Senior Commercial Manager in Oxford

Location: Oxford, United Kingdom

A Joint Venture between Thales (67%) and Leonardo (33%), Thales Alenia Space is a global space manufacturer delivering, for more than 40 years, high-tech solutions for telecommunications, navigation, Earth Observation, environmental management, exploration, science and orbital infrastructures. Thanks to our diversity of skills, talents and cultures, our customers (governments, institutions, space agencies, telecommunications operators) have Space to Connect, Secure & Defend, Observe & Protect, Explore, Travel & Navigate.

Together we offer fantastic opportunities for committed employees to learn and develop their career with us. At Thales UK, we research, develop, and supply technology and services that impact the lives of millions of people each day to make life better, and keep us safer. We innovate across the major industries of Aerospace, Defence, Security and Space. Your health and well-being matters to us and that’s why we offer you the flexibility to do what’s important to you; whether that’s part time hours, job sharing, home working, or the ability to flex your start and finish times. Where possible, we support a working pattern that suits your lifestyle and helps you reach your ambitions.

Primary Purpose of Role

Senior Commercial Manager will be directly responsible for managing the legal, contract management, governance and compliance activities to TAS UK’s project portfolio, while ensuring the commercial health of Thales Alenia Space UK Limited business is safeguarded by securing agreements that minimize commercial risk, maximize financial outturn and optimize commercial opportunities. To provide effective support and direction on all Commercial inputs and compliance matters, through pro-active participation within the TAS UK project team and other TAS UK and Group business functions including Finance and Procurement. To ensure that all necessary governance is enforced and the correct policies and processes are adhered to, including where necessary and appropriate that escalation and upward briefing is conducted accordingly.

Key Responsibilities and tasks

• Provide to key stakeholders and internal/external customers a high quality, cost effective and user-friendly contractual and commercial services in a timely, proactive and solution-oriented manner, taking into account the business objectives, legal and compliance issues and the contractual risk and associated liabilities.
• Practice enhance contract management culture and awareness through the effective deployment of skills, advice and where appropriate training.
• Ensure that the contract’s and the company’s compliance programme is adhered to by actively deploying process and being a point of contact for issues and questions as they arise.
• Liaise and cooperate in a pro-active, timely and transparent matter with key project and business stakeholders across Thales Alenia Space.

Experience and Skills:

• Significant professional experience (minimum of 5 years) as an in-house Senior Commercial/Contract Manager with broad involvement in an international commercial and operational environment.
• Knowledge of European Space Agency (ESA) and UK Space Agency customer community and their procurement and contracting processes or equivalent (such as MOD procurement processes) is desirable but not essential.
• Experience of drafting collaborative agreements, including Teaming Agreements, MOU/HOA, NDAs.
• Expertise and working knowledge in Contract and Corporate law and compliance matters (antitrust, prevention of corruption, Personal Data protection and Trade Compliance).
• Confident in presenting the Commercial proposition to senior management and in leading external Commercial negotiations.
• Skilled and effective negotiator.
• Strong interpersonal skills and level of commitment to service delivery and ability to work under pressure.
• Good and effective communication skills as well as good interpersonal and intercultural awareness to work in diverse teams.
• To provide expertise in dispute management and claim resolution.
• To provide all contract management activities including changes, notifications, correspondence, management of commercial/contractual issues.
• Providing a customer interface on contractual and commercial matters.
• Having a strong financial acumen and familiarization with complex financial models, financial parameters.
• Understand and manage complex supply chains from a contractual perspective – upstream and downstream.
• Ensure that contractual, commercial, legislative and technical risks, liabilities and opportunities (ability to understand technical and commercial aspects of contracts) to the business are identified and minimized/optimized and the company’s operating needs are met all along a project (from bid phase to contract performance and close out).
• Produce, review, amend and approve all legal and contractual documents for the company.
• Conduct responsibilities in line with their delegated authority/signature for the company/companies included their defined perimeter of responsibility.
• Participate in drafting and negotiations of contracts and agreements (with clients, partners, suppliers etc.) and support/avoid legal conflict and optimise the flowdown and allocation of business risk.
• Manage in coordination with the litigation Department of Thales and all claims, disputes and litigations in its perimeter.
• Attend to Group L&C trainings, events and conventions on a case by case and need-to-know basis.
• Interface with appointed outside legal counsel as necessary.

Education & Qualification:

• IACCM accreditation desirable.
• Business/Law Degree or equivalent (E.g. CIPS level 6).
• Knowledge of Contract/Company Law.
• Knowledge of UK and other Export Controls.
• Word/MS Office applications.
• Strongly numerate with excellent Excel spreadsheet.
• Valid Driving Licence and Passport.

Security Clearance Requirement:

Due to the nature of the work that we do at Thales, many of our roles are subject to security restrictions. This role requires Security Clearance (SC). It would be advantageous if currently held, however, if not currently held, it is a requirement that the successful applicant undergo, achieve, and maintain SC Clearance prior to commencing employment. Please visit the UKSV website for further guidance. To be eligible for full SC, you generally need to have resided in the UK for the last 5 years. In some circumstances, a minimum of 3 years’ residence in the UK over the last 5 years may be accepted, with additional overseas checks.

In line with Thales' Baseline Security requirements, candidates will be asked to provide evidence of identity, eligibility to work in the UK and employment and/or education history for up to three years. Some vacancies may require full Security Clearance which can require further evidence to be provided. For further details of the evidence required to apply for Baseline and Security Clearance please refer to the Defence Business Services National Security Vetting (DBS NSV) Agency.

At Thales we provide CAREERS and not only jobs. With Thales employing 80,000 employees in 68 countries our mobility policy enables thousands of employees each year to develop their careers at home and abroad, in their existing areas of expertise or by branching out into new fields. Together we believe that embracing flexibility is a smarter way of working.

Thales UK is committed to providing an inclusive and barrier-free recruitment process. We will provide reasonable adjustments and support to ensure neuro-diverse applicants or those with a disability or long-term condition can be their best during the recruitment process. To request an adjustment, if you need this job advert in an alternative format or if you have any questions about the recruitment process, please contact Resourcing Ops for mid to senior roles, or the Early Careers Team for graduate.