Commercial Contracts Manager in Portsmouth

The Commercial Contracts Manager provides contractual and commercial expertise across the full project lifecycle, supporting pre-award and post-award activities to protect the company’s commercial position, manage contractual risk, and ensure compliance with agreed terms and conditions. The role supports project and commercial teams by advising on contract strategy, negotiation, amendments, and claims management. The role sits at the intersection of commercial strategy, legal oversight, and operational delivery.

Key Responsibilities

• Pre-Contract
• Support tendering and procurement processes, including reviewing bid documents and contributing to commercial strategy.
• Review client contracts and identify commercial and contractual risks, opportunities, and obligations.
• Qualify and draft contractual deviations, clarifications, and exceptions in line with company policy.
• Lead contract negotiations with clients and partners.
• Provide contractual advice during tendering and bid phases.
• Advise on appropriate contract strategies and risk allocation.
• Work with internal stakeholders to ensure contractual positions align with pricing, scope, and delivery strategy.
• Draft, evaluate, and negotiate Non‑Disclosure Agreements (NDAs) to ensure confidentiality obligations are clearly defined and upheld across Nexos’ client and supplier relationships.
• Develop and improve contract templates, processes and governance frameworks.
• Demonstrate strong working knowledge of industry-standard contract forms, including: LOGIC, NEC, IChemE, FIDIC.
• Post-Contract
• Ensure the successful award of each contract is followed by a thorough and accurate contractual handover to the project delivery team, including all relevant documentation, risks, and obligations.
• Support the administration of contracts following award.
• Draft, review, and manage contract amendments and variations.
• Provide guidance and training to key stakeholders on contractual terms, contractual entitlements, obligations, and change management.
• Support the preparation, submission, and negotiation of claims and counterclaims.
• Assist with dispute avoidance and resolution activities.
• Ensure contractual correspondence and records are maintained in accordance with governance requirements.
• Provide ongoing contractual advice to project, commercial, and engineering teams.
• Ensure all subcontractor agreements incorporate the relevant terms and conditions required under the client contract.
• Provide support to the Supply Chain team during the negotiation of subcontractor and procurement terms and conditions.
• Ensure contingent workforce engagement contracts are accurately drafted and fully compliant with IR35 legislation.
• Stakeholder Management
• Act as a contractual point of contact for internal stakeholders including Project Managers, Commercial Managers, Engineering, and Legal.
• Interface with clients and external parties on contractual matters as required.
• Support alignment between contractual obligations and project execution.

Skills & Qualifications

• Essential
• Strong understanding of contract law, commercial terms, and risk management principles.
• Proven experience in contract negotiation, risk management and stakeholder management.
• Excellent attention to detail with the ability to interpret complex legal and commercial language.
• Strong knowledge of standard forms of contract (LOGIC, NEC, IChemE, FIDIC).
• Background in sectors such as construction, engineering, energy, and professional services.
• Experienced in claims preparation and dispute management.
• Degree in Law, Quantity Surveying, Business, Engineering or a related discipline.
• Desirable
• Professional qualification or membership (e.g. RICS, IACCM/WorldCC, CIPS).
• Experience negotiating Power Purchase Agreements (PPAs), Special Purpose Vehicle (SPV) agreements and Escrow agreements.

Key Competencies

• Strong analytical and attention to detail.
• Effective negotiation and communication skills.
• Commercial and contractual judgement.
• Ability to work collaboratively with multi-disciplinary teams.
• Ability to work under pressure, manage multiple deadlines, and prioritise effectively.

Work Environment/Conditions

• Office based.
• Will require regular travel to other Aberdeen facilities and client premises.
• Full-Time: 37.5-hours per week.

The duties and responsibilities outlined in this job description are intended to provide an overview of the general nature and level of work performed by employees within this role. It is not an exhaustive list of all responsibilities, duties, and skills required. The role holder may be required to perform other duties as assigned, which are not listed here but are necessary to meet the business needs of the company.