Commercial Contracts Manager in Bristol

We have an exciting opportunity for an experienced Commercial Contract Manager to join the University of Bristol for a 14-month maternity cover role, dedicated to contract management within IT Services, a crucial division which delivers world class support and services to more than 8,000 colleagues and 30,000 students.

The successful candidate will be working closely with technical and governance colleagues in IT Services and with procurement and accountancy colleagues in Finance Services to identify and deliver financial and non-financial benefits from the University’s largest and most complex IT-related contracts. The postholder will have involvement in around 200 contracts, with an annual spend of £76m. The level of involvement will vary according to risk and strategic prioritisation.

What will you be doing?

• You will be expected to manage and support all phases of the contract lifecycle, including proactive engagement with key supplier personnel to manage and report on service performance, contract compliance, risk management and cost control.
• You will lead complex negotiations with representatives of a range of supplier organisations to support the achievement of the objectives within the IT services division and wider University.
• You will be asked to provide commercial and contract advice to stakeholders, including on contractual terms and conditions, and will be expected to give an expert view on the commercial impact of key contractual clauses.
• You will be actively involved in drafting Key Performance Indicators and Management Information to support IT Services in achieving value for money across its contracts, including taking an active role in reviewing KPI reports to identify patterns and potential points of concern and be able to advise stakeholders of any necessary commercial actions required.
• Depending on contract tiering prioritisation, you will lead or support stakeholders on managing contract variations to ensure contract changes are tracked and approved appropriately.
• You will directly support IT Services in any savings targets and value for money objectives by utilising effective contract management solutions.

You should apply if

The successful candidate will have:

• Experience of negotiation including strategy and ability to influence internal and external stakeholders;
• Confidence with a wide range of different contract documents;
• Sound understanding of budgets and financial objectives and how that relates to the identification of savings opportunities at a contract level;
• Experience of managing all phases of the contract lifecycle;
• Experience in contract law including confidence in clause drafting;
• Experience in building relationships with internal and external stakeholders, including strong communication skills with suppliers to be able to positively challenge through to resolution.

Additional information

• Contract type: Fixed term maternity cover for 14 months
• Work pattern: Full time
• Grade: K
• School/Unit: Finance Services - Procurement

This advert will close at 23:59 UK time on Tuesday 10th February. For informal queries about the role, please contact Rob Logan (Director of Procurement) on rob.logan@bristol.ac.uk.

Our strategy and mission

We recently launched our strategy to 2030 tying together our mission, vision and values. The University of Bristol aims to be a place where everyone feels able to be themselves and do their best in an inclusive working environment where all colleagues can thrive and reach their full potential. We want to attract, develop, and retain individuals with different experiences, backgrounds and perspectives – particularly people of colour, LGBT+ and disabled people - because diversity of people and ideas remains integral to our excellence as a global civic institution.