Commercial Manager

Warrington or London - Hybrid (2 days per week) £75000 - £81000

Great British Energy - Nuclear is an arm's length body of the Department for Energy Security and Net Zero, dedicated to supporting the development and deployment of new nuclear technologies in Great Britain. We play a crucial role in advancing nuclear new build, ensuring the UK's energy security and achieving net-zero carbon emissions. Great British Energy - Nuclear focuses on fostering innovation, facilitating investment, and coordinating efforts across the nuclear industry to build a resilient and sustainable energy future.

Great British Energy - Nuclear's first step was to start the technology selection process for Small Modular Reactors (SMRs) in 2023. SMRs can potentially be quicker to deploy and less expensive to build than traditional nuclear power plants because they are smaller, have factory based modular manufacturing and more flexible deployment options. In June 2025, Great British Energy - Nuclear announced that Rolls-Royce SMR had been selected as the preferred bidder to build the UK's first SMRs, following a technology selection process that began in 2023.

Great British Energy - Nuclear is aiming to deliver fast, based on a supportive and collaborative culture which values equality and diversity and creates an inclusive workplace. Our activities will be driven by our values, which are:

• Trust - We prioritise safety, we act responsibly and with integrity.
• Collaboration - We work as a team; we value diversity and expertise.
• Challenge - We are curious and courageous in the way we think and act.
• Care - We are thoughtful, inclusive and respectful of others.
• Drive - We get things done and we make a difference.

GBE-N are looking for an experienced Commercial Manager to support the development of the commercial strategy and procurement for the Operational Capability element of its SMR Programme, which is fundamental to the long term delivery of the SMR Project. The 'Operator' is required to enable the safe and effective running of the Nuclear Power Station once built.

The Commercial Manager will be responsible for working collaboratively with key stakeholders to identify an appropriate packaging, sourcing and commercial strategy for delivering this complex, strategically important and multi-functional scope of capability. We are looking for an individual with experience in developing commercial and financial models to incentivise performance in a large scale multi-disciplinary programme. Experience in Public Sector Procurement is seen as highly desirable.

The Commercial Manager will sit within GBE-N's Commercial Directorate and report to the Senior Commercial Lead. The Commercial Manager will be responsible for supporting the development of the commercial strategy, managing the delivery of one or multiple procurements for complex, high value Operational delivery contracts value in the hundreds of millions. The successful candidate will have line management responsibilities and shall be responsible for setting task delivery of commercial and procurement related activity carried out by the Assistant Commercial Manager.

The ideal candidate will be self-motivated and have experience in supporting commercial activity to large scale construction and engineering programmes. Team working, collaboration and effective project management will be key to delivering this role.

What you'll do:

The Commercial Manager will be responsible for delivery of commercial and procurement activity to support development of GBE-N's operational capability. This will include but is not limited to responsibility for:

• Managing procurement and commercial activity across the full commercial lifecycle from strategy through to contract award in conjunction with business stakeholders.
• Working collaboratively with other stakeholders and functions including colleagues in Finance, Programme Management Office (PMO), Legal and Technical to provide a seamless service offering.
• Overseeing the task related activity carried out by the Assistant Commercial Manager in relation to delivery of the procurement and commercial strategy (e.g. - ITT / Pricing Model / Negotiation Plan/ contract development).
• Managing external contractors and consultants - ensuring budgets are managed appropriately.
• Overseeing the approvals process and Business Case process (requisition, financial and commercial approval).

What we're looking for:

Competencies are important for the job holder and GBE-N to deliver the desired results. The following competencies and skills are required:

• Behavioural Competencies
• Managing and planning for the delivery of results under tight timelines.
• Supporting a culture that builds trust, integrity and values diversity and expertise.
• Working and adapting with stakeholders at all levels.
• Communicating with impact and challenging respectfully.
• Be thoughtful, inclusive and respectful to others.
• Be curious and work constructively with team members and stakeholders to get activity completed.
• Influencing stakeholders and/or suppliers to support commercial solutions in a complex commercial environment.
• Professional Competencies
• Relevant experience in a nuclear, construction, engineering, and/or critical infrastructure programme (Essential).
• Experience of delivering commercial and procurement activity (Desirable).
• Extensive experience of supporting the delivery of commercial, procurement and contract management activity whilst adhering to Government processes and requirements (Essential).
• Experience in overseeing project cost estimation and development of appropriate costs and pricing strategies.
• Experience of large-scale negotiations and deals. Proven ability to be assertive, whilst maintaining strong supplier and stakeholder relationships (Desirable).
• Proven skills and experience in business case development and working with multiple stakeholders (Essential).
• Strong personal organisational skills, including time management, and ability to meet deadlines and work under pressure within an agile environment (Essential).
• Experience task managing team members (Essential).
• Experience of navigating commercial and procurement activity within the Government Commercial Agency (GCA - (previously known as CCS)), e.g. assessing at pace GCA frameworks as potential routes to market (Desirable).
• Extensive experience of working within Public Sector Procurements (PCR and Procurement Act) (Desirable).
• Experience of working in a challenging, fast paced environment, managing competing priorities and delivering to tight deadlines.

If you have a disability and would prefer to apply in a different format or would like us to make reasonable adjustments to enable you to apply or attend an interview, please contact us and we will talk to you about how we can assist.