Senior Contracts Manager

Inland Rail; City of Melbourne; On-site; AUD 180,000 - 230,000; Full time

Job summary

Inland Rail is delivering a major 1,600km freight project across Australia. The Senior Contracts Manager will lead contract administration, claims management and governance across large delivery contracts, working with project, commercial, legal and executive teams to protect the contractual position and support successful delivery.

Regular site travel to Illabo to Stockinbingal is required, with on-site engagement and strategic advice to stakeholders and suppliers.

Qualifications

• Significant experience managing major construction, engineering or infrastructure contracts.
• Expertise in contract administration, claims management and commercial negotiations.
• Strong understanding of entitlement, risk allocation and governance frameworks.
• Experience administering complex delivery contracts and contractual correspondence.
• Exceptional stakeholder management and communication skills.
• Strong analytical, negotiation and problem-solving capabilities.

Responsibilities

• Reviewing and administering third-party agreements, licences, deeds and access arrangements.
• Providing strategic contractual advice to project, commercial and executive leadership teams.
• Managing contractual correspondence, notices and entitlement preservation activities.
• Supporting contractor negotiations, change management and dispute avoidance strategies.
• Identifying, assessing and mitigating commercial and contractual risks.
• Maintaining contractual registers, governance controls and commercial reporting.
• Supporting dispute resolution processes including mediation, adjudication and expert determination.
• Contributing to contract close-out, handover and lessons learned activities.

Skills

Contract administration

Commercial negotiations

Stakeholder management

Risk management

Claims management

Governance

Negotiation

Education

Commerce degree

Law degree

Quantity Surveying

Construction Management

Engineering

Job description

Inland Rail Pty Ltd is delivering a 1,600km freight line that is transforming how goods are moved around Australia. When fully operational, Inland Rail will connect Melbourne to Brisbane via regional Victoria, New South Wales and Queensland. As one of the largest infrastructure projects in Australia, Inland Rail is helping to address the nation's future freight needs and meet the demands of our growing population.

Delivering Inland Rail will help shift more goods onto rail which means safer, less congested roads and fewer emissions and a more resilient and sustainable national freight network.

More information relating to the project can be found here: Inland Rail

About the opportunity

The Illabo to Stockinbingal (I2S) Project is a key Inland Rail section, upgrading more than 170 kilometres of rail corridor to improve freight efficiency and strengthen connections between regional communities and national markets.

As Senior Contracts Manager, you will lead contract administration, claims management, contractual correspondence, third-party agreements and commercial governance across major project delivery contracts. Working closely with project, commercial, legal and senior stakeholder groups, you will help protect Inland Rail's contractual position, manage risk and support successful delivery from procurement through to project completion.

Key responsibilities include but are not limited to:

• Reviewing and administering third-party agreements, licences, deeds and access arrangements.
• Providing strategic contractual advice to project, commercial and executive leadership teams.
• Managing contractual correspondence, notices and entitlement preservation activities.
• Supporting contractor negotiations, change management and dispute avoidance strategies.
• Identifying, assessing and mitigating commercial and contractual risks.
• Maintaining contractual registers, governance controls and commercial reporting.
• Supporting dispute resolution processes including mediation, adjudication and expert determination.
• Contributing to contract close-out, handover and lessons learned activities.

This role requires regular travel to the Illabo to Stockinbingal project site, with approximately 2-3 days on site every 3-4 weeks to support project delivery and stakeholder engagement.

About you

You are an experienced and commercially astute contracts professional who is confident operating in complex, high-value infrastructure or construction environments. You bring sound judgement, strong attention to detail and the ability to balance contractual rigour with practical project delivery outcomes.

You will be comfortable advising senior stakeholders, influencing commercial decisions and managing competing priorities in a fast-paced delivery environment. Your background will demonstrate strong capability in claims, variations, risk management, negotiation and governance, supported by clear communication and a collaborative working style.

Key skills and qualifications

Key skills and qualifications:

• Significant experience managing major construction, engineering or infrastructure contracts.
• Demonstrated expertise in contract administration, claims management and commercial negotiations.
• Strong understanding of contractual entitlement, risk allocation and governance frameworks.
• Experience administering complex delivery contracts and managing contractual correspondence.
• Exceptional stakeholder management and communication skills.
• Strong analytical, negotiation and problem-solving capabilities.
  Relevant tertiary qualification in Commerce, Law, Quantity Surveying, Construction Management, Engineering or a related discipline.

What you'll be joining

• You will join one of the largest infrastructure programs in Australia.
• This project will generate thousands of jobs and billions of dollars in local investment, boosting regional economies and communities right along the alignment.
• Inland Rail is proud to have over 40% female representation and we would like to see these numbers grow.
• Inland Rail is an Agile working environment in our State-of-the Art office embracing flexible working conditions.

Our Organisation and Culture

The values that drive us and the work we deliver in the program incorporate Collaboration, Accountability, Respect and Excellence. We welcome like-minded individuals who value our culture.

At Inland Rail, we celebrate, support, and thrive on attracting people from all horizons and walks of life for the benefit of our employees, our program, and our community. Inland Rail is proud to be an equal opportunity and an affirmative action employer. We encourage Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander candidates to submit their details to us.

All employment is decided based on suitability to the role, cultural fit, merit, and business needs.