Commercial Manager

Great British Energy - Nuclear; Warrington; On-site; GBP 90,000 - 140,000; Full time

Job summary

Great British Energy - Nuclear is seeking an experienced Commercial Manager to support procurement strategy for Civils Engineering and Civils Construction within the SMR Programme. You will lead high-value procurements (£20m+ to hundreds of millions) across the full lifecycle, shaping commercial strategies and ensuring alignment with government processes.

Reporting to the Senior Commercial Lead, you will manage multi-stakeholder engagement, develop pricing models, ITT materials and contract

Qualifications

• Experience in nuclear/construction/critical infrastructure programmes.
• Experience with NEC contracts drafting and negotiation.
• Delivery of commercial and procurement activity within government processes (CAB, CO, HMT).
• Experience developing Green Book business cases and working with multiple stakeholders.
• Strong organisational skills and ability to meet deadlines in an agile environment.
• Experience managing a team.
• Desirable CCS/public sector procurement experience.

Responsibilities

• Lead procurement and commercial activity across full lifecycle: strategy, tender, contract award, supplier mobilisation.
• Shape packaging, sourcing and commercial strategies.
• Oversee ITT development, pricing models, negotiation plans and contracts.
• Manage external contractors/consultants and budgets, and support approvals and business cases.
• Collaborate with Finance, PMO, Legal and Technical teams for seamless service.

Skills

Procurement leadership

Commercial management

NEC contracts experience

Government processes CAB CO HMT

Cost estimation

Business case development

Stakeholder management

Time management

Job description

Great British Energy - Nuclear - Nuclear is an arm's length body of the Department for Energy Security and Net Zero, dedicated to supporting the development and deployment of new nuclear technologies in Great Britain. We play a crucial role in advancing nuclear new build, ensuring the UK's energy security and achieving net-zero carbon emissions. Great British Energy - Nuclear focuses on fostering innovation, facilitating investment, and coordinating efforts across the nuclear industry to build a resilient and sustainable energy future.

Great British Energy - Nuclear's first step was to start the technology selection process for Small Modular Reactors (SMRs) in 2023. SMRs can potentially be quicker to deploy and less expensive to build than traditional nuclear power plants because they are smaller, have factory based modular manufacturing and more flexible deployment options. In June 2025, Great British Energy - Nuclear announced that Rolls-Royce SMR had been selected as the preferred bidder to build the UK's first SMRs, following a technology selection process that began in 2023.

Great British Energy - Nuclear is aiming to deliver fast, based on a supportive and collaborative culture which values equality and diversity and creates an inclusive workplace.

Our activities will be driven by our values, which are:

Trust - We prioritise safety, we act responsibly and with integrity.

Collaboration - We work as a team; we value diversity and expertise.

Challenge - We are curious and courageous in the way we think and act.

Care - We are thoughtful, inclusive and respectful of others.

Drive - We get things done and we make a difference.

Please note, there are both permanent and fixed term (2-3 years) opportunities available.

We're looking for an experienced Commercial Manager to support the development of the procurement and commercial contracting strategy for the Civils Engineering and Civils Construction element of our SMR Programme. These procurements will be fundamental to delivering SMR projects, spanning an estimated 10-12-year term, with aggregate value in excess of £1bn.

Reporting to the Senior Commercial Lead/Commercial Lead, you'll manage delivery of one or multiple procurements for complex, high-value construction and engineering contracts (typically £20m+, up to hundreds of millions), and set task delivery for commercial and procurement activity across the team.

What you'll do

• Lead procurement and commercial activity across the full lifecycle: strategy, tender, contract award, supplier mobilisation
• Shape packaging, sourcing and commercial strategies, including commercial mechanisms and performance-incentivising financial models
• Oversee key deliverables such as ITT development, pricing models, negotiation plans and contract documentation
• Manage external contractors/consultants and budgets, and support approvals and business case processes
• Work collaboratively with Finance, PMO, Legal and Technical colleagues to provide a seamless service

What we're looking for

• Relevant experience in a nuclear, construction, engineering and/or critical infrastructure programme (Essential)
• Experience of delivering commercial and procurement activity within the NEC suite of contracts, including drafting and negotiation (Essential)
• Extensive experience of supporting the delivery of commercial, procurement and contract management activity whilst adhering to Government processes (CAB, CO and HMT) and requirements (Essential)
• Extensive experience in overseeing project cost estimation and development of appropriate costs and pricing strategies
• Proven skills and experience in leading and reviewing business case development (Green Book - HMT) and working with multiple stakeholders (Essential)
• Strong personal organisational skills, including time management, and ability to meet deadlines and work under pressure within an agile environment (Essential)
• Experience task managing team members (Essential)
• Experience of navigating commercial and procurement activity within the Crown Commercial Services ("CCS"), e.g. assessing at pace CCS frameworks as potential routes to market (Desirable )
• Extensive experience of working within Public Sector Procurements (PCR and Procurement Act) (Desirable)