Commercial Data Analyst — Contracts Performance & Insights

South West Water Limited; Exeter; On-site; GBP 35,000 - 50,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

23 days annual leave (increasing with

Holiday buy and sell scheme

Competitive pension with employer cont

Life assurance

Group income protection

Parental leave

Employee share schemes

Health cash plan

Free annual flu vaccination

Employee Assistance Programme

Free on-site parking at Exeter HQ

Cycle to Work scheme

Car share scheme

On-site canteen

Give As You Earn charity

Paid volunteering day

Retail discounts

Job summary

South West Water is seeking a Commercial Analyst to join the Operations Contracts Team in Exeter. You will transform large volumes of data into insights to support decision-making, cost control and contract governance, focusing on Network Repair & Maintenance contracts.

The role involves analysing data, developing dashboards in Power BI and Excel, producing forecasts, and challenging processes to improve financial assurance and operating efficiency.

Qualifications

• Experience in a financial, commercial or business analysis role.
• Strong analytical and problem-solving skills with the ability to interpret complex data sets.
• Advanced Microsoft Excel skills.
• Excellent communication and stakeholder management skills.
• Strong organisational skills with the ability to prioritise workloads effectively.
• Ability to work accurately under pressure and meet tight deadlines.
• Commercial awareness and a proactive approach to continuous improvement.
• Confident, self-motivated and capable of working collaboratively across multiple teams.

Responsibilities

• Manage full contract data lifecycle: extracting, cleansing, analysing and modelling high-volume operational data.
• Develop and maintain commercial reporting dashboards using Power BI and Excel.
• Produce cost forecasts and monitor expenditure across operational contracts.
• Analyse cost and performance trends to identify risks, opportunities and efficiencies.
• Support monthly contract performance reviews through insightful reporting and analysis.
• Implement and maintain financial and commercial controls to strengthen contract governance.
• Auditing contractor costs including labour, plant, materials and subcontractor expenditure, ensuring accurate allocation and NEC contract compliance.
• Provide detailed analysis and recommendations to support commercial and operational decision-making.
• Act as the key commercial interface between contractors, operational teams, finance colleagues and quantity surveyors.
• Support procurement and operational teams to optimise contractor performance and spend.
• Identify opportunities to improve processes, reporting accuracy and financial controls.
• Deliver meaningful commercial insight that contributes to the successful delivery of operational objectives.

Skills

Analytical skills

Problem solving

Excel

Stakeholder management

Communication

Organisation

Education

Degree in Finance/Commercial Management

AAT qualification

Professional body membership

Tools

Power BI

Excel

Job description

South West Water is seeking a Commercial Analyst to join the Operations Contracts Team in Exeter. You will transform large volumes of data into insights to support decision-making, cost control and contract governance, focusing on Network Repair & Maintenance contracts.

The role involves analysing data, developing dashboards in Power BI and Excel, producing forecasts, and challenging processes to improve financial assurance and operating efficiency.