Contract Administrator - Commercial Construction

Zenith Executive Search; Brisbane; On-site; AUD 120,000 - 160,000; Full time

Job summary

Zenith Executive Search partners with a Queensland contractor to appoint a Contracts Administrator for a high-profile $11M education project in southern Brisbane. The role combines cost planning, forecasting and commercial oversight with day-to-day contract administration.

You will own the project’s financial position, manage cost-to-complete forecasts, monitor accruals and variations, and work closely with the Project Manager and senior leadership to protect margin and deliver on time.

Qualifications

• Proven cost planning and forecasting capability within commercial construction.
• Ability to own and understand a project’s financial position.
• Experience delivering commercial construction projects of comparable size.
• Experience preparing monthly commercial reports and forecasts.
• Strong negotiation and subcontract management skills.

Responsibilities

• Take ownership of project cost planning, budgeting and financial forecasting.
• Prepare and regularly update cost-to-complete forecasts.
• Maintain an accurate forecast of the project’s final cost and commercial position.
• Monitor committed costs, actual expenditure, accruals and liabilities.
• Review subcontractor quotations and manage variations and claims.

Skills

Cost forecasting

Budgeting

Subcontract procurement

Variation management

Commercial reporting

Claims & EOTs

Stakeholder management

Australian contracts

Education project experience

Education

Construction Management

Quantity Surveying

Engineering

Job description

Contract Administrator - Commercial Construction

Contracts Administrator - $11M Education Project | Southern Brisbane

An established and growing Queensland commercial contractor is looking to appoint an experienced Contracts Administrator to take a key commercial role on an $11M education project in the southern Brisbane metropolitan region.

This is an opportunity for a seasoned CA who wants genuine ownership of the commercial function of a project, working closely with the Project Manager and senior leadership while joining a contractor with a strong and developing pipeline across South-East Queensland.

The biggest requirement for this position is commercial capability, particularly around cost planning, forecasting and understanding the true financial position of a project.

The successful candidate needs to be comfortable taking ownership of project financials, maintaining accurate cost-to-complete forecasts, identifying commercial risk early and giving the wider project team confidence around where the project is financially heading.

This is not simply a procurement-focused CA position. While subcontractor procurement and general contract administration are important parts of the role, the business needs someone who understands the numbers behind a project and can actively contribute to protecting margin and commercial outcomes.

For someone with longer-term ambitions beyond Contracts Administration, there is also a genuine pathway into Project Management. This isn't a requirement of the position - an experienced CA who wants to continue developing commercially will be equally valued - but if progressing into a Project Manager role is a desired career outcome, the business can provide the exposure and opportunity to make that transition.

The Role

Working closely with the Project Manager and site delivery team, you will take responsibility for the day-to-day commercial and contractual management of the project.

You'll be trusted to manage your own workload and take genuine ownership rather than simply processing paperwork or operating within a heavily segmented commercial structure.

A major component of the position will be maintaining an accurate understanding of the project's financial position throughout delivery.

You will be expected to understand what has been spent, what has been committed, what remains outstanding, where commercial risks sit and what the project is ultimately forecast to deliver.

Key responsibilities will include:

• Take ownership of project cost planning, budgeting and financial forecasting
• Prepare and regularly update detailed cost-to-complete forecasts
• Maintain an accurate forecast of the project's anticipated final cost and commercial position
• Monitor committed costs, actual expenditure, accruals and outstanding liabilities
• Analyse budget versus actual and forecast expenditure
• Identify potential cost overruns and commercial risks before they materially impact the project
• Identify opportunities to protect and improve project margin
• Prepare and contribute to monthly cost reports and commercial forecasts
• Maintain accurate project cash flow and financial reporting
• Work closely with the Project Manager and senior management around commercial performance
• Manage subcontractor procurement from initial tender through negotiation, recommendation and award
• Prepare detailed scopes of work and subcontract documentation
• Review subcontractor quotations and complete commercial comparisons
• Negotiate subcontract packages and ensure commercial risks are appropriately managed
• Assess and administer subcontractor progress claims
• Manage project variations and maintain accurate variation registers
• Assess, negotiate and administer subcontractor variations
• Manage EOTs, contractual notices and commercial correspondence
• Assist with Head Contract administration, client variations and progress claims
• Maintain accurate procurement, contract and commercial registers
• Manage subcontractor final accounts and commercial close-out
• Work alongside consultants, subcontractors and the wider delivery team to resolve commercial and contractual issues
• Support the Project Manager with broader project delivery requirements where required

Cost Planning & Forecasting - Non-Negotiable

The most important technical requirement for this position is proven cost planning and forecasting capability within commercial construction.

The business is looking for someone who can genuinely own and understand a project's financial position rather than simply update information provided by others.

You should be comfortable looking at a cost report and understanding the story behind the numbers.

That means being able to assess:

• Current committed costs
• Actual expenditure
• Outstanding procurement
• Accruals and liabilities
• Approved and pending variations
• Forecast costs to complete
• Potential commercial exposure
• Opportunities and risks
• Anticipated final cost
• Project margin and forecast profitability

You will need to be proactive in identifying where a project may be moving away from budget and confident enough to raise those issues early with the Project Manager and senior leadership.

If your experience has predominantly been focused on procurement, progress claims and subcontract administration without significant exposure to forecasting and cost management, this position is unlikely to be the right fit.

Key Skills & Experience

The successful candidate will ideally have:

• Proven experience as a Contracts Administrator within the Australian commercial construction industry
• Experience delivering commercial construction projects of a comparable size and complexity
• Strong hands-on experience with cost planning, cost reporting and cost-to-complete forecasting
• Demonstrated ability to manage project budgets and understand the complete financial position of a project
• Experience preparing monthly commercial reports and forecasts
• Strong understanding of committed costs, accruals, liabilities and forecast final costs
• Ability to identify commercial risk and potential cost overruns early
• Strong subcontractor procurement experience
• Experience preparing scopes, tender comparisons and subcontract recommendations
• Experience administering subcontract agreements
• Strong knowledge of progress claims, variations, EOTs and contractual correspondence
• Sound understanding of Australian construction contracts and commercial principles
• Strong negotiation and subcontractor management skills
• Excellent communication and stakeholder management capability
• High level of commercial awareness and attention to detail
• Ability to work autonomously while contributing to a collaborative project team
• Relevant qualification in Construction Management, Quantity Surveying, Engineering or a related discipline

Previous experience delivering education projects would be advantageous but isn't essential. The priority is finding someone with the right commercial foundations and proven forecasting capability.

Career Progression - Contracts Administrator to Project Manager

One of the major attractions of this opportunity is the flexibility around where the position can lead longer term.

The business isn't looking to force an experienced commercial professional away from Contracts Administration. If your goal is to continue developing towards a Senior Contracts Administrator or broader commercial position, there is scope to build your career in that direction.

However, if your longer-term ambition is to move into Project Management, there is a genuine pathway available.

Rather than expecting someone to make the jump from CA to PM overnight, the intention would be to gradually broaden your responsibilities and give you exposure to areas including:

• Project programming and planning
• Client and stakeholder management
• Consultant coordination
• Design management
• Construction methodology
• Site and delivery coordination
• Programme management
• Project reporting
• Leadership of wider project teams
• Overall project performance

This allows someone with strong commercial foundations to develop the broader delivery experience required to become a well-rounded Project Manager.

For the right individual, the longer-term opportunity is to progress from Contracts Administrator into a Project Manager position and ultimately take ownership of their own projects.

The Project

Your initial assignment will be an $11M education project located in the southern Brisbane metropolitan region.

You will work closely with the Project Manager and site team and have meaningful responsibility for the commercial performance of the project from procurement and delivery through to final account and close-out.

The project provides a good platform for an experienced CA to demonstrate their commercial capability while also gaining broader exposure to overall project delivery.

The Business

The contractor has established a strong presence within the South-East Queensland commercial construction market and continues to build its project pipeline across the region.

They operate across a diverse mix of commercial construction sectors, providing employees with exposure to different project types rather than being restricted to one particular sector.

The business offers a more personal working environment than some of the larger contractors, with good access to senior management, genuine responsibility and the opportunity to have an impact on how projects are delivered.

They are looking to grow sustainably and bring people into the business who can develop with them over the longer term rather than simply filling an immediate project requirement.

The Opportunity

This position would suit an experienced Contracts Administrator who wants more than simply moving from one CA role into another.

You’ll be joining a contractor where you can take genuine commercial ownership, have visibility with senior leadership and play an important role in the financial performance of your projects.

The initial $11M education project provides an immediate assignment, but the opportunity is being viewed as a long-term hire rather than a single-project position.

Most importantly, the business can offer flexibility around your career direction.

If you want to become an exceptional commercial operator and continue progressing within Contracts Administration, that pathway exists.

If your goal is eventually to step away from pure Contracts Administration and progress into Project Management, you’ll have the opportunity to gradually take on greater delivery responsibility and work towards managing your own projects.

For someone who is commercially strong, confident with cost planning and forecasting, and wants greater ownership and long-term progression within a growing Queensland contractor, this is a particularly strong opportunity.

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