At a Glance
- Tasks: Lead commercial management of high-volume contracts and drive cost control.
- Company: Join South West Water, a leader in the UK water sector with a focus on sustainability.
- Benefits: Competitive salary, career development, and a chance to make a real impact.
- Other info: Dynamic team culture that values diversity and inclusion.
- Why this job: Shape your career while contributing to a greener future and community well-being.
- Qualifications: Experience in commercial management and NEC contract administration required.
The predicted salary is between 51750 - 63250 £ per year.
Powered by Water, Driven by Purpose. South West Water keeps the South West flowing with safe, reliable drinking water and wastewater services across some of the UK’s most stunning landscapes. We’re proud to be part of Pennon Group, a leader in the UK water sector, working towards a greener future. Our goals? As well as lowering our carbon footprint, we’re working with partners to plant 300,000 trees, restore peatlands and support farmers and landowners to improve water quality and wildlife.
About the Role
We are seeking an experienced and commercially astute Senior Quantity Surveyor to lead the commercial management of our high-volume reactive Repair & Maintenance (R&M) network contracts and other operational contracts across the Group. Reporting to the Senior Commercial Manager, this role combines commercial leadership, contract administration, financial management, and team development. The successful candidate will be responsible for ensuring robust commercial governance, driving cost control, managing NEC contract mechanisms, and delivering best-value outcomes across a portfolio with an annual spend of approximately £50 million.
As a key member of the Commercial Team, you will provide strategic commercial insight, lead a team of Quantity Surveyors, and foster collaborative relationships with internal stakeholders and supply chain partners to support the successful delivery of operational and business objectives.
Key Responsibilities
- Commercial Leadership & Contract Management
- Lead the commercial and financial management of operational contracts across the business.
- Administer NEC3 and NEC4 contracts, ensuring compliance with contractual obligations and governance requirements.
- Manage compensation events, early warnings, variations, valuations, and final account processes.
- Ensure the accurate assessment, certification, and processing of contractor payment applications.
- Lead negotiations to achieve commercially favourable outcomes while maintaining strong supplier relationships.
- Proactively identify, manage, and mitigate commercial risks.
- Support tender evaluations and contract award recommendations.
- Drive continuous improvement of commercial processes, controls, and reporting.
- Financial Management & Performance
- Monitor, analyse, and report on commercial and financial performance across contracts.
- Deliver accurate forecasting, budgeting, accruals, and variance analysis.
- Ensure effective cost control and value-for-money outcomes.
- Provide commercial insight and recommendations to support strategic decision-making.
- Oversee the commercial performance of contracts with an annual spend of approximately £50 million across both operational and capital expenditure budgets.
- Team Leadership & Development
- Lead, coach, and develop a team of Quantity Surveyors.
- Promote commercial best practice, consistency, and high professional standards across the team.
- Support career development, technical capability building, and succession planning.
- Foster a collaborative, high-performance culture focused on delivering business outcomes.
- Provide guidance on contract administration, commercial strategy, and dispute avoidance.
- Governance, Risk & Assurance
- Audit contract and commercial processes to ensure compliance and fulfilment of contractual obligations.
- Oversee effective change control, valuation, dispute resolution, and final account management.
- Implement and maintain risk management processes across the contract portfolio.
- Ensure commercial governance standards are consistently applied across all activities.
- Support dispute avoidance and resolution through effective negotiation and stakeholder engagement.
- Stakeholder & Supply Chain Management
- Build trusted and collaborative relationships with operational teams, finance, legal, and executive stakeholders.
- Lead regular commercial reviews with supply chain partners.
- Support operational teams by providing expert commercial advice and guidance.
- Attend site visits and engage with delivery teams to understand operational challenges and opportunities.
- Influence stakeholders to drive commercially sound decision-making and service improvements.
Person Specification
Essential Skills & Experience
- Demonstrable experience in:
- Commercial and contract management.
- NEC contract administration.
- Financial management, forecasting, and cost control.
- Team leadership and people development.
- Stakeholder management and influencing.
- Commercial negotiation and dispute resolution.
- Managing complex commercial risks.
- Producing and interpreting financial and performance data.
- Contract management systems and commercial reporting tools.
- Working within utilities, infrastructure, construction, or related sectors.
Desirable Skills & Experience
- Experience managing large-scale reactive maintenance or infrastructure contracts.
- Adjudication experience.
- Commercial audit experience.
- SAP, CEMAR, Ellipse, or similar systems experience.
- Experience leading multi-disciplinary commercial teams.
Qualifications
- Essential
- Degree in Quantity Surveying, Commercial Management, Civil Engineering, or a related discipline.
- Chartered Quantity Surveyor (MRICS) or equivalent professional accreditation.
- Desirable
- APM (Association for Project Management) qualification.
- PRINCE2 qualification or equivalent project management certification.
Knowledge
- Strong understanding of NEC contract frameworks and commercial governance.
- Knowledge of utility, water, infrastructure, or operational maintenance contracting environments.
- Understanding of industry contracting models, operational delivery, and supply chain management.
- Sound appreciation of risk management, cost control, and financial reporting principles.
Closing Date: 11th Aug 2026. We may close this vacancy early if we receive a high volume of applications. We encourage you to apply as soon as possible.
Please note that the successful candidate will be subject to a mandatory DBS check as part of the onboarding process.
Be yourself, we like it that way. Together, we will build a culture of belonging, where inclusion is instinctive. Diversity is our strength and a reflection of our communities. We care, we value everyone, we celebrate uniqueness.
Our core values, which are essential to our success, are:
- Be Rock Solid - Build trust and be trusted. Be the one we all look to and can depend on.
- Be You - We want you to bring your best every day. Be yourself and make your mark in your individual way.
- Be the Future - Embrace change. Drive Progress. Own the challenge.
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