Commercial Manager

VIVO Defence Services; Aldershot; Hybrid; GBP 70,000 - 80,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

6% employee matched pension

25 days annual leave

Bonus

Company car/car allowance

Life assurance 2x annual salary

Private medical cover

Job summary

VIVO Defence Services is seeking a commercially focused professional to join our Defence sector team in Aldershot. You will support a high‑value Accommodation contract, providing day‑to‑day commercial guidance, managing change control, and ensuring profitable performance across regional delivery teams.

Working with the Senior Commercial Manager and Head of Commercial, you will monitor costs, drive efficiencies, and oversee tenders, pricing, subcontract payments and contract governance in a

Qualifications

• Experience applying UK contract and commercial law in a business environment.
• Experience managing change, variations, claims, disputes, pricing, and subcontract costs.

Responsibilities

• Maintain commercial control across the Core contract, monitoring costs and supporting profitability.
• Identify efficiencies and cost savings; support cash management with operational and finance teams.
• Provide commercial guidance across the business on contracts, deliverables and scope of services.
• Manage contractual claims and disputes using established processes and negotiate outcomes.
• Support tendering, pricing activity, subcontract orders and payments; ensure contractual and statutory compliance.
• Collaborate with delivery, finance, commercial and customer teams to drive informed decision‑making.

Education

Degree or diploma in Law/Surveying/Quantity Surveying/Built Environment/Facilities Management/Land

Job description

VIVO provides facilities management and accommodation maintenance for the UK military and its partners. VIVO embodies both experience and innovation.

What We Do

We put our Customers and Families First. They are the driving force behind everything we do. We drive forward improvements for them to ensure the service they receive, whether reactive repairs or a major project, is completed safely and on time. In order to achieve this, we have 4 core values: open, caring, agile and collaborative. These are at the heart of everything we do.

Location: Aldershot

Permanent, full time

Salary: £70,000 - £80,000 + Company Car/Car Allowance + Benefits

Are you a commercially driven professional looking for a role where your expertise can directly influence the financial performance of a major Defence contract? As Commercial Manager at VIVO, you’ll play a key role in supporting our Billable Works team and regional delivery operations, helping us deliver strong commercial outcomes across a high-value Accommodation contract.

VIVO delivers infrastructure, asset and facilities management services across the UK Defence estate, and this is an exciting opportunity to join a growing commercial function at the heart of that operation. With the Accommodation contract generating significant and growing turnover, you’ll be working in a fast-paced environment where your commercial judgement, attention to detail and ability to identify opportunities can make a real difference.

Working closely with the Senior Commercial Manager and Head of Commercial, you’ll provide day-to-day commercial support to our regional delivery teams, while partnering with the Customer’s commercial team to agree inclusions and exclusions, manage change and reconcile assets and works. You’ll take a proactive approach to variation and change control, ensuring opportunities are identified, captured and progressed in a timely way.

A key part of the role will be maintaining commercial control across the Core contract. You’ll monitor and manage costs to support profitability, identify efficiencies and cost savings, and work closely with operational and finance teams to support cash management and a positive cash position.

You’ll also provide commercial guidance across the wider business, helping colleagues understand their contractual responsibilities, deliverables and scope of services. By applying your knowledge of contracts, commercial principles and VIVO governance, you’ll help ensure the contract is managed effectively and that commercial risks are identified and addressed.

Your expertise will also be important when managing contractual claims and disputes. You’ll apply VIVO’s established processes, use your negotiation skills to achieve appropriate commercial outcomes and support the business in improving overall contract performance.

Alongside the Core contract, you’ll have the opportunity to work across tenders and pricing activity, compile subcontract orders and manage subcontract payments, ensuring contractual and statutory requirements are met. You’ll therefore have a broad commercial remit, combining strategic thinking with hands‑on involvement in the day‑to‑day commercial management of the contract.

This is a role for someone who enjoys being close to the operation, building strong relationships and finding practical commercial solutions. You’ll work collaboratively with delivery, finance, commercial and customer teams, using data and commercial insight to support confident decision‑making and drive improved performance.

About You

We’re looking for a commercially experienced professional who can demonstrate experience within a similar industry sector and who understands how strong commercial management contributes to successful contract delivery.

You’ll ideally be educated to degree or diploma level in Law, Surveying, Quantity Surveying, the Built Environment, Facilities Management, Land or a related discipline. Professional qualifications or equivalent commercial experience will also be considered.

You’ll have a practical understanding of UK contract and commercial law and be confident applying contractual principles within a commercial environment. Experience managing change, variations, claims, disputes, pricing, subcontractors or contract costs would be highly valuable.

Strong analytical ability is essential. You’ll be comfortable interpreting complex commercial documentation and data, identifying key issues and using your findings to support decisions and improve financial performance. You’ll also understand commercial risk analysis and management and be able to recognise potential risks and opportunities before they become problems.

Communication will be one of your key strengths. You’ll be confident working with customers, operational teams, finance colleagues, subcontractors and senior commercial stakeholders, with the ability to explain commercial matters clearly and negotiate effective outcomes.

Most importantly, you’ll be proactive, commercially aware and comfortable taking ownership. You’ll have the confidence to challenge where appropriate, the relationship‑building skills to bring people with you and the commercial judgement to balance contractual requirements with the practical needs of the operation.

What We Offer

• 6% employee matched pension contribution
• 25 days annual leave
• Bonus
• Company car/car allowance
• Life assurance 2x annual salary
• Private medical cover for self and partner

VIVO Defence Services
The role you have applied for is with VIVO Defence Services, a joint venture between Serco and EQUANS. By applying for this role, please be aware that information contained within your CV may be shared between VIVO Defence Services, Serco and EQUANS during the recruitment process.

At VIVO, we are committed to building a diverse and inclusive organisation that supports the needs of all. Therefore, we will make reasonable adjustments at interview through to employment for our candidates and strongly encourage applications from a diverse candidate pool.
We are open to discussions around flexibility and flexible working and operate a hybrid work structure in many of our business areas.
We are proudly a Disability Confident Leader. Disabled applicants who meet the minimum criteria for the job will be given the opportunity to demonstrate their abilities at an interview.