Principal Commercial Manager

AWE is currently recruiting for a Principal Commercial Manager for the Commercial team.

Location: Reading, with free onsite parking.

Package: £63,270 to £95,000 (depending on your suitability, qualifications, and level of experience).

Working pattern: AWE operates a 9-day working fortnight. We will consider flexible working requests so that your work may fit in with your lifestyle. Just let us know your preferred working pattern on your application.

The role

As a Principal Commercial Manager, you will operate as the client side commercial authority for large, complex infrastructure contracts, playing a critical role in enabling safe, assured and value for money delivery. Providing commercial and contract performance leadership to the project team to enable effective management of project and commercial risk.

This is a senior commercial management role, requiring sound judgement, confidence operating in ambiguity, and the ability to lead others through complex commercial challenges. You will be trusted to take decisions, manage risk proportionately, and provide clear direction in high stakes environments.

You will lead strategic planning and governance. Manage, develop and mentor a team that administer the contracts, and get involved in contract disputes. You will support the procurement team, advising on contract options management, working with tier 1 Suppliers and managing KPI reviews / planning. Integration and cross functional relationship management is key.

What you will do

• Act as Client Commercial Manager for large, complex infrastructure contracts across their full lifecycle ensuring they deliver value for money and achieve the objectives.
• Provide commercial management leadership, ensuring risk, change and performance are managed effectively and proportionately.
• Lead a team that manages supplier payments and analysis of contract and subcontract agreements.
• Set and maintain contract governance, reporting, assurance and standards, aligned to organisational objectives.
• Lead engagement with Tier 1 suppliers, including the management of complex issues and disputes.
• Influence and advise senior internal stakeholders, bringing clarity to complex commercial decisions.
• Lead, develop and mentor commercial management professionals, building capability and confidence across teams.
• Draft, review and negotiate complex contractual arrangements.
• Support the wider business through shared learning for continuous improvement.
• Support the organisation with future business planning of capital spend.

This role is focused on commercial management and client side leadership, working alongside procurement colleagues where required.

What success looks like in this role

We are looking for people who can consistently demonstrate the following:

• Making effective decisions: Exercises strong commercial judgement in complex, uncertain and high‐risk situations; balances assurance, risk and pace to support delivery rather than defaulting to process; takes ownership of decisions and is comfortable being accountable for outcomes.
• Seeing the big picture: Understands how individual contracts contribute to wider programme and organisational objectives; anticipates future risks and issues rather than reacting when they crystallise; thinks strategically about contract structure, incentives and behaviours, not just compliance.
• Communicating and influencing: Influences senior stakeholders and suppliers with credibility and confidence; explains complex contractual issues clearly, pragmatically and without unnecessary jargon; handles challenge, disagreement and dispute constructively and professionally.
• Leadership: Sets clear expectations and standards for commercial management practice; develops others through coaching, mentoring and role modelling good judgement; creates a culture of trust, accountability and continuous improvement.

Experience we are looking for

We are interested in what you have done and how you operate, not just your formal qualifications. You are likely to have significant experience in areas such as:

• Managing large, complex infrastructure or engineering contracts through delivery.
• Acting as the client‐side commercial lead in regulated or safety‐critical environments.
• Managing contractual change, performance, risk and disputes.
• Working with senior stakeholders across organisational boundaries.
• Leading and developing people in matrix or multi‐disciplinary teams.
• Pricing arrangements and commercial models e.g. target cost incentive fee.
• Earned value management.
• Supporting the development of tender packages.
• Support the drafting and review of contract scope.

Experience of NEC contracts, target cost / incentive mechanisms, or tools such as CEMAR is helpful, but not essential. Transferable experience and sound judgement are more important than familiarity with specific forms or systems.

Background and qualifications

If you have the experience, judgement and behaviours needed to operate at this level, Principal Commercial Manager, we want to hear from you — regardless of your formal qualifications. We would be particularly interested to hear from you if you have any of the following:

• 10 years relevant commercial management experience.
• A bachelor’s degree in commercial management, quantity surveying, economics, business, law, or a similar discipline or equivalent experience.
• A member of the Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors (RICS), Chartered Institution of Civil Engineering Surveyors (CICES), or similar.

If you have any other experience, qualifications or professional membership that you consider makes you a great fit for AWE, please share as they will be considered as part of the selection process.

Our commitment

We actively encourage applications from people with diverse professional backgrounds and career paths. If this role excites you but you are unsure whether you meet every requirement, we would still strongly encourage you to apply.

Work hard, be rewarded:

We ask a lot and set the bar high because our work truly matters. In return we offer balance, with award winning benefits including:

• 9-day working fortnight – meaning you get every other Friday off work, in addition to 270 hours of annual leave.
• Market leading contributory pension scheme (we will pay between 9% and 13% of your pensionable pay depending on your contributions).
• Family friendly policies: Maternity Leave - 39 Weeks Full Pay and Paternity Leave - 4 Weeks Full Pay.
• Opportunities for Professional Career Development including funding for annual membership of a relevant professional body.
• Employee Assistance Programme and Occupational Health Services.
• Life Assurance (4 x annual salary).
• Discounts – access to savings on a wide range of everyday spending.
• Special Leave Policy including paid time off for volunteering, public service (including reserve forces) and caring.

Hybrid working is available on a non‐contractual basis (typically 3 days onsite or in the office per week).

Next steps:

Everyone who works at AWE brings unique skills and perspectives to the table. We recognise that great people don’t always ‘tick every box’. That’s why we focus on your potential, your fit with our values, your transferable skills as well as your experience. Even if you don’t meet every point above, but you feel that this role and AWE are a great fit for you, please go ahead and apply, we’d love to receive your application.

Important things you need to know:

• We encourage you to apply promptly to avoid disappointment if applications are high and the role therefore closes.
• You will need to obtain and maintain the necessary security clearance for the role. This will be funded by AWE. The nature of our work does mean you need to be a British Citizen who has been resident in the UK for the past 5 years in order to apply for SC clearance and 10 years for DV.
• We want you to feel comfortable and able to shine during our recruitment process. Please let us know on your application form if you need any adjustments/accommodations during the process.
• Our interviews typically take place over Teams and for most roles are a 1 stage process.

Our ambition is to create workplaces where we recognise and celebrate differences, encourage diverse contributions and our employees feel able to be themselves at work. We strive to create a genuine culture of openness and inclusion and encourage diverse applicants. Any inclusion information you provide will be stored in accordance with GDPR and kept separate from your application form and CV, and the information will not be shared with anyone involved in interviewing or making hiring decisions.

Please note that you must be a British Citizen to apply for a role with us.