Senior Contracts Manager APAC - Aerospace / Defense Sector in London

A renowned Aerospace and Defense organisation requires a Senior Contracts Manager APAC to join their Commercial department in the Uxbridge, Middlesex (West London) office for a hybrid role. The Senior Contracts Manager has complete ownership of the APAC region - Far East market sector, including a number of key customer accounts across Indonesia, Malaysia, Taiwan, South Korea, Japan, Singapore, Thailand - responsible for end-to-end commercial activities in the region. This will include bidding, negotiating and winning strategically important business, managing existing contracts through the business, managing Offset obligations, ensuring delivery, invoicing and cash collection associated with deliveries of products and services.

You will be responsible for driving and managing a team that effectively delivers account management of allocated customer accounts, encompassing major bid and proposal preparation, pricing structures and terms and conditions of work. Key components of the role include conducting complex negotiations, ensuring contract management administration, senior customer relationship management, and building mutually beneficial relationships with the clients that the organisation services across the APAC region.

The Senior Contracts Manager leads the decision-making process on all commercial matters associated with customer transactions (new and ongoing), regularly briefing the Senior Leadership team and Board members during Account Reviews and Bid Reviews.

• Customer Relationships: Build and maintain strong, professional, and mutually beneficial relationships with customers (OEMs and End User communities) and be the focal point for all customer interactions, supported by colleagues from the Programmes, Engineering, Operations, Supply Chain and Sustainment teams.
• Agent Management: Manage the performance of, reporting from and payments to our Agents across the region of responsibility. Make recommendations to recruit/release agents based upon the needs of the end user and of the business.
• Deal Making / New Business Deals: Structure and negotiate new business deals, including leading complex major bids, managing straightforward bids/tenders, providing detailed commentary on customer terms and conditions.
• Contract Management: Monitor and ensure the successful delivery of business in accordance with the contractual terms. Activities include leading Contract Baseline Reviews (CBR) and providing advice and guidance relating to the delivery of products and services per the contractual terms.
• Contract Amendment: Negotiate changes to contracts, including contractual terms, up to delegated authority levels and in accordance with the terms agreed during the bid approval process.
• Contract Interpretation / Dispute Resolution: Guide the business in the understanding of contractual commitments and whether current activities and schedules remain compliant. Advise the business on the approach to and lead dialogue in discussions where the customer believes that we are not fulfilling our obligations.
• Policy: Recommend approaches for the business to maintain compliance with, and through personal example and leadership ensure others operate within commercial and behavioural standards and policies.
• Leadership: Manage direct report(s), including recruitment, development, objective setting and performance management. Provide guidance, assistance, coaching and mentoring to junior members of staff.
• Accountability: Responsible for meeting the business targets for allocated accounts. These targets include Order Intake, Sales, Arrears management, Debt management etc.
• Offering Infrastructure: Construct appropriate descriptions of Services and lead the definition of trading terms with customers and subcontractors to meet business needs.
• Risk Management: Judge the acceptability of overall risks associated with deals, generate options to mitigate identified risks and assist the business in deriving sensible steps to address those risks through appropriate contract terms or contract management.

Skills and Experience:

• Seasoned knowledge of commercial and contract processes within the aerospace/defence sector, including procurement practices, principles of contract structures, contractual terms and conditions, bid management and pricing techniques, exchange rates and forward exchange deals, guarantees, banking instruments, principles of export control and shipping terms.
• Experience and understanding when managing contract negotiation processes across the APAC region. Strong customer liaison and relationship expertise.
• Established people management skills, with proven abilities of driving commercial success with teams previously managed, determined to coach and steer the best results from direct reports.
• Excellent presentation and communication skills.
• Strong account management and stakeholder management abilities.
• Significant previous experience in a Commercial role (IACCM Accreditation is beneficial).
• Experience of working with Deal Structures, Contract Structures (T&Cs), Schedules, SoWs etc.
• Strong understanding of pricing methodologies and comfortable with pricing models, including through-life support models.
• Experience building, negotiating and/or delivering Offset contracts is beneficial.
• Able to translate the impact of negotiated terms to P&L, risk to delivery, etc.
• Good legal awareness of contractual obligations.
• Willing to undertake business travel in the UK and internationally, as required.

This is an exceptional opportunity to develop and progress your Contracts Management career in a high-profile position for a renowned Aerospace organisation.