Contracts Manager- Offshore project

KBR; Abu Dhabi; On-site; AED 550,000 - 900,000; Full time

Job summary

KBR in Abu Dhabi is seeking a Contracts Manager for an offshore oil and gas development project. You will lead all contractual and commercial management activities, overseeing EPC/PMC contracts throughout the project lifecycle and ensuring compliance with ADNOC practices.

The role requires senior experience in contracts management, change and claims handling, risk governance, and strong negotiation skills to protect project interests and deliver successful outcomes.

Qualifications

• Bachelor's Degree in Engineering, Quantity Surveying, Construction Management, Law, Business Administration, or related discipline.
• Minimum 25 years of Oil & Gas industry experience.
• Minimum 10 years in Contracts Management roles on major capital projects.
• Minimum 5 years PMC experience managing EPC contracts.
• Extensive knowledge of EPC contract structures and administration.
• Strong understanding of claims management and dispute resolution processes.
• Excellent commercial, negotiation, communication, and stakeholder management skills.

Responsibilities

• Provide leadership and direction for all project contractual and commercial matters.
• Develop and implement contract management strategies.
• Advise Project Management on contractual obligations, entitlements, and risks.
• Manage the contract change management process.
• Lead review and assessment of contractor claims.
• Identify contractual and commercial risks throughout project execution.
• Support development of tendering and contracting strategies.
• Monitor contractor performance against contractual requirements.
• Promote ADNOC HSE objectives within contractual documentation.
• Prepare commercial and contract management reports.

Skills

Contract management

Commercial negotiation

Stakeholder management

Dispute resolution

Communication skills

Governance

Education

Bachelor's Degree in Engineering, Quantity Surveying, Construction Management, Law, Business Administration, or related discipline

PMP Certification

MRICS

CCM Certification

CIPS Professional Certification

FIDIC Training & Certification

Job description

Title: Contracts Manager- Offshore project Belong, Connect, Grow, with KBR! The KBR team of teams delivers future-forward science, technology and engineering solutions and mission-critical services that help governments and companies accomplish critical objectives while supporting sustainability goals. KBR Sustainable Technology Solutions provides holistic and value-added solutions across the entire asset life cycle. These include world-class licensed process technologies, differentiated advisory services, deep technical domain expertise, energy transition solutions, high-end design and engineering capabilities, and smart solutions to optimize planned and operating assets.

Contracts Manager- Offshore project

Location: EPC Contractors office in Abu Dhabi

Job Purpose The Contracts Manager is responsible for leading all contractual and commercial management activities associated with a major offshore oil and gas development project. The role ensures effective administration of engineering, procurement, construction, installation, commissioning, and consultancy contracts throughout the project lifecycle. The position provides strategic contractual advice to Project Management and ensures that all contractual rights, obligations, risks, claims, variations, and commercial exposures are properly managed to protect project interests and achieve successful project outcomes. The Contracts Manager acts as the primary PMC focal point for contract administration, change management, claims management, dispute avoidance, and commercial governance while ensuring compliance with contractual requirements, ADNOC procedures, and industry best practices.

Key Responsibilities

Contracts Leadership & Governance

Provide leadership and direction for all project contractual and commercial matters. Develop and implement contract management strategies. Ensure contract administration activities align with project objectives. Advise Project Management on contractual obligations, entitlements, and risks. Support decision-making through commercial and contractual analysis. Promote consistency in contract administration practices across the project. Ensure compliance with ADNOC and project governance requirements.

Contract Administration

Administer EPC, PMC, consultancy, and vendor contracts. Monitor compliance with contractual requirements. Review contract correspondence and formal notices. Ensure contractual obligations are fulfilled by all parties. Interpret contractual provisions and provide recommendations to project teams. Manage contractual communications with contractors and suppliers. Monitor contractor performance against contractual requirements. Support effective execution of all contractual deliverables.

Change Management & Variations

Manage the contract change management process. Review variation requests and change proposals. Evaluate contractual entitlement associated with changes. Assess schedule and cost implications arising from variations. Review contractor submissions relating to change orders. Ensure changes are properly documented and approved. Maintain change registers and reporting systems. Support negotiation and settlement of variation orders.

Claims Management

Lead review and assessment of contractor claims. Analyze entitlement, liability, and contractual merit of claims. Coordinate multidisciplinary reviews of claims submissions. Prepare contractual position papers and recommendations. Support negotiation and resolution of disputed matters. Maintain project claims registers. Ensure timely processing of contractual claims. Mitigate project exposure to commercial disputes.

Commercial Risk Management

Identify contractual and commercial risks throughout project execution. Develop risk mitigation strategies. Advise Project Management regarding risk allocation. Participate in project risk review workshops. Monitor trends that may impact project commercial performance. Support proactive contract administration to avoid disputes. Recommend strategies to improve commercial outcomes.

Tendering & Procurement

Support development of tendering and contracting strategies. Participate in tender evaluations. Review bid qualifications and commercial deviations. Assess contractual risks within proposed contracts. Support contract award recommendations. Participate in negotiation meetings with bidders and suppliers. Ensure consistency between contract requirements and commercial objectives.

Contractor Performance Management

Monitor contractor contractual performance. Track contractor compliance with project obligations. Participate in contractor review meetings. Evaluate contractor performance against key performance indicators. Escalate significant contractual performance issues. Recommend corrective actions where necessary. Support implementation of performance improvement initiatives.

Cost & Financial Oversight

Monitor commercial impacts affecting project costs. Review payment applications and commercial evaluations. Support verification of contractor invoices. Monitor forecast commitments and potential liabilities. Coordinate with Project Controls and Cost Management teams. Ensure commercial management aligns with approved budgets.

HSE & Quality Responsibilities

Promote ADNOC HSE objectives. Ensure contractual provisions adequately address HSE and quality requirements. Support integration of HSE obligations into contractual documentation. Verify contractor compliance with relevant contractual quality provisions. Participate in project audits where contractual matters are involved.

Reporting & Performance Management

Prepare commercial and contract management reports. Maintain contract status registers. Report on variation orders, claims, disputes, and risks. Provide commercial assessments to Project Management. Monitor trends impacting contractual performance. Prepare management presentations as required.

Stakeholder Management

Interface with ADNOC representatives and Project Management. Coordinate with engineering, construction, procurement, project controls, and legal teams. Build productive working relationships with contractors and suppliers. Support management of external stakeholders affecting contract performance.

Qualifications

Bachelor's Degree in Engineering, Quantity Surveying, Construction Management, Law, Business Administration, or related discipline.

Minimum 25 years of Oil & Gas industry experience.

Minimum 10 years in Contracts Management roles on major capital projects.

Minimum 5 years PMC experience managing EPC contracts.

Extensive knowledge of EPC contract structures and administration.

Strong understanding of claims management and dispute resolution processes.

Excellent commercial, negotiation, communication, and stakeholder management skills.

Preferred Certifications

PMP MRICS CCM (Certified Construction Manager)

CIPS Professional Certification

FIDIC Training & Certification

Chartered Quantity Surveyor (Preferred)

Contract & Commercial Management Certification

KBR — Delivering Solutions, Changing the World. KBR brings together the best and brightest to deliver science, technology and engineering solutions that help governments and companies around the world accomplish their most critical missions and objectives. In everything we do, we are guided by our ONE KBR Values: We Value Our People – We create diverse, inclusive environments in which each person can feel safe, respected and valued, and where everyone has opportunities to grow and reach their full potential. We Deliver – We are uncompromising in our commitment to deliver innovative, high-quality, technology-led solutions for our customers and exceptional, sustainable value for all our stakeholders. We Are People of Integrity – We value honesty, trust, courage, fairness, prudence and tenacity. We believe doing what’s right for the planet, the communities where we work, and our people is good for business. We Empower – We empower our people with a shared purpose, the right tools and the supportive culture they need to be proactive decision-makers, to be adaptive to change, and to succeed. We Are a Team of Teams – We have a will to succeed, but we value the achievements of our team of teams over individual accomplishments. Our collective focus makes us a better, stronger, more effective company. We have also embedded environmental, social and governance (ESG) principles in every business operation and corporate function. Not only are we committed to operating safely, sustainably and equitably, but we are also committed to using our capabilities and expertise to help our customers accomplish their sustainability goals. Worldwide, KBR employs a diverse workforce approximately 29,000 people strong, with customers in more than 80 countries and operations in 40 countries. At KBR, We Deliver.