Commercial Manager | Engineering Consultancy

Vickerstock are pleased to be partnering with an established engineering consultancy as they continue to strengthen the commercial management of their growing project portfolio. They are seeking a Commercial Manager to join their Belfast team in a newly created, standalone position, working extremely closely with the Founding Director and other senior stakeholders to improve commercial performance, maximise project profitability and support the continued growth of the business.

This is a particularly interesting opportunity for an experienced Quantity Surveyor or commercially focused construction professional looking to move away from traditional contractor-side commercial management and apply their skills within an engineering consultancy environment. Rather than managing subcontractor packages and construction costs, your focus will be on ensuring engineering design commissions are commercially structured, efficiently resourced and delivered profitably against agreed design fees.

Why this opportunity?

• Take ownership of a newly created and standalone commercial function
• Work directly with the Founding Director and senior leadership team, with genuine visibility and influence across the business
• Play a key role in improving commercial performance and helping drive the next stage of company growth
• Work alongside engineers and project leaders to maximise the profitability of design commissions
• Move beyond traditional Quantity Surveying into the commercial management of engineering design
• Influence how projects are priced, resourced, monitored and commercially delivered

Your new role as Commercial Manager

Working closely with the Founding Director, senior stakeholders and engineering teams, you will provide commercial oversight across the company's portfolio of design commissions. This is a highly visible position within the business. Beyond monitoring individual projects, you will use commercial information to challenge performance, improve decision-making and help senior leadership drive the business forward.

You will be responsible for:

• Monitoring the commercial performance and profitability of engineering design projects
• Working directly with the Founding Director and senior leadership to provide commercial insight and support strategic decision-making
• Partnering with Project Managers and Engineers to manage design fees, budgets and project expenditure
• Reviewing project resource allocation, hourly rates and utilisation against agreed fee structures
• Identifying commercial risks, fee erosion and areas of underperformance at an early stage
• Challenging and supporting project teams to maximise profitability while maintaining technical and client delivery standards
• Monitoring project progress against fee expenditure and providing clear commercial reporting to senior stakeholders
• Supporting the preparation and review of fee proposals, variations and additional service agreements
• Ensuring changes in project scope are identified, recorded and appropriately recovered
• Developing and improving commercial processes, controls and reporting across the consultancy
• Using project and commercial data to identify trends and opportunities to improve wider business performance
• Providing commercial guidance to engineers and project leaders throughout the project lifecycle

What you will need to succeed as Commercial Manager

• Commercial experience
• A degree in Quantity Surveying, Commercial Management or a related construction discipline would be advantageous
• Previous experience as a Quantity Surveyor, Commercial Manager or in a similar commercially focused position
• Strong understanding of project financial management, fee control, forecasting and profitability
• Experience monitoring project budgets and identifying commercial risk
• Strong numerical and analytical skills with the ability to translate financial information into practical commercial decisions
• Experience within an engineering or professional services consultancy would be advantageous but is not essential

Personal attributes

• Strong commercial judgement and the confidence to challenge constructively
• Comfortable working directly with Directors and senior stakeholders
• Ability to build credibility with technical engineering professionals
• Strong communication and stakeholder management skills
• A proactive approach with the ability to establish and improve commercial processes
• Commercial curiosity with the ability to look beyond individual projects and understand wider business performance
• Comfortable operating autonomously within a standalone role

What's in it for you?

In return, you can expect:

• Salary of £55,000 - £65,000 depending on experience
• Enhanced company pension
• Private medical insurance
• Life assurance and critical illness cover
• Free onsite parking
• A newly created position with genuine autonomy and influence
• Direct exposure to the Founding Director and senior leadership
• The opportunity to shape commercial strategy and play a meaningful role in the continued growth of the business

For a confidential discussion about this opportunity, or similar commercial, Quantity Surveying and engineering consultancy roles across Northern Ireland and Ireland, please contact Brian Mitchell at Vickerstock Recruitment.