Contracts Manager in Portsmouth

Contracts Manager| Primus | Commercial, Small Works & Critical Environment Delivery £35,000-£50,000 per annum Role Purpose The Contracts Manager will support the pricing, qualification, coordination, delivery, and commercial control of small works and strategically aligned project opportunities. This role is central to strengthening Primus’s delivery discipline, protecting margin, improving quote turnaround, and ensuring opportunities are progressed in line with the business strategy. This is a hands-on role for someone who understands how to scope work, manage subcontractors, maintain commercial control, and work within a structured governance framework. The successful candidate will help move Primus toward a more disciplined, selective, and scalable delivery model, aligned to critical environments and higher-value opportunities. Key Responsibilities 1. Opportunity Qualification and Pipeline Management * Maintain an accurate pipeline of opportunities, ensuring each opportunity has a clear status, next action, and owner. * Apply Primus’s opportunity qualification scoring to all small works and project opportunities. * Support decision-making on whether opportunities should be: pursued, declined or escalated for discussion * Help ensure only strategically aligned and commercially viable opportunities are progressed. * Provide regular, structured pipeline and quote updates for the weekly leadership dashboard. 2. Scoping, Pricing and Commercial Control * Review opportunity information, surveys, and client requirements to support accurate scoping. * Prepare or support pricing for small works and related project opportunities. * Capture assumptions, exclusions, risks, and clarifications clearly before submission. * Protect margin by applying agreed commercial processes and challenging inconsistencies. * Support variation management and change control during delivery. * Contribute to reducing margin leakage through disciplined commercial administration. 3. Delivery Coordination and Subcontractor Management * Coordinate subcontractors and suppliers to support timely, high-quality delivery. * Support mobilisation by ensuring documentation, approvals, and key information are in place. * Monitor progress against scope, programme, and deliverables. * Escalate issues, delays, or commercial risks promptly. * Help maintain delivery discipline across live jobs and works in progress. 4. Governance, Reporting and Systems * Use and help refine Primus’s chosen tools for: pipeline management, financial tracking, project/task management, document control, e-signature and contract acceptance * Maintain clear records of opportunity status, commercial position, and delivery progress. * Contribute data for the weekly leadership dashboard, including pipeline, quotes issued, wins/losses, revenue in week/month, and other agreed metrics. * Support the capture of key documents and lessons learned into the Primus knowledge platform. * Work within, and suggest improvements to, Primus framework artefacts such as templates, RAID logs, status reports, and commercial trackers. 5. Client and Stakeholder Relationships * Build strong, trust-based relationships with clients, subcontractors, suppliers, and internal stakeholders. * Communicate clearly and proactively about: scope, programme, risks, quote status and outcomes, variations and changes * Represent Primus in a way that reinforces our values of Quality, Care, Compassion, and Certainty. * Participate in lightweight but disciplined communications, including regular check-ins and updates as required. About You Essential - Experience in small works, construction, building services, critical environments, or a related built environment role - Hands-on experience with: surveys and scoping, pricing / costing small works, subcontractor management - RAMS review and basic health & safety awareness - Client communication and coordination - Variation and change control - Strong organisational skills and a process / governance mindset - Commercial awareness, including an understanding of margin, cost, revenue, invoicing, and why they matter - Clear, confident written and verbal communication - Comfortable working in a business where processes are being built and improved Desirable - Experience supporting or managing critical environment works - Exposure to principal contractor delivery or a governance-led project environment - Familiarity with commercial / project reporting tools and document control systems - Exposure to procurement, estimating, or quantity surveying principles - Confidence using digital systems such as trackers, shared drives, e-signature tools, and finance systems - Electrical or mechanical trade background, or strong exposure to M&E projects - NEBOSH or IOSH Managing Safely - SSSTS or SMSTS, or willingness to work towards these - PRINCE2, APM, or APMG project methodology training - Exposure to commercial/contracts management, change control, and basic contract terms - Familiarity with CDM Regulations in a client, principal contractor, or principal designer context - Any exposure to CIPS or quantity surveying principles is beneficial but not essential Why This Role Matters Primus is focused on building a more disciplined, governance-led delivery model, with stronger qualification, better margin control, improved quote speed, and clearer reporting. This role sits at the centre of that effort and helps ensure the business progresses the right work in the right way. Interested? Apply today to find out more! Primus are an equal opportunities employer. We celebrate diversity and are committed to creating an inclusive environment for all