Head of Commercial - North & Delta in Birmingham

Location: Birmingham

HS2 Ltd endeavours to ensure everyone working for us and with us feels included, thrives and achieves their full potential. We are positive and inclusive about making adjustments, providing flexible working, encouraging our staff networks to flourish and providing personal and professional development opportunities.

Job Description

To lead the delivery of all commercial activities across Integrated Project Teams (IPTs) for major civil engineering infrastructure contracts, ensuring effective procurement, commercial management and performance of high‑value programmes. The role provides leadership to commercial teams, drives value for money through robust NEC contract management and ensures alignment of commercial strategies with HS2’s strategic objectives, governance requirements and delivery outcomes.

• Pre‑Contract
• Lead the development of commercial and procurement strategies for major civil engineering contracts, ensuring alignment with HS2 objectives, affordability targets and risk appetite.
• Provide commercial input to procurement planning and packaging strategies to optimise competition, manage interfaces and deliver value for money.
• Support the development of tender documentation, including NEC contract terms, pricing structures, works information and commercial mechanisms.
• Contribute to the design and implementation of tender evaluation models, ensuring consistency, transparency and governance compliance.
• Engage with internal stakeholders to ensure commercial considerations are embedded within early project development.
• Procurement
• Provide commercial leadership and support to the evaluation, moderation and negotiation of tenders to achieve robust and defensible outcomes.
• Support contract award processes in line with HS2 governance and assurance requirements.
• Develop contract management plans, defining commercial controls, reporting requirements and performance frameworks.
• Ensure contract readiness, including mobilisation planning, resource alignment and system implementation.
• Post‑Contract
• Lead the commercial management of major NEC3/NEC4 civil engineering contracts, ensuring compliance with contractual processes and HS2 governance.
• Manage and oversee compensation events, ensuring timely notification, assessment and agreement in line with NEC principles.
• Interim applications, payments and financial reporting to maintain cost control and transparency.
• Performance mechanisms and incentives aligned to delivery outcomes.
• Cost forecasting, trend analysis and final cost estimation.
• Ensure effective cost verification and assurance, providing robust challenge to supplier submissions.
• Support monthly performance reviews (MBR) and ad hoc reporting as required.
• Lead the avoidance and resolution of disputes, maintaining effective commercial relationships with the supply chain partners.
• Provide day‑to‑day commercial advice to IPTs, supporting delivery decision‑making.
• Identify and develop opportunities for cost savings and value improvement, supported by robust business cases.
• Promote a collaborative IPT culture, embedding best practice, consistency and continuous improvement.
• Maintain overall accountability for commercial relationships with key contractors and suppliers.
• Lead and review cost estimates at all stages of project development and delivery.
• Leadership
• Provide leadership to commercial teams, including objective setting, performance management and professional development.
• Act as a delegated authority for governance decisions, including approval of change and risk drawdown in line with HS2 requirements.
• Support the development and continuous improvement of commercial policies, processes and procedures.
• Contribute to the development of commercial capability across the organisation.
• Foster collaboration across IPTs and functional teams to enable integrated delivery.
• Actively promote and embed Equality, Diversity and Inclusion (EDI) in all activities.
• About You
• Ability to lead the commercial management of major civil engineering infrastructure contracts and programmes, delivering value for money in a complex environment.
• Ability to develop commercial and procurement strategies aligned to organisational and programme objectives.
• Ability to manage NEC contract environments, including proactive contract administration and commercial control.
• Ability to demonstrate complex negotiation and dispute resolution skills, maintaining effective long‑term commercial relationships.
• Ability to manage complex stakeholder environments across internal and external interfaces.
• Ability to lead, develop and manage high‑performing commercial teams within a matrix organisation.
• Ability to develop and improve commercial policies, processes and governance frameworks.
• Type of Experience
• Experience of leading large commercial management teams delivering high‑value contracts on major civil engineering infrastructure projects or programmes.
• Experience of managing and administering high‑value and complex NEC3/NEC4 contracts, including compensation events, change control and collaborative contracting approaches on major civil‑engineering programmes.
• Experience of working within publicly funded or highly regulated environments.
• Experience in delivering value for money and effective commercial outcomes for the client organisation.

The post-holder is expected to behave at all times in a manner consistent with the HS2 values of Safety, Leadership, Integrity and Respect. It is expected that you will actively promote and embed Equality, Diversity and Inclusion (EDI) in all your work and support and comply with all organisational initiatives, policies and procedures on EDI.

As HS2 Ltd do not hold a sponsorship license from the Home Office, we are not able to provide sponsorship to any applicant. Applicants must already have the Right to Work in the UK at the time of application and our process involves a Right to Work validation prior to the interview stage. Offers are subject to satisfactory completion of pre‑employment checks which include Nationality & Immigration Status, employment references, DBS, Financial and Education checks.