Contract Manager in Southampton

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Application End Date:

We are using and creating technology to transform operations at sea to enable people and the planet to thrive.

We are open-minded and fearless in our approach to innovation and don't believe in boundaries. We challenge everything and have massive ambitions to drag aging industries into the tech era.

We take safety, equality and education very seriously, and our responsibilities don't stop at our front door. Our business is built on the belief that there's definitely a more environmentally responsible way to operate at sea.

We employ people who share our core values. We expect our people to be courageous, trustworthy, and conscientious, driven by a desire to do the right thing. We strive for excellence, work collaboratively, and are genuinely excited by our work.

We offer opportunities for our people to develop beyond their role and span a multitude of disciplines. These are open to all, regardless of background and experience level. Working with us means being part of a team that is harnessing technology and creativity to disrupt a traditional industry.

We are not your average workplace.

The Contract Manager is accountable for leading the commercial and contractual framework that underpins successful delivery across Ocean Infinity Solutions UK defence and national security portfolio. The role provides strategic ownership and delivery of customer, subcontractor, supplier, and partner contractual arrangements, ensuring robust governance, effective risk management, and disciplined execution across multiple parallel programmes of record.

• Effective day-to-day commercial and contractual management of contracts between the Ocean Infinity and our Defence and National Security customers, together with our associated contracts with subcontractors, suppliers, and delivery partners
• Development of flow down contracts and support to negotiations with the MOD to agree head contracts setting flow down conditions; this may include leading engagement with external counsel
• Ensures contractual compliance, commercial governance, risk mitigation, supplier performance management, and successful contract delivery across our first UK programme or record and develop processes to enable repeated performance of the same in new PoRs
• Developing licensing frameworks, packaging and protections that support Ocean Infinity's product leverage, margin, and international growth as we scale into adjacent markets based on delivery excellence in home markets

This role acts as the primary commercial authority for contract lifecycle management, from head contract negotiation and flow-down structuring through to performance management, change control, compliance, and close-out. Working across programme, engineering, procurement, finance, legal, and operational teams, the Contract Manager enables the organisation to scale with confidence by establishing the contractual discipline, commercial mechanisms, and partnering structures required to deliver complex commitments reliably and compliantly.

The successful candidate will bring the judgement and experience to operate credibly in regulated defence environments, shape commercial approaches that protect value and enable growth, and ensure Ocean Infinity is positioned to meet the demands of an expanding portfolio through strong accountability, clear decision-making, and consistent delivery performance.

Key Responsibilities

MOD Contract Management

• Lead commercial and contractual delivery across MOD customer contracts
• Own contractual obligations, milestones, reporting, and compliance across multiple programmes
• Lead customer engagement, change control, and contract governance to support delivery and resolve issues early
• Manage contractual risk, compliance, formal correspondence, and audit-ready records
• Negotiate amendments, claims, and variations while protecting delivery and commercial value

Licensing, IP & Productisation

• Develop scalable licensing strategies for software, data, platforms, and service models
• Protect IP ownership, usage rights, and exploitation across customer and partner arrangements
• Work with Engineering, Legal, Product, and Programmes to convert outputs into productised offerings
• Establish templates and playbooks that support repeatable commercial growth

Subcontractor & Supplier Contract Management

• Lead the contractual management of subcontractors, suppliers, and delivery partners
• Ensure agreements reflect customer flow-downs, risk allocation, and performance obligations
• Establish supplier governance that provides visibility of delivery, quality, security, and commercial performance
• Support negotiations, issue resolution, and corrective action to protect programme outcomes

Commercial & Financial Responsibilities

• Provide commercial leadership into programme planning, forecasting, and budget management
• Assess the commercial impact of change, delay, risk, and technical variation
• Support pricing, proposals, invoicing, and milestone governance to protect value and cash
• Drive margin protection and contribute to product and portfolio growth decisions

Governance, Compliance & Risk Management

• Lead contractual governance in line with company policy, delegated authority, and legal requirements
• Support audits and maintain an audit-ready approach to contracts, procurement, and defence compliance
• Translate MOD regulations and industry standards into practical commercial controls and guidance

Essential Skills & Experience

• Proven experience in contract management within defence, maritime, aerospace, engineering, or highly regulated industries
• Demonstrated experience developing or supporting:
• Licensing models
• Productisation or commercialisation strategies
• Experience managing contracts with the UK MOD or prime defence contractors
• Strong understanding of commercial and contractual principles
• Experience managing subcontractor and supplier agreements
• Knowledge of MOD contractual frameworks, DEFCONs, and defence procurement processes
• Strong negotiation, communication, and stakeholder management skills
• Ability to interpret complex contractual documentation
• Experience managing contract changes, variations, and risk

Desirable Experience

• Experience within maritime technology, naval systems, or defence electronics sectors
• Familiarity with:
• Single Source Contract Regulations (SSCR)
• Defence and Security Public Contracts Regulations (DSPCR)
• NEC or JCT contract forms
• Export control and ITAR/EAR considerations
• Experience supporting bids, proposals and commercial models
• Understanding of programme management methodologies.

Qualifications

• Degree qualified in Business, Law, Engineering, Commercial Management, or related discipline, or equivalent relevant experience
• Professional contract or commercial management qualifications desirable

Personal Attributes

• Highly organised and detail-oriented
• Strong commercial judgement
• Proactive and solutions-focused
• Able to work independently and collaboratively
• Entrepreneurial mindset with focus on value creation and scalability
• Strong interpersonal and influencing skills
• Comfortable operating in fast-paced and highly regulated environments
• High level of integrity and professionalism
• Growth mindset, and readiness to ‘roll-up the sleeves’ to get things done in a high accountability, flat organisation with scope for growth for high performing, high potential candidates

Annex A – Detailed Key Responsibilities

MOD Contract Management

• Provide commercial leadership and contractual oversight across MOD customer contracts, ensuring contractual frameworks support successful programme delivery and long-term customer confidence
• Own delivery of contractual obligations, milestones, reporting commitments, and compliance requirements, ensuring disciplined execution across multiple programmes
• Establish and maintain effective contract performance governance, using KPIs, SLAs, schedules, and commercial measures to drive accountability and informed decision-making
• Lead strategic engagement with customer commercial representatives, programme teams, and stakeholders to support delivery, resolve issues early, and maintain trusted relationships
• Direct contract mobilisation, change control, implementation, and close-out activities to ensure contractual arrangements remain aligned with programme and business needs
• Chair or coordinate contractual governance and review forums, ensuring timely escalation, clear actions, and alignment between internal and external stakeholders
• Ensure compliance with defence contractual standards, DEFCONs, DEFSTANs, JSPs, and relevant procurement regulations, protecting the organisation’s ability to operate and grow in regulated markets
• Lead identification and management of contractual risks, liabilities, and opportunities across the contract lifecycle, balancing protection of value with delivery pragmatism
• Maintain robust contractual records, amendments, approvals, and formal correspondence to support auditability, governance, and defensible decision-making
• Lead contractual responses to customer queries, audits, notices, and formal communications, ensuring consistency, timeliness, and commercial discipline
• Shape and negotiate amendments, extensions, variations, and claims in a manner that protects delivery, manages risk, and preserves commercial value
• Ensure adherence to export control, security, confidentiality, and information assurance requirements as an integral part of contract execution and customer trust

Licensing, IP & Productisation

• Lead development of scalable licensing strategies for Ocean Infinity technologies, including software, data, platform access, and hybrid service models, to enable repeatable growth and commercial flexibility
• Define and protect IP ownership, usage rights, and exploitation strategies across customer, subcontractor, and partner arrangements, ensuring long-term value creation and freedom to operate
• Work with Engineering, Legal, Product, and Programme teams to convert project outputs into commercially viable, productised offerings that can be deployed across multiple customers and programmes
• Establish standard licensing templates, commercial playbooks, and governance mechanisms that improve consistency, reduce negotiation cycle time, and support organisational scaling
• Ensure licensing and IP approaches are aligned with MOD procurement requirements, export control obligations, and security/classification constraints
• Enable multi-customer exploitation of Ocean Infinity capabilities while managing contractual, regulatory, and customer-specific restrictions associated with defence programmes

Subcontractor & Supplier Contract Management

• Lead the commercial and contractual management of subcontractors, suppliers, and delivery partners to ensure external delivery arrangements are aligned with programme objectives and customer commitments
• Ensure subcontractor and supplier agreements accurately reflect customer flow-down requirements, risk allocation, and performance obligations
• Establish and maintain supplier governance arrangements that provide visibility of technical, commercial, quality, delivery, and security performance
• Support strategic supplier onboarding and negotiations, ensuring external partners are contractually positioned to deliver against current and future programme demands
• Lead coordination of supplier contract changes, variations, disputes, and issue resolution to maintain delivery momentum and commercial control
• Ensure supplier deliverables, acceptance criteria, payment milestones, and contractual commitments are clearly defined, monitored, and enforced.
• Partner with Procurement and Supply Chain to strengthen supplier governance, commercial discipline, and resilience across the delivery ecosystem
• Escalate performance concerns early and drive corrective action where required to protect programme outcomes and customer commitments
• Maintain confidence that subcontractor documentation, certifications, insurance, and regulatory obligations remain current and audit-ready
• Develop strategic delivery partnerships that support product expansion, capability scaling, and sustained competitive advantage

Commercial & Financial Responsibilities

• Provide commercial leadership into programme planning, forecasting, and budget management to ensure contractual commitments remain deliverable and financially robust
• Assess the commercial implications of programme changes, delays, risks, and technical variation, supporting timely decisions that protect value and delivery performance
• Contribute to pricing strategy, commercial proposals, and bid activity, ensuring lessons learned from delivery are translated into stronger future commercial positions
• Oversee commercial assurance around invoicing, milestone achievement, and payment approvals to maintain cash discipline and contractual integrity
• Monitor liabilities, penalties, liquidated damages, and wider commercial exposures, ensuring risks are visible, managed, and escalated appropriately
• Drive margin protection and commercial optimisation across programmes through disciplined contract management, negotiation, and change control
• Shape pricing and commercial constructs for productised offerings to support repeatable revenue models and strategic growth
• Provide commercial input to investment decisions related to product development, capability enhancement, and portfolio expansion

Governance, Compliance & Risk Management

• Provide leadership for contractual governance, ensuring all activities are conducted in line with company policy, delegated authority, legal requirements, and customer expectations
• Lead or support internal and external audits relating to contracts, procurement, and defence compliance, maintaining an audit-ready posture across the organisation
• Maintain active awareness of evolving MOD regulations, procurement practices, and defence industry standards, translating these into practical controls, guidance, and commercial decision support

Salary: The salary varies for this position as we are recruiting in multiple regional locations and job grades. The salary process is based on skills, abilities, and experience required.

What you can expect:

At Ocean Infinity, we believe in creating equal opportunities for all, celebrating each and everyone’s differences. We are driven by transforming the industry, through our technology, thoughts, behaviours and actions. Being inclusive and respectful to all is fundamental to who we are. It is the right thing to do and enables innovation and creativity to thrive.

There is more work to be done, and we know that we aren’t perfect, but our commitment to these values is unwavering. They are central to our mission and the impact we have on the industry, meaning, we cannot live without them.