Commercial Programme Manager in Leicester

Derby | Complex engineered solutions | c £70,000 + bonus

This is an opportunity to take ownership of a long‑term, strategic supply agreement with a major global manufacturer and to shape the future of a small but important UK operation. Working as part of an international group providing specialised equipment and solutions for large industrial customers, you will be the commercial and programme lead for a key global contract. Reporting to the Programme Director, you will sit at the centre of a complex, multi‑site programme, linking the UK base in Derby with colleagues and partners across other international locations.

About the job

Your focus is to make this long‑term agreement a commercial and operational success and to use it as a platform for growth. Key elements of the role include:

• Owning the overall contract: commercial performance, service levels, profitability and customer satisfaction for the programme
• Building strong, influential relationships with stakeholders across the customer organisation – procurement, operations, engineering, production and programme teams – to understand their priorities and to identify opportunities for new and additional business
• Working with internal technical, operations, and sales colleagues globally to launch and embed new projects, products and modifications aligned to customer requirements
• Leading the business plan for the UK site: refining the programme strategy, defining priorities, and putting in place the systems, processes and KPIs needed to support growth
• Managing and developing the UK supply chain that underpins the contract, including supplier selection, performance management, and commercial negotiation
• Monitoring cost, quality and delivery performance, analysing variances and leading action plans with both the customer and internal teams
• Taking a proactive approach to continuous improvement, customer feedback, complaints and non‑conformances, ensuring issues are resolved quickly and used to strengthen relationships

This is a role that blends commercial responsibility, programme management and business development, with day‑to‑day interaction with senior stakeholders on both sides.

About you

I am looking for someone who is comfortable operating at the intersection of commercial contracts, complex projects and technically‑orientated products or services. You are likely to bring:

• Experience of managing large, complex programmes or key accounts for international customers in technical, engineered or industrial environments
• The ability to build great relationships with customers at all levels in large organisations
• The ability to understand and work with technical information – enough to discuss requirements credibly with internal specialists and customer engineers, even if you are not a qualified engineer
• Strong commercial and contractual awareness, with a track record of negotiation with major customers and suppliers
• Exposure to business development or sales – for example, growing revenue within existing key accounts, shaping proposals or leading bid activity
• Well‑developed administration and process skills: comfortable with planning, data, reporting and putting structure and discipline around complex activity
• The ability to work with international colleagues, to coordinate across sites and cultures, and to travel occasionally within the UK and overseas when needed

Personally, you will be customer‑focused, resilient and curious. You will enjoy building long‑term relationships, asking questions, and spotting patterns and opportunities that others might miss. You will also be hands‑on enough to deal with day‑to‑day detail while keeping sight of the bigger commercial picture. This is not a pure sales role, nor is it a narrow project management position. It is a chance to become the key interface between a specialised solutions provider and one of industry’s most significant global manufacturers, with a high degree of visibility and influence.

Initial interviews will be held locally late June/early July.