Commercial Manager

United Infrastructure is a dynamic and rapidly expanding business, focused on delivering critical infrastructure projects across the utility and social infrastructure sectors.

Our team of highly skilled and hardworking specialists deliver innovative solutions to the complex challenges our clients face.

Our company is split into two business areas:

• Utility Infrastructure – design, build and maintain critical water, energy (gas), power and telecoms infrastructure for the UK’s largest network owners and operators.
• Social Infrastructure – revitalise homes and communities by carrying out a wide range of work, from retrofit to refurbishment, and maintenance.

Job Description

Due to recent contract wins our Social Infrastructure team is looking for an experienced Commercial Manager. Previous experience of working on Social Housing refurbishment contracts would be beneficial.

Purpose

The role will encompass both work winning and the delivery of live projects whilst providing strong functional leadership, management, governance and excellence for all commercial activities pre and post contract, across either a single large project or portfolio of projects.

Specific Responsibilities

• Ensure that United Living’s SHEQ standards, operating processes and company policies are understood and adhered to at all times and that, as far as is reasonably practicable, legislative requirements are complied with.
• Ensure that all employees are inducted in the United Way of working and ensure that all employees are complying with and adopting this in their daily disciplines.
• Act in a professional manner in everything you do such that the Company’s reputation is enhanced.

Pre-contract

• Assist in the preparation of tenders as directed and attend pre contract meetings and reviews as necessary.
• Support the bid and estimating teams and study documents and advise on onerous conditions therein, offering solutions when appropriate and work with the bid team to create an achievable profit plan for each scheme.

Business Unit Management

• Contribute fully to the development and implementation of Company policies and procedures.
• Marketing the business with existing and new clients to assist the business development team.

Project (s) delivery

• Agree target margins for project/s responsible for.
• Perform Commercial Lead function and engage with the project team(s) to ensure consistent delivery of successful projects in order to support the achievement of United Living business objectives and to deliver the target margins.
• Attend site meetings as necessary.
• Actively interrogate all appropriate financial and contractual information ensuring that it accurately forecasts project(s) position and value, costs & margins against the target margin and profit plans.
• Ensure any changes and solutions are agreed with the Head of Depts prior to implementation.
• Support the Heads of Depts to ensure that all significant contract issues and correspondence and all necessary contractual processes have been observed, notices issued, records kept, and documents stored by the team to protect the company’s position.
• Provide advice to the management team on contractual, valuation and measurement matters.

Procurement

• Review and when necessary, facilitate subcontract enquiries including formulating the tender list in consultation with the wider management team and subsequent analysis and assessment of subcontract quotations.
• Review and agree project procurement strategy with Head of Depts and ensure implementation.
• Support the Group Procurement Department buying deals by ensuring they are communicated to subcontractors at tender stage and applied at order stage.
• Negotiate sub-contract packages to deliver the most favourable outcome for the company.
• Check that at all times, the drafting and placement of sub-contracts are being completed following the Company’s authorisation procedure and ensure no subcontractors commence on site without a subcontract order fully completed.

Main Contract

• Ensure that surveyors understand their responsibilities for the preparation and negotiation of interim valuations and final accounts.
• Develop & maintain close relationships with customers, consultants & subcontractors to continuously improve customer experience, improve our company position and obtain repeat & negotiated business.
• Ensure monthly valuations are invoiced, paid, in full and on time.
• Ensure that any agreement with client representatives is documented.
• Ensure that adequate records are kept in respect of any future claims.
• Prepare and once approved by line manager submit and negotiate all necessary contractual claims Subcontract.
• Ensure that surveyors prepare and negotiate interim valuations and final accounts including all necessary measurement as well as making sure that any agreement of variations with supply chain is documented.
• Ensure surveyors process all associated payments in accordance with the Construction Act and/or other prevailing legislation.
• Review responses to any claim for loss and expense.
• Ensure that claims by subcontractors have been addressed and support the surveying team in preparing any necessary documentation/correspondence to protect the Company’s interests.

Financial

• Having full project(s) profit and loss accountability.
• Competent use of company cost system.
• Actively manage and monitor financial aspects of contracts at all stages, ensuring that the forecast is accurate, and the cash position of the project/s is maximised without compromising either contractual arrangements or relationships.
• Review, check and manage the CVR, in conjunction with the Heads of Depts, understanding and accurately forecasting project values, costs & margins against the target margin and profit plan, and agreeing changes and solutions with the Heads of Depts prior to implementation.
• Always ensure that the Surveying team use best endeavours and seek to maximise margins in co-operation with the Heads of Depts by keeping cost to a minimum and value to a maximum and ensure that alarm signals are raised when the contract is straying outside the cost and profit parameters.
• Keep abreast of the preliminaries/site management costs and ensure that the Project team are advised accordingly so they can action and remedy over-expenditure.
• Review forecast of cash on an accurate and timely basis, ensuring that the cash position of the project is maximised without compromising our contractual arrangements and relationships with either customers or subcontractors & suppliers.
• Ensure profit plans are understood for each scheme/project and monitor and deliver on agreed areas and work on identifying further areas for recovery.

People

• Lead all of the People responsibilities for the team including undertaking and monitoring the completion of Performance & Development Reviews, supporting and coaching team members to achieve both individual and business objectives.
• Planning and allocation of surveying resources, including temporary requirements, on a project/s.
• Promote best practice within the team, ensuring that they develop in their ability and are able to meet the demands placed upon them by the business.

Legal / Dispute

• Mentor junior staff.
• Ensure that the preparation of ‘claims or other means of dispute management to correct an imbalance of cost and value are occurring in a timely and appropriate manner and potential risk is communicated to the Commercial Director.
• Inform the / Commercial Director of any possible claims by subcontractors and prepare and/or seek direction in preparing any necessary documentation/correspondence to protect the Company’s interests.
• Upon receipt of contracts ensure that comparison of contract documents with tender documents is carried out and advise on any anomalies as well as ensuring that terms are in line with House Rules.

Other

• Collate documentation relating to insurance claims.
• Involvement with business improvement processes and initiatives including working groups.
• Attend industry / client events within and outside normal working hours.
• Undertake reasonable levels of continued professional development so as to keep abreast of developments in the industry and thus keep you effective in your duties. Such activities would normally be undertaken outside normal working hours.
• Knowledge of and compliance with Group Delegated Authorities and Contracts Process.
• Working in one or more locations as required.
• Involvement in community engagement activities within and outside normal working hours.
• Any other duties assigned.

Criteria

• Professional membership of appropriate body.
• Good data interrogation skills.
• Leadership experience with the ability to influence at all levels.
• Bid Knowledge.
• Excellent legal/contractual knowledge.
• Industry experience.
• Excellent communication and negotiation skills.
• Experience of a senior commercial role.
• Valid driving licence.
• CSCS card at the appropriate level.
• Ability to work from multiple sites.

Qualifications – Desirable

• Professional membership of appropriate body.
• Good data interrogation skills.
• Leadership experience with the ability to influence at all levels.
• Bid Knowledge.
• Excellent legal/contractual knowledge.
• Industry experience.
• Excellent communication and negotiation skills.
• Experience of a senior commercial role.
• Valid driving licence.CSCS card at the appropriate level.

What We Offer

• Competitive salary and benefits package.
• Opportunities for career progression aligned with the company’s growth.
• Immediate interview for qualified candidates.

How to Apply

If you are ready to be part of our expanding team and contribute to our success, apply today for immediate consideration. Join us on this exciting journey of growth and innovation!

As a business United Living prefer to hire directly and we will be in touch with our PSL Agencies if we require support. We do not accept speculative CVs from agencies. If speculative CVs are sent, no fee will be applicable.