Commercial Contracts Lead

Thames Water Utilities Limited; City Of London; Hybrid; GBP 92,000; Full time

Job summary

A leading UK water company is seeking a Commercial Contracts Lead to support major infrastructure projects. This hybrid role involves managing commercial and contractual aspects of multi-billion-pound projects, requiring experience with NEC contracts and strong leadership. The ideal candidate will have excellent negotiation and stakeholder management skills. This position offers a competitive salary of up to £92,000 per annum plus benefits.

Benefits

Annual Bonus

Contributory pension - Maximum of 12%

26 days of annual leave

Private Medical Health Care

Wider benefits scheme

Qualifications

• Significant experience in managing multi-billion-pound infrastructure projects.
• Expertise with NEC contracts, especially in professional services or construction.
• Proven leadership skills within similar major programmes.

Responsibilities

• Support technical and programme partner service managers.
• Provide commercial support under NEC4 contracts.
• Ensure compliance with commercial frameworks.

Skills

Negotiation skills

Stakeholder management

Leadership

Influencing skills

Job description

Overview

Hybrid - Camelford House, 89 Albert Embankment, London SE1 7TP

Job title: Commercial Contracts Lead Ref 37577
Division: Strategic Water Resources
Location: Hybrid - Camelford House, 89 Albert Embankment, London SE1 7TP
Contract type: Permanent
Full/Part-time: Full-time
Hours: 36 hours a week, Monday to Friday
Salary: Competitive salary circa £92,000 per annum depending on previous experience
Job grade: C
Closing date: 02/10/2025

This is a unique Commercial Contracts role within Thames Water because you will be part of our Strategic Resource Options (SRO) team, which is developing a portfolio of 5 major infrastructure projects, including a new reservoir in Oxfordshire and other water supply resilience infrastructure programmes. These have a total capital value of over £5 billion. This role works with the Head of Procurement & Supply Chain for the SRO Directorate. You will be the provider of Commercial and Contractual Management support for technical and programme management partners.

What you’ll be doing as the Commercial Contracts Lead

• You will be working alongside and supporting the technical and programme partner service managers.
• You will provide and build the capability for commercial support for the partners under NEC4 contracts.
• Focus on ensuring that both Thames Water and the Service Managers discharge their role correctly concerning the commercial elements of the Partner Frameworks.
• Work with the Service Managers to offer them commercial and contractual guidance.
• You will also work closely with the Head of Programme Controls and Insights, as well as the SRO Senior Leadership Team and others within the SRO Programme to ensure that the outputs, outcomes, resources and services that are provided by the Supply Chain Partners meet the required standards and provide best value for the overall programme.
• Steering and operating effective performance measurement, value management and change control processes.

This is a hybrid role with a base Location of Camelford House, 89 Albert Embankment, London SE1 7TP.

Salary for this position is up to £92,000 per annum.

Essential criteria

• You will have strong negotiation and influencing skills with proven successful experience working with many stakeholders at the same time.
• Significant experience as an established and credible leader working on multi-billion-pound major infrastructure projects (such as construction, highways, utilities, railways, and the Tideway Tunnel).
• Previous experience as a Senior Commercial Quantity Surveyor Manager or Commercial.
• Lead within a similar major programme, managing a Delivery Partner or Contractor on behalf of a client entity.
• NEC contract experience, preferably within professional services or construction.
• Excellent leadership skills and experience.

Extra qualities

• RISC qualification and membership.
• You will be resilient and able to adapt and implement change at speed, whilst creating an environment for the people you are working with to thrive.
• Have a non-negotiable work ethic concerning the health, safety and well-being of team members and the wider environment.

What’s in it for you?

• Competitive salary circa £92,000 per annum, depending on previous experience.
• Annual Bonus.
• Contributory pension – Defined Contribution - Maximum of 12% -2x employee contributions.
• 26 days of annual leave per year, increasing to 30 with the length of service. (Plus bank holidays)
• Private Medical Health Care.
• Personal Medical Assessments – Open to all once a year.
• Wider benefits scheme including our benefits hub, which is packed full of offers and information to save you money and support your wellbeing.

We’re the UK’s largest water and wastewater company, with more than 16 million customers relying on us every day to supply water for their taps and toilets. We want to build a better future for all, helping our customers, communities, people, and the planet to thrive. It’s a big job and we’ve got a long way to go, so we need help from passionate and skilled people, committed to making a difference and getting us to where we want to be in the years and decades to come.

Thames Water is a unique, rewarding, and diverse place to work, where every day you can make a difference, yet no day is the same. As part of our family, you’ll enjoy meaningful career opportunities, flexible working arrangements and excellent benefits.

If you’re looking for a sustainable and successful career where you can make a daily difference to millions of people’s lives while helping to protect the world of water for future generations, we’ll be here to support you every step of the way. Together, we can build a better future for our customers, our region, and our planet.

Real purpose, real support, real opportunities. Come and join the Thames Water family. Why choose us? Learn more.

We’re committed to being a great, diverse, and inclusive place to work. We welcome applications from everyone and want to ensure you feel supported throughout the recruitment process. If you need any adjustments, whether that’s extra time, accessible formats, or anything else just let us know—we’re here to help and support.

When a crisis happens, we all rally around to support our customers. As part of Team Thames, you’ll have the opportunity to sign up to support our customers on the frontline as an ambassador. Full training will be given for what is undoubtedly an incredibly rewarding experience. It’s also a great opportunity to learn more about our business and meet colleagues.

Disclaimer: due to the high volume of applications we receive, we may close the advert earlier than the advertised date, so we encourage you to apply as soon as possible to avoid disappointment.