Commercial Manager - Construction or Civil Engineering

Solutions Driven; Leicester; On-site; GBP 70,000 - 90,000; Full time

Job summary

Solutions Driven in Leicester is seeking an experienced Commercial Manager with a strong Quantity Surveying background to lead the commercial management function, manage billing, revenue forecasting and contract administration.

You will drive cash flow, risk management and stakeholder engagement across operations and finance, while developing the billing team and ensuring contractual entitlement is protected.

Qualifications

• Significant experience in a Commercial Manager, Quantity Surveyor or similar commercial leadership role.
• Proven experience managing billing, applications for payment, valuations and revenue forecasting.
• Strong experience of NEC contracts and contract administration.
• Experience leading and developing teams.
• Experience working closely with operational and finance stakeholders.
• Experience within materials testing, construction services, infrastructure or civil engineering sectors.
• Experience with ERP systems such as NetSuite.
• Experience working across multiple business units or locations.

Responsibilities

• Provide commercial leadership and strategic advice to the Managing Director, supporting business growth and profitability.
• Lead the commercial management function across the organization, ensuring contractual entitlement is protected and risks are managed.
• Lead, manage and develop the billing team, setting objectives and coaching for high performance and customer focus.
• Conduct regular performance reviews, support succession planning and identify training opportunities for team members.
• Drive accountability and continuous improvement within the billing team, achieving service levels and targets.
• Own the end-to-end billing process across all business units, ensuring invoicing and revenue recovery in line with contracts.
• Lead preparation, submission and negotiation of applications for payment, valuations, variations and final accounts.
• Produce and maintain weekly revenue forecasts, highlighting risks, opportunities and variances.

Skills

Leadership

People management

Negotiation

Stakeholder management

Analytical ability

Planning & organisation

Process improvement

Attention to detail

Tools

NetSuite

Microsoft Excel

Job description

We are recruiting on behalf of a client for an experienced Commercial Manager with a strong Quantity Surveying background, combining commercial leadership with practical responsibility for contracts, billing, revenue forecasting and team development.

ROLE PURPOSE

Lead the commercial management function across the organization, ensuring the business maximises revenue, protects contractual entitlement and maintains robust commercial controls. The role is responsible for billing, applications for payment, revenue forecasting and the leadership and development of the billing team, ensuring accurate invoicing, improved cash collection and the achievement of business objectives.

DUTIES & RESPONSIBILITIES

• Provide commercial leadership and strategic advice to the Managing Director, supporting business growth, profitability and operational decision-making.
• Lead the commercial management function across the organization, ensuring contractual entitlement is protected and commercial risks are effectively managed.
• Lead, manage and develop the billing team, setting objectives, monitoring performance, providing coaching and ensuring a high-performing and customer-focused culture.
• Conduct regular performance reviews, support succession planning and identify training and development opportunities for team members.
• Drive accountability and continuous improvement within the billing team, ensuring service levels and business targets are achieved.
• Own the end-to-end billing process across all business units, ensuring all chargeable work is identified, valued, invoiced and recovered in line with contractual requirements.
• Lead the preparation, submission and negotiation of applications for payment, valuations, variations, compensation events and final accounts.
• Produce and maintain accurate weekly revenue forecasts, highlighting risks, opportunities and variances to the Managing Director.
• Review contracts, frameworks and commercial agreements, identifying risks and ensuring compliance with contractual obligations.
• Monitor work in progress, profitability and cash recovery, driving actions to reduce aged debt, improve cash collection and maximise revenue recovery.
• Work closely with Operations, Finance, Planning and Business Development teams to improve commercial processes, billing performance and operational controls.
• Manage commercial disputes and customer negotiations, maintaining positive relationships while protecting the business' commercial position.
• Occasional travel to other locations and customer sites as required.

KNOWLEDGE & EXPERIENCE

• Significant experience in a Commercial Manager, Quantity Surveyor or similar commercial leadership role.
• Proven experience managing billing, applications for payment, valuations and revenue forecasting.
• Strong experience of NEC contracts and contract administration.
• Experience leading and developing teams.
• Experience working closely with operational and finance stakeholders.
• Experience within materials testing, construction services, infrastructure or civil engineering sectors.
• Experience with ERP systems such as NetSuite.
• Experience working across multiple business units or locations.

SKILLS & ABILITIES

• Strong commercial and contractual awareness.
• Leadership and people management skills, with the ability to coach, develop and hold team members accountable.
• Excellent negotiation, communication and stakeholder management skills.
• Strong analytical and numerical ability with excellent attention to detail.
• Effective planning, organisation and problem-solving skills.
• Ability to influence at all levels and drive process improvement.
• Proficient in Microsoft Excel and commercial reporting tools.