Commercial Manager in Bristol

We are recruiting a Commercial Manager to join our Construction Strategy Team, where you will play a critical role in shaping the commercial outcomes of major infrastructure projects across our network. Leading a team of Commercial Officers and Pre‑Construction Quantity Surveyors, you will be accountable for maximising commercial value at the pre‑contract stage of construction projects. Operating within a regulated framework, you’ll ensure strong governance while driving value for money for consumers. By leveraging National Grid’s significant buying power, you will determine the most effective routes to market for projects of varying size and complexity. This will include working closely with our supply‑chain partners, including the Electricity Transmission Partnerships (ETP), across substation, cable, cable tunnel and overhead line programmes. You’ll be responsible for developing and implementing commercial and contracting strategies, including contract selection, terms and conditions, and risk mitigation. Through strong stakeholder engagement and leadership, you’ll influence how we deliver major infrastructure projects through to 2030 and beyond.

Responsibilities

• Work on projects throughout the South of England, supporting the transition to the contract delivery phase.
• Handover executed contracts to the delivery team and provide support to delivery teams to understand the terms of the contract.
• Use your experience of NEC3 or NEC4 Contracts, including cost assurance and relationship management, to work proactively with the contractors to identify value, benchmarking and implementing contracts/frameworks.
• Support and influence meetings with a range of different stakeholders, including internal procurement, delivery, regulation, and legal teams, as well as external transmission system owners, customers, Contractors and DNOs.
• Coach, guide and lead a team with a diverse range of experience.
• Using your experience of the tender process, work with the procurement team to negotiate the best possible contracting strategy.

This role covers the South region and will require travel within the region as well as the occasional meeting in the Bristol Office. There will also be a weekly meeting in Sheffield, and this can be combined with hybrid working from home.

Qualifications & Experience

• You have a solid grasp of contract and risk management, underpinned by an analytical, commercially focused mindset that supports effective decision‑making and value optimisation.
• You are motivated by leading people and have the capability to manage and develop large, geographically dispersed teams across the UK.
• You also bring experience of operating within a regulated environment, with the ability to support strategic development and commercial modelling in line with regulatory requirements.
• Knowledge of the energy sector, particularly in relation to cables, substations, overhead lines and civil works, would be highly advantageous, though not essential.
• An understanding of the procurement and regulatory environment in which we operate would also be beneficial, given the regulatory obligations that shape how we deliver our work.
• Above all, you are a confident and credible influencer, able to engage and collaborate effectively with both internal and external stakeholders, driven by a genuine passion for helping Britain achieve Net Zero.

The UK has set out its ambition to be net zero by 2050 and the energy industry is responding – together we are building a cleaner, greener Britain. At National Grid, we keep people connected and society moving, but what we do goes far beyond that. We provide the environment, scale and opportunity to help you make a real impact.

Salary and Benefits

• Salary of £63,000 to £80,000 per annum, depending on experience
• Job requirement car
• Annual Performance Based Bonus of up to 30%
• 28 days annual leave, plus eight statutory days
• Generous contributory pension scheme – we will double‑match your contribution to a maximum company contribution of 12%
• The option to buy additional or sell holiday days
• Financial support to help cover the cost of professional membership subscriptions, course fees, books, exam fees and time off for study leave – so long as it’s relevant to your role
• Access to several flexible benefits such as a share incentive plan, salary sacrifice car and technology schemes, support via employee assistance lines and matched charity giving to name a few
• Family care benefits including a back‑up care service for when your usual care arrangements fall through (six paid days each year as standard with the option to purchase further days)
• Access to numerous apps which support health, fitness and wellbeing