Commercial Manager (Defence)

A fantastic opportunity has arisen for a Commercial Manager to join a leading engineering and defence organisation, taking ownership of the full commercial lifecycle across complex UK defence contracts. This is a key position responsible for supporting business growth through bid leadership, contract negotiation, commercial governance and stakeholder management, ensuring successful delivery from initial opportunity through to contract closure.

Reporting into the Commercial leadership team, you will work closely with senior stakeholders, project teams and customers, leading commercial activities across multiple programmes while providing guidance to junior members of the team.

Key Responsibilities:

• Lead the commercial aspects of the full route to contract, from bid qualification through to contract award.
• Take ownership of the commercial input into bids, including pricing strategy, proposals, terms and conditions and contractual documentation.
• Negotiate contracts, agreements and commercial arrangements with customers, ensuring alignment with business objectives.
• Manage contracts throughout their lifecycle, including amendments, deliverables, compliance, document control and contract closure.
• Identify commercial risks and opportunities, developing mitigation strategies alongside cross-functional teams.
• Ensure contractual compliance with applicable legislation, governance and defence industry regulations, including export control requirements where applicable.
• Act as the primary commercial interface for customers and internal stakeholders, resolving commercial issues and providing contractual guidance.
• Produce regular commercial reports, highlighting contract performance, risks and key business updates.
• Support the resolution of contractual disputes in collaboration with legal and wider business functions.
• Provide leadership and mentoring to junior commercial professionals whilst contributing to continuous improvement initiatives.

The ideal candidate would have:

• Experience working within a commercial function in a defence or similarly regulated environment.
• Strong understanding of contract drafting, negotiation and commercial governance.
• Experience managing multiple contracts simultaneously within a fast-paced project environment.
• Excellent analytical skills with strong attention to detail.
• The ability to build effective working relationships with customers and cross-functional teams.
• A strategic mindset with the ability to support business growth and innovation.
• Leadership or line management experience.
• Knowledge of MoD contracting structures, including DEFCONs and QDCs, would be advantageous.

The ideal candidate must have:

• Proven commercial contract management experience across the full contract lifecycle.
• Experience leading commercial activities during competitive bid and proposal stages.
• Strong contract negotiation skills.
• Excellent communication and stakeholder management abilities.
• The ability to work autonomously whilst managing competing priorities.
• Eligibility to successfully obtain the required security clearance.

If this role looks like your next challenge, please contact Keelan ASAP or apply via this advert!

Please note that due to the nature of the client's business, only candidates who currently hold full British Citizenship (without limitations) / Dual Nationality (inclusive of British Citizenship) will be considered.

We endeavour to reply to every candidate, every time but if you haven't heard back within 10 days, please understand that you have unfortunately been unsuccessful for this position, or the position has been filled. Please call the office or send an email to discuss other potential positions.