Commercial Manager in Cannock

About Us

Wernick Modular Hire is one of the UK's leading providers of modular buildings for hire. We deliver high-quality, building regulation-compliant space solutions for customers across education, healthcare, construction, infrastructure and commercial sectors.

Through our complete turnkey service, we provide everything from single modular buildings to large multi-storey facilities, supported by a national hire fleet, expert project delivery teams and our refurbishment and reconfiguration facility at Cannock.

Part of the Wernick Group, we are committed to safety, quality, customer service and continuous improvement.

This is an exciting opportunity for an experienced Commercial Managerto join our Modular Hire business and take commercial responsibility for a portfolio of projects from tender through to final account.

Reporting to the General Manager, you will work closely with our project delivery teams to ensure jobs are commercially well managed, contractually compliant and delivered to the expected margin.

Based at our Cannock site and supporting projects across the country, this is a hands-on commercial role. You will be involved directly in the commercial management of individual projects, including valuations, variations, cost control, forecasting, contractual matters and final accounts.

You will also manage and support a small team of 2–3 commercial colleagues, while remaining personally involved in project delivery.

If you are a commercially sharp, enjoy being close to projects and want to take ownership of commercial performance from contract award through to final account, this role is for you.

Key Responsibilities:

You will take commercial responsibility for a portfolio of projects from tender handover through to final account:

• Project commercial management: Take day-to-day commercial ownership of allocated projects, ensuring costs, revenues, cashflow and margins are effectively controlled throughout the project lifecycle.

• Contract management: Review and administer NEC, JCT and other forms of contract, ensuring contractual requirements, notices, timescales and obligations are understood and met.

• Cost control: Monitor project expenditure against budgets and forecasts, identify potential overspends or margin pressures and work with project teams to take corrective action.

• Applications and valuations: Prepare, submit and agree interim applications for payment and valuations accurately and within contractual timescales.

• Variations and change control: Identify, price, submit and negotiate variations and change events, ensuring the business receives appropriate commercial recovery for changes in scope.

• Forecasting: Maintain accurate project forecasts, including cost-to-complete, anticipated final account and projected margin.

• Commercial reporting: Provide clear and timely project-level commercial information to the General Manager and wider project team.

• Final accounts: Prepare, negotiate and settle final accounts promptly, ensuring all legitimate commercial entitlement has been captured.

• Contractual risk: Identify commercial and contractual risks at an early stage and escalate significant issues to the General Manager where appropriate.

• Claims and disputes: Support the management of contractual claims and disputes, maintaining accurate records and providing the commercial information required to achieve a successful resolution.

• Supply chain management: Support subcontractor and supplier procurement where required, including commercial evaluation, appointment, valuations, variations and final accounts.

• Project collaboration: Work closely with Project Managers, Operations, Design, Procurement, Finance and other teams to ensure projects are delivered successfully and commercially.

• Project handover: Ensure a clear commercial handover from estimating/tender stage into project delivery, with key risks, opportunities, assumptions and contractual requirements understood.

• Record keeping: Maintain accurate commercial and contractual records throughout each project's lifecycle.

• Continuous improvement: Support the General Manager in improving commercial processes, controls and ways of working.

You will manage a small team while remaining directly involved in project delivery:

• Your team: Manage and support approximately 2–3 commercial team members, which may include Quantity Surveyors, Assistant Quantity Surveyors or Commercial Administrators.

• Team support: Provide day-to-day guidance, coaching and commercial support to your direct reports.

• Workload management: Help allocate projects and priorities across your team to ensure commercial activities and deadlines are effectively managed.

• Commercial standards: Ensure your team maintains accurate records and follows agreed commercial processes and contractual requirements.

• Internal partners: Head of Commercial, Project Delivery, Operations, Finance, Procurement, Design, Estimating and Factory Management teams.

• External partners: Clients, main contractors, consultants, quantity surveyors, framework providers and supply chain partners.

Essential Requirements:

• Strong commercial management or Quantity Surveying experience within construction, modular construction, offsite manufacturing or a similar project-based environment.

• Experience of commercially managing projects from contract award through to final account.

• Good working knowledge and practical experience of NEC and JCT contracts.

• Proven experience of preparing and managing applications for payment and valuations.

• Strong experience of variation management and change control.

• Experience of project cost control, forecasting and margin management.

• Proven experience of preparing, negotiating and agreeing final accounts.

• Good understanding of contractual risk and the ability to identify and escalate commercial issues.

• Experience of subcontractor and supply chain commercial management.

• Strong negotiation and communication skills.

• The ability to work closely and constructively with project and operational teams while maintaining appropriate commercial control.

• Strong organisational skills with the ability to manage the commercial requirements of multiple projects simultaneously.

• Experience of supervising, mentoring or managing a small commercial team.

Desirable requirements for the role:

• A degree, HNC, HND or equivalent qualification in Quantity Surveying.

• Professional membership of RICS, CIOB or equivalent.

• Continued professional development in commercial management, construction law or contract administration.

• Previous experience within modular construction, temporary accommodation, offsite manufacturing or the hire sector.

Your Future with the Wernick Group

At Wernick, you're more than an employee; you're a vital part of a team that’s building the future of construction. Join us in our journey of continuous innovation and commitment to quality, and let's be 'Altogether Stronger'.

• Competitive salary and bonus scheme

• Company car & fuel cards

• Generous holiday allowance (rising with service)

• Option to buy, sell or carry over up to 5 days holiday

• Christmas Shutdown

• Early finish Friday (working hours 35 per week)

• Group pension scheme

• Annual Salary review – takes place each January (dependent on joining date)

• Long service awards

• Employee of the Month awards

• Customer service awards

• Life Assurance

• Personal Accident Insurance

• Free onsite parking

• Employee assistance programme

• Training and progression opportunities

• Family run and well established, secure company (trading 92 years)

• Open door policy

• Employee Referral scheme

• Benefits scheme (discounted retailers such as money off Apple, Virgin Atlantic Holidays, Currys, Argos, Tesco and restaurants including Harvester, Miller and Carter, Nandos and many more)

• Ideas portal (message the CEO) and awards for implemented suggestions

• Cycle to work scheme

• Annual paid volunteering day

• Healthcare cash plan

The company is unable to sponsor employment of international workers in this role. You will be required to provide evidence of your right to work in the UK.

Please note, this vacancy is subject to close earlier than the stated closing date dependent on application numbers

If you require any reasonable adjustments for your interview, please advise our recruitment team as soon as possible, there will be a pre-screening call, and 1st and 2nd interviews for this role.

IMPORTANT NOTICE TO RECRUITMENT AGENCIES:

Any unsolicited CV’s will be sent at the recruitment agency’s own risk and will be interpreted as ‘gifts’ and we have no liability to you for any fee or otherwise. We reserve the right to engage with candidates directly having not, in any way, entered into your terms and conditions for this vacancy. By submitting an unsolicited CV to us, or to any member of our staff, you accept these terms as the default position. If we require your assistance with any vacancy we will contact you.

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