Commercial Contract Manager

Optus; City of Melbourne; Hybrid; AUD 140,000 - 200,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Product discounts

Flexible work

Extra leave (Connected days)

Parental leave (up to 16 weeks)

Employee networks and diversity

Wellbeing support

Job summary

Optus, a leading Australian telecommunications company, seeks a senior Commercial Contract Manager to optimise commercial performance on strategic Federal Government contracts. Based in Melbourne or Canberra, you will partner with Account Directors and Delivery Directors to protect commercial value and ensure compliance throughout the contract lifecycle.

You will lead end-to-end contract management, governance, and negotiations, while driving growth opportunities and managing risk across

Qualifications

• Degree and/or professional certifications in Contract Management, Commercial Management, Procurement, Law or related disciplines will be highly regarded.
• Security clearance eligibility (Baseline) or ability to obtain the required clearance for Federal Government environments.
• 7–15 years’ experience in ICT/telecommunications or similarly regulated industries with strong contract knowledge.
• Advanced drafting, negotiation and contract lifecycle management capabilities.
• Proven track record leading complex negotiations and governance across regulated clients.

Responsibilities

• Own and manage complex customer contracts end-to-end throughout the lifecycle.
• Establish governance frameworks and proactively manage contractual, commercial and operational risks.
• Draft, review and negotiate customer and supplier agreements, variations and SOWs.
• Assess and implement contract variations while protecting value and minimizing risk.
• Collaborate with Sales, Delivery and Bid teams on new business, renewals and expansions.
• Oversee contract profitability, financial exposures and back-to-back contracting.
• Maintain audit-ready records and ensure regulatory and organisational compliance.

Skills

Contract management

Negotiation

Governance

Risk management

Stakeholder management

Financial acumen

Compliance

Education

Degree in Business, Law, Commerce, Accounting, or Engineering

Job description

Optus is an Australian telecommunications company, delivering more than 11 million services to our customers every day across mobile, broadband and digital solutions. Commercial Contract Manager (CCM) is a senior role within Optus Business responsible for optimising contractual and commercial performance across Optus' largest and most strategic customer contracts. Partnering closely with Account Directors, Customer Delivery Directors and key stakeholders, the CCM protects commercial value, manages contractual risk, ensures compliance obligations are met and drives successful customer and business outcomes throughout the contract lifecycle. Based in Canberra or Melbourne, this role is primarily focused on managing high-value Tier 1 customer contracts, particularly within the Federal Government sector, where contracts are complex, highly regulated and subject to significant governance, change and compliance requirements. The CCM acts as a trusted commercial advisor, providing expert guidance on contract management, negotiations, governance, risk management and commercial strategy while ensuring Optus' interests are protected and customer commitments are successfully delivered.

What You’ll Do

• Lead Commercial Contract Management by owning and managing complex customer contracts end-to-end, ensuring contractual obligations, governance requirements, commercial outcomes and customer commitments are effectively delivered throughout the contract lifecycle.
• Drive Contract Governance and Risk Management through the establishment of robust governance frameworks, proactive management of contractual, commercial and operational risks, and the provision of expert advice to support informed business decisions.
• Draft, review and negotiate customer and supplier agreements, contract variations, Statements of Work, schedules and commercial amendments, ensuring contractual arrangements appropriately allocate risk, protect Optus' interests and support successful customer outcomes.
• Manage Contract Changes and Commercial Negotiations by assessing, negotiating and implementing contract variations, Statements of Work and commercial amendments, while protecting contract value and minimising commercial risk.
• Support Strategic Growth Opportunities by partnering with Sales, Delivery and Bid teams on new business pursuits, renewals and account expansion initiatives, providing commercial leadership, contractual expertise and negotiation support.
• Optimise Commercial Performance and Supplier Outcomes by overseeing contract profitability, financial exposures, supplier agreements and back-to-back contracting arrangements to ensure customer commitments are met and business value is maximised.
• Ensure Compliance, Reporting and Continuous Improvement through maintaining audit-ready contract records, overseeing compliance with regulatory and organisational requirements, delivering executive-level reporting, and driving best-practice contract management across the business.

What You Bring

• Relevant Qualifications and Professional Expertise – Degree qualification in Business, Law, Commerce, Accounting, Engineering, or equivalent experience in a similar commercial role. Professional certifications in Contract Management, Commercial Management, Procurement, Law or related disciplines will be highly regarded.
• Security Clearance Eligibility – Holds an appropriate Government Security Clearance (Baseline) or has the ability to obtain and maintain the required clearance to support work within Federal Government and security-sensitive customer environments.
• Industry Experience – 7–15 years' experience in ICT, telecommunications, managed services, outsourcing, Federal Government or similarly regulated industries, with a strong understanding of complex commercial, contractual and operational environments.
• Strong Commercial, Financial and Risk Acumen – Demonstrated ability to identify, assess and mitigate contractual, commercial and financial risks while driving value creation, margin improvement, commercial optimisation and revenue growth opportunities.
• Advanced contract drafting, contract negotiation and commercial management capability, including demonstrated experience preparing and negotiating complex customer and supplier agreements with minimal legal support.
• Advanced Negotiation and Stakeholder Management Skills – Proven success leading complex customer and supplier negotiations, contract variations, disputes and commercial discussions across Federal Government, ICT, telecommunications, managed services or other highly regulated industries.
• Governance, Compliance and Contract Lifecycle Expertise – Strong experience managing contract governance frameworks, compliance obligations, audits, regulatory requirements and contract lifecycle activities, with the ability to implement best-practice processes and drive continuous improvement.

The good stuff

• Competitive remuneration and employee discounts. Make life easier (and more affordable) with $80 monthly credit and 25% off Optus products and unique shopping discounts with our retail partners.
• Flexible working arrangements with opportunities to work three days in the office, two days remote or home.
• Competitive leave policies, including additional 'Connected’ days to focus on culture, family, health, community, or whatever’s important to you.
• We support growing families with inclusive, carer-neutral paid Parental Leave of up to 16 weeks.
• Build meaningful connections through employee-led networks and diversity initiatives including Culture Connect, Elevate Women, Disability Network and Express Yourself (LGBTQIA+).
• Put your wellbeing first with free access to counselling and support services, 24/7 — in-person, by phone, SMS, or video.

At Optus, we are strengthened by others and that means valuing diversity and saying ‘yes’ to embracing individual differences. We are committed to ensuring that our application process provides an equal employment opportunity to all job seekers, including individuals from diverse gender, cultural and linguistic backgrounds, individuals with a disability, individuals identifying as being part of the LGBTQIA+ community, individuals who may have served in the armed forces or who identify as Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander. We also want to do our best to make our recruitment process inclusive. If you require any adjustments or accessibility support to participate fairly and equitably in the recruitment process, please email [e-mail] or call 1800 309 170. We're here to help.

For more information on Diversity, Inclusion & Belonging at Optus, please visit https://www.optus.com.au/about/inclusion-diversity