Senior Commercial Manager, Rail in London

Overview of the Senior Commercial Manager, Rail role at WSP in the UK & Ireland. The Rail business is seeking a Senior Commercial Manager to work across our portfolio of projects and provide commercial leadership to multi-disciplinary project teams delivering a range of complex infrastructure for clients including Network Rail, TfL, LUL, HS2 and Crossrail.

Responsibilities

• Embed a strong project culture around commercial excellence, balanced with the need to satisfy client, staff and commercial expectations along with business operational performance.
• Collaborate effectively, solve problems, and tackle challenges presented by complex infrastructure projects.
• Demonstrate passion and enthusiasm for work, a constructively challenging mindset, and an open, honest and accountable approach.
• Be tenacious in solving issues, seeking improvement, and demonstrating inclusive and respectful behaviours in all interactions.
• Provide commercial leadership across aspects of business operations including understanding technical issues, people management, application of corporate systems, work winning, recruitment, and staff development.

A Little More About Your Role…

• Face a wide range of commercial and project challenges across complex railway and infrastructure projects from initial feasibility through to delivery and operation.
• Provide a key senior interface to clients, demonstrating commitment to deliver their requirements, building strong relationships, and acting as a trusted advisor.
• Work with the Rail and wider WSP leadership teams to ensure projects are planned and equipped to deliver.
• Understand future resource demands for projects and support the recruitment of necessary skills for a digital future.
• Ensure excellent commercial leaders are developed within the business.
• Develop relationships internally and externally to build trust, gather intelligence, and secure future work.
• Provide strategic commercial direction of key elements of projects and their interrelationship to the teams.
• Implement robust systems and processes to ensure projects deliver value for money in achieving client goals and requirements as well as cost and programme targets.
• Support major bids, liaise with clients on upcoming projects, and contribute to or potentially lead wider business initiatives.

What we would be looking for you to demonstrate

• Relevant professional qualifications.
• A proven track record of providing commercial and project leadership across a wide range of rail and transport infrastructure projects for government and private sector clients through the entire design and construction cycle.
• Detailed experience of the commercial management of multi-disciplinary engineering projects and programmes in the UK and potentially overseas.
• Sound stakeholder management and related relationship and team management skills.
• An ability to establish, build, sustain and share strong, professional relationships with relevant groups both inside and outside the organisation.
• Drive to exceed client expectations.
• Ability to reason logically and apply a systematic process to finding solutions, proactive in responding to problems, and able to apply sound logic in situations of ambiguity.
• A deep understanding of what major clients need, how to tailor services, and build trusting relationships.
• Excellent commercial and contract management skills.
• A sound understanding of H&S legislation, CDM requirements, Safe by Design principles, and Railway safety.
• A desire to constantly improve, motivate and encourage others, potentially leading and implementing change programmes within a project context.
• A forward-thinking mindset, capable of visualising and planning for the longer term.
• Design, communicate, engage, and drive the implementation of design and technical initiatives and strategies.
• Champion sharing knowledge, ideas, and intelligence.
• Strong presentation skills, able to lead and facilitate workshops, training sessions, and one-to-one learning.
• Influential and persuasive internally and externally, encouraging open dialogue and feedback.
• A desire to develop and secure opportunities through active business development, KAM, and work winning activities.
• A passion for developing the next generation of engineers and project leaders.
• A commitment to driving the sustainability of projects toward a target of net zero.

About Us

We are one of the world’s leading engineering and professional services firms. Our 72,800 passionate people are united by the common purpose of creating positive, long-lasting impacts on the communities we serve through a culture of innovation, integrity, and inclusion. With over 9,000 professionals across the UK and Ireland, we are dedicated to our local communities and propelled by international brainpower.

What’s in it for you?

• Work-life balance: Our hybrid working policy offers the flexibility to work from home two days a week, while also providing opportunities to collaborate in our modern offices across the UK.
• Inclusivity & Belonging: We welcome applicants with varied backgrounds and experiences, enabling rewarding careers by encouraging people to bring their whole and authentic selves to work.
• Health & Wellbeing: We are committed to supporting our people through our Thrive programme, offering access to a Virtual GP service and reasonable workplace adjustments.
• Flex your time: WSP offers the “WSP My Hour,” allowing you to take one hour each day for personal activities, with flexible arrangements available.
• Your development: We foster a supportive environment that invests in your growth, whether through training, mentoring, or Chartership.

#WeAreWSP Here at WSP we positively encourage applications from suitably qualified and eligible candidates regardless of sex, race, disability, age, sexual orientation, gender reassignment, religion or belief, marital status, pregnancy or maternity/paternity. As a Disability Confident leader, we will interview all disabled applicants who meet the essential criteria; please let us know if you require any workplace adjustments in support of your application.