Commercial Manager

VIVO Defence; England; Hybrid; GBP 60,000 - 80,000; Full time

Job summary

A facilities management company in the UK seeks an experienced Commercial Manager to drive financial performance and ensure compliance in a high-value contract environment. The ideal candidate possesses strong commercial acumen and a deep understanding of risk management and contract law. Responsibilities include managing regional teams, variation processes, and subcontractor relationships. This role offers competitive salary and benefits within a hybrid working model.

Benefits

6% employee matched pension contribution

Company car/Car allowance

Life assurance 2x annual salary

Bonus

Private medical cover for self and partner

25 days annual leave

Qualifications

• Deep understanding of UK contract and commercial law.
• Strong negotiation skills and ability to interpret complex documents.
• Experience managing subcontractor relationships.

Responsibilities

• Drive financial performance and ensure contractual compliance.
• Manage variation and change control processes.
• Provide day-to-day commercial support to regional teams.

Skills

Commercial acumen

Contract law knowledge

Negotiation skills

Risk management

Education

Degree in Law, Quantity Surveying, or related field

Job description

Overview

Who we are

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: Home based, but to be visible on sites in the South, particularly Larkhill Wiltshire

Permanent, Full time

Salary: Competitive + Benefits

The Role

VIVO Defence, a joint venture between Serco and Engie, is seeking a highly skilled Commercial Manager to provide expert commercial and surveying support to our Billable Works team. This is a pivotal role within our commercial function, with responsibility for driving financial performance, ensuring contractual compliance, and safeguarding value across our core accommodation contracts in the South East and South West - contracts that together represent turnover in excess of 150m and are set to grow further.

As Commercial Manager, you will work closely with the Head of Commercial, Senior Commercial Manager, and regional delivery teams to ensure commercial targets are achieved, efficiencies are identified, and costs are rigorously controlled. You will lead the proactive management of variation and change control processes, ensuring revenue is captured and reconciliations are submitted to the Defence Infrastructure Organisation (DIO) in a timely and accurate manner. Your commercial insight will be essential in ensuring ALP performance is achieved, profitability is sustained, and risk is effectively managed.

Your role will demand an in-depth understanding of UK contract and commercial law, strong negotiation skills, and the ability to interpret and apply complex contractual and financial documentation. You will provide day-to-day commercial support to regional teams, liaising with the customer's commercial representatives to agree inclusions, exclusions, and asset/works reconciliations. Alongside this, you will support the finance team in managing cashflow, monitor costs across the core contract, and apply governance processes to ensure compliance with both VIVO and client requirements.

A strong technical background is essential. You will be expected to manage subcontractor relationships, from compiling orders and managing tenders through to processing payments and maintaining statutory compliance. You will interrogate data, analyse risks and opportunities, and deliver commercial reports that provide clarity and drive effective decision-making. Your commercial expertise will also extend to supporting bid and pricing activity, contributing to future growth of the business.

What You'll Bring

We are looking for someone who can combine commercial acumen with a deep understanding of risk management, contract law, and financial control. You should be able to build strong working relationships with both internal teams and external stakeholders, communicate complex issues with confidence, and demonstrate a proven track record of delivering results in a demanding commercial environment.

Ideally, you will be degree-qualified in Law, Quantity Surveying, the Built Environment, or a related field, with relevant professional qualifications, though equivalent experience will also be considered. Above all, you will bring a strong grasp of commercial management principles, the ability to thrive in a high-value contract environment, and the technical expertise needed to support VIVO in delivering exceptional outcomes for the UK Defence sector.

If you are ready to step into a role where your technical commercial skills will directly impact the success of a nationally critical contract, we would like to hear from you.

What We Offer

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

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.