Senior Commercial Manager

McMahon Services; Adelaide; On-site; AUD 180,000 - 260,000; Full time

Job summary

McMahon Services is seeking a Senior Commercial Manager to lead contract governance, procurement compliance and commercial performance for our Civil & Infrastructure team in Adelaide. You will own upstream and downstream contract governance, manage claims and risk, and drive procurement and systems improvements across multiple regions.

The role requires a tertiary qualification in Law, QS, Construction Management, Engineering or Commerce and 10+ years in commercial management within

Qualifications

• Degree in Law, QS, Construction Management, Engineering or Commerce required.
• 10+ years in commercial management or contract administration in construction.
• Proven track record leading contract administration, claims management and commercial risk on large-scale infra projects.

Responsibilities

• Own commercial and contract governance across the Civil & Infrastructure stream, including all subsidiary entities.
• Lead contract compliance both upstream (head contracts, customers) and downstream (subcontractors and suppliers).
• Manage claims, notices, variations and dispute resolution, working closely with Legal on material risk.
• Own subcontractor and major procurement governance, including commercial reviews and flow-down of head contract obligations.
• Be instrumental in the End of Month (EOM) process – certifying subcontractor/supplier claims, validating procurement accruals and supporting commercial forecasting.
• Lead, mentor and develop the Contract Administrator team across all regions and entities.
• Drive continuous improvement across commercial systems, templates and processes.

Skills

Contract governance

Commercial risk management

Procurement strategy

Leadership & mentoring

Stakeholder management

Education

Tertiary qualification in Law, Quantity Surveying, Construction Management, Engineering or Commerce

Job description

McMahon Services is one of Australia's largest privately owned construction, industrial and environmental services organisations, employing over 1,300 people across Australia.

Our Civil & Infrastructure team delivers complex, multidisciplinary infrastructure projects nationwide, across ports, defence, power and energy, and civil works. We don't just deliver projects – we invest in our people, providing genuine opportunities to develop, lead and build long-term careers.

About the Role

McMahon Services is seeking an experienced Senior Commercial Manager to join our Civil & Infrastructure team, based in Adelaide.

This is a senior, stream-wide opportunity for a commercially astute construction professional to own contract governance, commercial risk, subcontractor and procurement compliance, and End of Month (EOM) commercial performance across the C&I business.

Working closely with the Executive General Manager, General Managers and Operations teams, and in close partnership with Legal, you'll lead the Contract Administrator function, drive full contract compliance both upstream and downstream, and play a lead role in improving the stream's commercial business systems.

Is This Your Next Career Move?

If you've built your career with a Tier 1 or leading Tier 2 contractor and are ready for broader commercial leadership across a multi-state portfolio, this could be the opportunity you've been waiting for.

This role could suit:

• A Senior Contract Administrator or Contracts Manager ready to step into a stream-wide commercial leadership role.
• A Commercial Manager looking for greater ownership across a larger, multi-entity portfolio.
• An experienced commercial professional seeking direct involvement in contract governance, procurement strategy and business systems improvement.

At McMahon Services, you'll continue delivering nationally significant infrastructure projects while accelerating your career in a collaborative and supportive environment.

What You'll Do

• Own commercial and contract governance across the Civil & Infrastructure stream, including all subsidiary entities.
• Lead contract compliance both upstream (head contracts, customers) and downstream (subcontractors and suppliers).
• Manage claims, notices, variations and dispute resolution, working closely with Legal on material risk.
• Own subcontractor and major procurement governance, including commercial reviews and flow-down of head contract obligations.
• Be instrumental in the End of Month (EOM) process – certifying subcontractor/supplier claims, validating procurement accruals and supporting commercial forecasting.
• Lead, mentor and develop the Contract Administrator team across all regions and entities.
• Drive continuous improvement across commercial systems, templates and processes.

What You'll Bring

• Tertiary qualification in Law, Quantity Surveying, Construction Management, Engineering or Commerce.
• 10+ years' experience in commercial management or contract administration within the construction industry, including at least 5 years in civil or building construction.
• Proven track record leading contract administration, claims management and commercial risk on large-scale infrastructure or civil projects.
• Strong knowledge of procurement, subcontractor management and financial/commercial forecasting, including EOM processes.
• Excellent commercial acumen, negotiation and stakeholder management skills.
• Strong leadership capability with experience mentoring commercial or contract administration teams.

What Will Set You Apart

• Experience operating across multiple entities, regions or business units within a single commercial function.
• Strong understanding of standard construction contract forms (e.g. AS4000, GC21, NEC) and commercial risk management.
• Proven ability to manage complex commercial risk and subcontractor/supply chain compliance across large-scale projects.
• Experience driving commercial systems or process improvement initiatives.
• Ability to build long-term customer and subcontractor relationships and drive commercial performance.

Why Join McMahon Services?

• Lead commercial strategy across a nationally significant Civil & Infrastructure portfolio.
• Genuine ownership and influence across contract governance, procurement and commercial performance.
• Long-term leadership and career progression opportunities.
• Work alongside experienced industry leaders.
• Strong pipeline of civil, defence and infrastructure projects.
• Collaborative, values-driven and high-performing culture.
• Ongoing professional development and continuous learning.

Ready to Take the Next Step?

If you're looking for more than just your next commercial role and are ready to influence outcomes across a multi-state infrastructure business while advancing your leadership career, we'd love to hear from you.

McMahon Services operates across South Australia, the Northern Territory and nationally, creating opportunities throughout Australia.

At McMahon Services, we embrace diversity and inclusion as fundamental values. We believe that a diverse workforce fosters innovation, creativity and a deeper understanding of the communities we serve. We are committed to creating an inclusive environment where all employees feel valued, respected and empowered to contribute their unique perspectives and talents. We encourage applications from people of all backgrounds, identities and experiences.

McMahon Services is an industry leading, privately owned industrial, construction and environmental services provider.

Established in 1990 by brothers David and Andrew McMahon, McMahon Services has grown from a team of 12 into a truly national business.

Our family business heritage and culture of innovation set us apart, fostering a commitment to developing leading edge approaches across the whole organisation that surpass industry standards.

With offices in South Australia, Queensland, Western Australia, New South Wales, Victoria and the Northern Territory, we employ more than 500 staff and deliver projects from city centres to remote locations.

McMahon Services has delivered some of Australia’s most difficult and significant construction services projects.

We go to where our clients need us to be, with a proven ability to undertake work in remote locations, coupled with an exceptional emergency response capability. Our immediate response means we are on-site ready to plan and take action when needed.

Our diversity and can-do attitude are our core strengths. We apply our knowledge, resources and experienced teams to work across a broad range of disciplines and sectors, providing our clients with the expertise and hands-on skills to meet their specific needs. As a multi-disciplinary, full service provider, we use our own direct wage staff and boast a $70 million network of modern company-owned plant and equipment.

We were awarded Federal Safety Accreditation in 2009 – the first multi-disciplinary construction services company in Australia to achieve this recognition.

We look forward to the future and tackling new challenges with the same enthusiasm, dedication and excellence that has been true of all of our operations to date.

Our core values stem from our beginnings as a small family business and remain unchanged.

Our people are central to what we do

Our greatest asset is our people. It is through the hard work of our teams across the business that McMahon Services has continued to grow and extend the boundaries of performance. Our business is rich in tradition, with many of our staff being second generation employees.

We strive for innovation

Innovation and surpassing industry standards is what we strive for. We approach each project with safe, cost effective and value adding solutions. McMahon Services has been recognised by the industry and our peers for innovation and best practice, and we will continue to reach for new heights.

We have an unbeatable can-do attitude

We are determined to exceed client expectation with every project we undertake, no matter the size. We go the distance and to where our clients need us to be. We have built our business on tackling the tough jobs.

We are safety focused and our business is underpinned by a strong safety culture – team mates looking after team mates. Our objective is to continually improve our safety performance to ensure a zero harm environment for our works, stakeholders and the wider community.

We have a family business heritage

We respect where we have come from and all those involved in the ongoing journey from clients to partners, subcontractors, suppliers and staff.

Source: this is an extract from the company’s own website.