Defence Contracts Lead - Bids & Negotiation Expert

CAE; Abu Dhabi; Hybrid; AED 300,000 - 540,000; Full time

Job summary

CAE is seeking an experienced Commercial / Contracts Manager to provide contractual and commercial support during bidding and contract management activities within the Defence and Security Strategy & Business Development teams in the EMEA region.

You will review customer agreements, generate commercial responses, support negotiation strategies, and ensure compliance across contracts while coordinating with legal, finance, and BD teams. A hybrid work setup is required.

Qualifications

• 5+ years of experience supporting bids and managing commercial contracts in defence/aerospace or government procurement.
• Basic knowledge of contract law and MoD terms and conditions.
• Strong business acumen and negotiation skills.
• Excellent organisational and coordination abilities.
• Ability to work under pressure and meet deadlines.
• Hybrid work environment with ~3 days per week in the office and up to 25% travel in EMEA.

Responsibilities

• Serve as focal point for customers on contract matters and maintain relationships.
• Review customer agreements (NDAs, Teaming Agreements, TAAs, Contracts) and align CAE position with legal.
• Participate in bid teams to generate commercial responses aligned with strategy and input from Finance/Pricing/IP/Liability.
• Assist Bids/Proposals Manager to produce Proposal Documentation and risk/opportunity registers.
• Conduct commercial/contractual reviews of proposal documents and support negotiations.
• Develop and implement negotiation strategy and participate in contract negotiations with customers.
• Provide guidance on compliance with contract terms and flow-down to subcontractors; support subcontract negotiations.
• Identify potential liabilities/risks and report to CAE legal with mitigation plans; maintain records and status reports.

Skills

Contract negotiation

Bid / proposals

Commercial acumen

Communication skills

Organisational skills

Stakeholder management

Tools

MS Outlook

MS Word

MS Excel

MS Project

Job description

CAE is seeking an experienced Commercial / Contracts Manager to provide contractual and commercial support during bidding and contract management activities within the Defence and Security Strategy & Business Development teams in the EMEA region.

You will review customer agreements, generate commercial responses, support negotiation strategies, and ensure compliance across contracts while coordinating with legal, finance, and BD teams. A hybrid work setup is required.