Head of Commercial Operations in Henley in Arden

Informed Engineering is an agile and growing SME consultancy delivering high-quality engineering design, digital engineering and project support services across the built environment. We combine technical excellence with a practical, client-focused approach to provide innovative and reliable solutions across highways, drainage, infrastructure and BIM-enabled projects. Our collaborative culture empowers talented engineers to make a real impact, working closely with clients to solve complex challenges, drive digital transformation and deliver projects efficiently from concept through to completion.

The Commercial Director is responsible for leading and overseeing the commercial strategy, business development, contractual management, financial performance, and client relationship functions of the organisation, extending into business development. The role ensures the company achieves sustainable revenue growth, maximises profitability, mitigates commercial risk, and strengthens long-term market position. The Commercial Director acts as a strategic leader across all commercial activities, aligning operational delivery with business objectives while maintaining strong governance, compliance, and stakeholder engagement standards.

This position requires strong leadership capability, commercial acumen, negotiation expertise, and a deep understanding of contractual, financial, and operational performance management. The Commercial Director will be responsible for reviewing, executing, and maintaining contracts across all projects and advising the team as to when and how they should be instigating commercial communication, with clearly defined routes for escalation so that non-commercial staff can understand how to work to the contract appropriately.

Company Specific Responsibilities

• Establish a tiered grading system for the roles and responsibilities of Informed Engineering and define the segregation and expectations between Entry / Junior / Mid / Senior / Technical Management / Executive SLT roles.
• Establish a clear tangible performance management system for personal development with the SLT, including a set of principles for identifying and managing underperformance – aligned to Investors in People strategy.
• Aid the Chief Executive in the establishment of criteria for the trigger to initiate the Employee Ownership Trust.
• Guide the organisation through the transitional phase of ownership change and assist the Chief Executive in driving the correct culture and motivators to ensure the maximum possible gain from employee ownership.
• Define a 5-year growth plan, in conjunction with our fractional CFO and clear metrics for reaching this with annual targets and actions to achieve.
• Outwardly promote excellent client relationships and purposeful communication to being integral to aligning with the Informed Engineering values.
• With the Chief Executive, put in place a plan for migrating (both inwardly facing, and outwardly facing) from being an Information Management specialist consultancy, to being an Engineering Design Consultancy with an expertise in Information Management.
• Work with our Marketing Consultant and Chief Executive to identify a target market to gain Highway / Public Infrastructure projects.
• Manage the transition with our insurers from our previous service offer to being a Design consultancy (progress already initiated, initial stages).

Commercial Strategy & Leadership

• Develop and implement the company's commercial strategy in alignment with objectives and growth targets.
• Identify new market opportunities, strategic partnerships, and revenue streams and formulate and propose plans to secure new projects and retain existing.
• Lead commercial planning processes including forecasting, pipeline development, and long-term business growth initiatives at both a strategic and per project level.
• Provide strategic advice to executive leadership on commercial risks, opportunities, and market positioning.
• Manage business insurance and PI risk exposure.
• Drive profitability improvement initiatives across projects, contracts, and operational activities.
• Establish and monitor key commercial performance indicators (KPIs) and business metrics.
• Ensure commercial activities support sustainable growth and operational efficiency.
• Contribute to overall business planning, budgeting, and corporate decision-making.

Business Development & Client Management

• Lead business development initiatives to secure new clients, frameworks, and strategic contracts and identify with other SLT members how and where to bid for new projects.
• Management of project bids.
• Build and maintain strong relationships with key clients, partners, consultants, contractors, and stakeholders.
• Identify and pursue tendering opportunities aligned with company objectives and lead the senior technical team through the process of creating tender submissions, as the penultimate reviewer with the Chief Executive.
• Oversee proposal development, pricing strategies, bid submissions, and contract negotiations.
• Represent the company at industry events, client meetings, networking functions, and commercial negotiations.
• Maintain outstanding customer satisfaction and client retention.
• Develop strategic account management plans for major clients and projects.
• Monitor market trends, competitor activity, and industry developments.

Contract Management & Commercial Governance

• Oversee the preparation, negotiation, review, and administration of contracts and commercial agreements.
• Ensure all contracts are commercially sound, compliant, and aligned with company risk appetite.
• Lead negotiations relating to pricing, scope changes, claims, variations, extensions of time, and dispute resolution.
• Ensure contractual obligations are understood by the non-commercial team and effectively managed across the business.
• Implement robust commercial governance frameworks, procedures, and controls.
• Collaborate closely with legal advisors on complex contractual matters and dispute management.
• Monitor contract performance and ensure compliance with contractual terms and conditions.
• Minimise commercial exposure and proactively manage risk across all projects and business activities.
• Formulate and deploy a strategy to define the commercial reactiveness / proactiveness for non-commercial staff, ensuring that every team member understands when to escalate to SLT and what the triggers for this would be, with a goal to ensure every team member has an understanding of their ability to drive profit / loss linked to their role.

Financial & Commercial Performance Management

• Manage commercial budgets, forecasts, revenue targets, and profitability objectives.
• Oversee cost control, margin improvement, and financial performance across projects and operations.
• Analyse financial reports, commercial data, and define, monitor, and present operational metrics to support strategic decisions.
• Ensure accurate financial forecasting and revenue reporting.
• Drive cash flow improvement and working capital management, collaborating closely with our fractional Chief Financial Officer.
• Approve pricing structures, commercial models, and major financial commitments.
• Oversee company spending and identify a proportionate and reasonable training budget.
• Support investment appraisals and commercial feasibility assessments.

Leadership & Team Management

• Educate, develop, and mentor the current team to gain commercial understanding related to day-to-day roles, with a view to appropriately expanding the commercial team formally when the company size allows.
• Build a high-performance culture focused on accountability, collaboration, and results.
• Define team objectives, responsibilities, and performance expectations.
• Conduct performance reviews, coaching, and succession planning activities.
• Support recruitment and talent development and identify skills gaps.
• Promote professional development and continuous learning.

Required Qualifications & Experience

• Bachelor's degree in Business, Commercial Management, Finance, Quantity Surveying, Engineering, Law, or related Civil Engineering.
• Professional membership/accreditation desirable (e.g., RICS, CIOB, CICES, CIMA, ICE).
• Significant senior-level commercial management experience.
• Proven record of delivering commercial growth and profitability.
• Strong experience in contract negotiation and commercial risk management.
• Experience managing large-scale projects, frameworks, or complex commercial portfolios.
• Strong financial and analytical capability.
• Experience leading multidisciplinary teams.

Key Skills & Competencies

• Advanced commercial acumen.
• Financial analysis and forecasting.
• Pricing and profitability management.
• Contractual negotiation expertise.
• Strategic planning capability.
• Strong leadership and people management skills.
• Decision-making and problem-solving.
• Stakeholder management.
• Influencing and negotiation.
• Risk management.
• Governance and compliance.
• Excellent verbal and written communication.

Performance Measures (KPIs)

• Revenue growth.
• Gross profit and margin performance.
• Contract win rate.
• Client retention and satisfaction.
• Commercial risk reduction.
• Cash flow performance.
• Forecast accuracy.
• Tender success rates.
• Project commercial performance.
• Team engagement and development.

Personal Attributes

• Analytical thinker with strong commercial awareness.
• Purposeful and highly accountable.
• Strong ethical and professional standards.
• Resilient under pressure.
• Initiative-taking and solution-oriented.
• Collaborative leadership style.
• Strong diligence.
• Elevated level of integrity and professionalism.