Lead Commercial Manager in Winchester

Do you want to put your stamp on a growing self-delivery business unit and lead a high-performing commercial team? We are looking for a Lead Commercial Manager to shape the commercial performance of our Regional Civil Engineering (RCE) business — the self-delivery arm of Octavius, where we directly deliver our highways and public realm new build, maintenance, and vehicle restraint systems (VRS) work using our own in-house teams.

This is a great opportunity to commercially manage your own business unit and set the pace, raise the bar, and drive performance across Regional Civil Engineering (RCE).

• Shape a business unit: You will put your own stamp on a unit that has grown and has the potential to grow more, shifting towards longer-term, larger projects while still excelling in reactive maintenance.
• Lead and nurture talent: You will grow, develop and coach a supportive, high-performing commercial team and strengthen a culture of accountability and improvement.
• Make a visible impact: You will set direction, elevate standards and strengthen performance, while building strong, positive relationships with clients and colleagues.

You will typically spend 3-4 days a week in our Winchester office or on site, depending on project needs, with the remainder from home.

Who We Are: Octavius is a leading UK civil engineering and transport infrastructure business, with over 700 employees delivering high-quality Rail and Highways projects across the country. We are proud of our people, our culture and our vision to be the UK’s most respected provider of transport infrastructure. Our Regional Civil Engineering business is growing rapidly, and as we expand our pipeline of work, we are creating exciting opportunities for people who want to make an impact and build their career in a supportive, forward-looking team.

What you will do: You will own commercial performance across frameworks and projects in RCE, working hand-in-hand with delivery teams and clients to enable sound, progressive decision-making. You will head the commercial performance of the business, working with several clients, both inside and outside of secured frameworks as their self-delivery partner of choice.

• Drive revenue and margin: Monitor financial performance metrics, trigger early actions, and engage in monthly CVR reviews to identify variances and pursue remedial actions.
• Steer commercial governance: Ensure robust reporting, strong cash management (minimising WIP, prompt settlement of issues, timely approvals), and compliance with contractual/regulatory standards.
• Own framework-level consolidation: Keep a tight grip on numbers at framework level, providing clear insights that inform decisions across the portfolio.
• Advocate NEC contract management: Guide contractual terms, dispute resolution, and risk/opportunity management across all forms of NEC (including Highways Term Service Agreements).
• Enable pre-delivery success: Support bids and pricing strategies, advising on contractual mechanisms to mitigate risk and enhance profitability.
• Strengthen supply chain performance: Engage proactively to improve service and profitability through strategically aligned supplier relationships.
• Build a successful team: Organise resources to deliver programme requirements, ensure effective 1-to-1s and development plans, and upskill through training and coaching—role-modelling our values and the culture we want to see.
• Pulse-check reality: Maintain a sharp view of what’s going well (and what isn’t), identify and track material issues, and lead targeted interventions that stick.

What you will bring: We are looking for a positive disruptor, professional, composed, and confident enough to diplomatically get things moving. Someone who thrives in a pressurised environment and uses data to drive clarity and action.

You will also have:

• Proven success in a commercial managerial position in a civil engineering environment; highways experience preferred.
• Experience managing the commercial performance of a portfolio of projects in self-delivery civil engineering.
• NEC expertise across forms, including Highways Term Service Agreements.
• Experience as both Principal Contractor and Tier 2 self-delivery partner.
• Proven track record across project scales, from Major Projects (>£10m) to smaller reactive works projects.
• Framework-level consolidation experience and ability to analyse data, pinpoint material issues, and track them to resolution.
• Commercial acumen.