• Review contractor applications, recommendations, payment certificates, and prepare general correspondence to ensure payments are legitimate.
• Collaborate with Project Managers to review risk registers and add new risks arising from EWN/CE.
• Identify principal risks and opportunities, resolve problems at project level and support the project delivery team.
• Maintain a schedule of potential financial implications for projects.
• Advise on contract interpretation (primarily NEC3).
• Manage change control procedures within contracts and ensure adherence.
• Contribute to Annual rate reviews and review Subcontracts for compliance.
• Work with legal advisors and internal/external teams to resolve contract issues and, if needed, disputes with documented justification.

Knowledge, Skills, Qualifications and Experience:

• Quantity surveying experience with a track record in managing complex, high-value contracts.
• Degree qualified in quantity surveying or another relevant discipline; non-degree holders with demonstrable success may be considered.
• Professional qualification and/or membership of RICS, CIOB, ICES or similar is an advantage.
• Proficient in Word, Excel, PowerPoint and SAP; excellent communication, negotiation and presentation skills.
• Ability to communicate with all levels of senior management and provide clear, concise reports.
• Strong analytical skills to make informed decisions and report findings to clients and partners.
• Proven ability to develop relationships with service providers and company partners, including executives and senior managers.
• Teamworking skills; IOSH certificate is advantageous (Health & Safety training will be provided).

Health & Safety Responsibilities:

Managers and supervisors have legal and company responsibilities to ensure health and safety for their employees and others affected by work. This includes briefing teams and ensuring understanding and application of safety requirements to work safely and without harming the environment. Employees must understand risks and apply controls to manage them to acceptable levels; understand environmental impacts and the controls required by law. If in doubt, ask.

We are committed to equal employment opportunity regardless of race, colour, ancestry, religion, sex, national origin, sexual orientation, age, citizenship, marital status, disability, gender, gender identity or expression, or veteran status. We are proud to be an equal opportunity workplace.

If you have any queries regarding this vacancy or your application, please contact us at careers@ukpowernetworks.co.uk quoting the vacancy reference number and a member of the team will get in touch with you as soon as possible.