Commercial Executive

WSP USA; Sydney; Hybrid; AUD 150,000 - 230,000; Full time

Job summary

WSP Australia is seeking a Commercial Executive to provide senior commercial leadership across major bids, projects, portfolios and strategic client arrangements. You’ll move confidently between contract details and portfolio performance, shaping pricing and commercial strategy before work is won and guiding mobilisation.

You’ll own risk, entitlement and recovery discussions, lead negotiations, and coach project teams to strengthen commercial capability across pricing, forecasting, claims and

Qualifications

• Significant commercial leadership within engineering, consulting, infrastructure or complex projects.
• Proven post-award experience in variations, claims and entitlement recovery.
• Strong negotiation and stakeholder-management capabilities.
• Ability to interpret project financials and drive margin protection.
• Track record of coaching Project Managers and Directors to lift commercial capability.

Responsibilities

• Provide proactive commercial leadership across portfolios and major bids, including pricing, fee builds and contingencies.
• Lead commercial handover and mobilisation for large projects with clear obligations and risks.
• Identify commercial risks and opportunities early with cross-functional teams.
• Oversee contracts across projects, focusing on recoverability, working-capital risk and entitlement.
• Develop robust positions on variations, claims and contract interpretation with Legal support.
• Support high-risk or underperforming projects with practical recovery strategies.
• Translate project financials into clear risks, opportunities and actions for leadership.

Skills

Commercial leadership

Contract management

Negotiation

Stakeholder management

Pricing strategy

Financial acumen

Risk management

Coaching teams

Education

Commerce/business qualification

Job description

Shape better commercial outcomes across some of our most complex projects, pursuits and client relationships.

Flexible Location:

At WSP, commercial leadership is about more than managing contracts. It is about seeing risk early, protecting value, unlocking opportunities and helping our people make better commercial decisions.

We’re looking for a Commercial Executive to provide senior commercial leadership across major bids, projects, portfolios and strategic client arrangements.

Working alongside our Business Group, operational and project leaders, you’ll be a trusted commercial adviser who can move confidently between the detail of a complex contractual position and the bigger picture of portfolio performance.

This is an opportunity to have real influence. You’ll help shape pricing and commercial strategy before work is won, establish strong commercial foundations at mobilisation, and provide decisive support when projects face challenges around variations, claims, entitlement, margin or recovery.

What you’ll do

You’ll provide proactive commercial leadership across a portfolio of projects and opportunities, including:

• Partnering with Business Group, operational and project leaders to understand their projects, clients and priorities, identifying commercial risks and opportunities early.
• Providing commercial oversight across projects and portfolios, identifying emerging risk, recurring issues, margin leakage and opportunities for entitlement and recovery.
• Bringing commercial insight to project and portfolio reviews, including Major Project Reviews, with a particular focus on contractual position, recoverability, working-capital risk and intervention.
• Leading the commercial approach to significant bids and pursuits, including pricing, fee builds, assumptions, qualifications, contingencies, rates, multipliers and negotiation strategy.
• Leading commercial handover and mobilisation for material projects so that key obligations, assumptions, risks, controls and subcontract requirements are clearly understood.
• Taking the commercial lead on complex post-award matters including contract interpretation, client instructions, variations, claims, payment risk, subcontractor issues and entitlement recovery.
• Supporting elevated-risk or underperforming projects with practical commercial recovery strategies.
• Developing robust claims, entitlement and defence positions, working closely with Legal where matters progress toward formal dispute.
• Translating project financial information into clear commercial risks, opportunities and actions.
• Providing commercial governance across priority panels, frameworks and strategic client arrangements.
• Coaching Project Managers and Project Directors to strengthen commercial capability across pricing, contracts, forecasting, variations, claims, risk and margin protection.
• Helping continuously improve WSP’s commercial practices, guidance and capability.

About you

You’re an experienced commercial leader who combines strong contractual knowledge with pragmatic business judgement.

You understand that great commercial management isn’t about creating barriers. It’s about helping teams make informed decisions, protecting value and finding practical ways forward.

You’ll bring:

• Significant commercial, contract management or project delivery experience gained within engineering, consulting, infrastructure, construction or another complex project-based environment.
• Demonstrated leadership across complex bids, projects or portfolios, with particularly strong post-award commercial experience.
• Deep experience in variations, claims, entitlement, commercial recovery, contractual notices and material subcontractor matters.
• Strong knowledge of project pricing and fee development, including commercial assumptions, rates, multipliers, contingencies and margin drivers.
• The ability to interpret project financial performance and identify the contractual and commercial drivers behind risk and opportunity.
• Strong negotiation, influencing and stakeholder-management capability, including the confidence to constructively challenge senior and executive leaders.
• The ability to look beyond individual projects and identify patterns, emerging risks and opportunities across a broader portfolio.
• Clear, practical communication skills and the ability to make complex contractual and commercial issues understandable.
• A track record of coaching Project Managers, Project Directors and others to improve commercial capability.

Experience working across major panels, frameworks or strategic client arrangements will be highly regarded.

A tertiary qualification in commerce, business, law, quantity surveying, engineering, construction management, project management or a related discipline is desirable. Relevant postgraduate or professional qualifications in commercial management, contracts, law or project management will also be well regarded.

The kind of leader you are

Commercially astute, pragmatic and solutions-focused, you know when to challenge, when to influence and when intervention is required.

You build trusted relationships without losing commercial objectivity. You’re comfortable operating independently, remain composed when the stakes are high and can navigate the competing commercial, contractual and operational considerations that come with complex project environments.

Importantly, you understand the boundaries of the role. You’ll work in genuine partnership with Project Directors and Project Managers, Legal, Project Finance Services, Project Services and Business Group leadership, bringing commercial expertise to the table while respecting clear functional accountabilities.

Imagine a better future for you and a better future for us all.

At WSP, you’ll have the opportunity to work alongside talented people solving some of the most complex challenges facing our clients and communities.

For a senior commercial professional, that means the opportunity to bring your experience to significant projects and pursuits, influence how commercial decisions are made and build capability that extends well beyond an individual project.

You’ll join an environment where commercial expertise is valued, constructive challenge is welcomed, and your judgement can make a genuine difference to project and business performance.

With us, you can.