Commercial Manager - Pre-Construction

Balfour Beatty plc; Motherwell; On-site; GBP 65,000 - 95,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Smart working up to 40% remote

25 days annual leave

Pension and share incentive plan

Job summary

Balfour Beatty Scotland is seeking a Commercial Manager to lead pre-construction commercial strategy and contract negotiations for major civil projects in Scotland. You will work with Work Winning teams, Legal, Finance and senior leaders to ensure opportunities are commercially robust and contractually compliant.

The role is office-based at Maxim Park with a focus on tender strategy, risk identification and stakeholder engagement.

Qualifications

• Experience with construction contracts and commercial risk management.
• Experience supporting tenders or pre-construction/work-winning teams.
• Understanding of pre-contract and post-contract commercial management.
• Strong negotiation skills with senior stakeholders.

Responsibilities

• Develop commercial and contractual strategies for tender opportunities.
• Review, interpret and negotiate complex construction contracts.
• Identify contractual risks, opportunities and amendments.
• Support tender submissions, contract reviews and governance papers.
• Advise work-winning teams on contract conditions and procurement strategy.
• Review bonds, warranties, parent company guarantees, novation and confidentiality agreements.
• Collaborate with Legal, Finance, Insurance, Procurement and delivery teams.
• Support the negotiation of joint venture and supply chain arrangements.
• Provide clear commercial handovers to project delivery teams.

Skills

Significant experience in contracts &

Experience supporting tenders/work‑pre

Pre/post-contract commercial mgmt

Negotiating complex contracts

Challenge contractual positions

Commercial judgement & risk

Communication & stakeholder management

Cross-functional collaboration with/eg

Managing multiple tender opportunities

Commercial/quantity surveyor/legal qul

Professional membership relevant (RICS

Education

Relevant commercial/quantity surveying/construction/legal qualification

Job description

About the role

Job Title: Commercial Manager - Pre-Construction

Location: Maxim Park

Company: Balfour Beatty Scotland

Business Area: Commercial / Work Winning

Shape the Commercial Strategy Behind Major Construction Projects

We are looking for an experienced Commercial Manager to provide high-level commercial and contractual support across our work-winning activities.

This is a key office-based position, reporting to our Senior Commercial Manager for Pre-Construction and working closely with our Work Winning teams, Legal teams, Commercial Director and senior business leaders to ensure opportunities are commercially robust, contractually compliant and positioned for successful delivery.

You will act as a trusted commercial adviser throughout the pre-contract process, helping the business identify risk, protect its commercial position and negotiate contracts that create the right platform for project success.

An LLM in Construction Law, postgraduate qualification in construction law or equivalent specialist contractual knowledge would be highly desirable, but it is not essential. Strong practical experience of construction contracts and commercial negotiation will be equally valued.

What you'll be doing

Key Responsibilities

As Pre-Contract Commercial Manager, you will:

• Develop commercial and contractual strategies for tender opportunities.
• Review, interpret and negotiate complex construction contracts.
• Identify contractual risks, opportunities, qualifications and proposed amendments.
• Support the preparation of tender submissions, contract reviews and commercial governance papers.
• Advise work-winning teams on contract conditions, commercial risk and procurement strategy.
• Review bonds, warranties, parent company guarantees, novation agreements, design agreements and confidentiality agreements.
• Work collaboratively with Legal, Finance, Insurance, Procurement and operational delivery teams.
• Support the negotiation of joint venture, internal trading and supply chain arrangements.
• Assess commercial risks ahead of tender settlement and governance meetings.
• Review key supply chain submissions and ensure associated contractual risks are appropriately managed.
• Support the appointment or novation of external consultants and design partners.
• Provide clear commercial handovers to project delivery teams, ensuring all risks, opportunities and agreed strategies are understood.
• Build strong relationships with customers, consultants, stakeholders and supply chain partners.
• Ensure commercial governance, delegated authority requirements and internal approval processes are followed throughout the tender lifecycle.
• Provide support and guidance to the Senior Quantity Surveyor for Pre-Construction.

Who we're looking for

Essential Experience

You will be an experienced Commercial Manager with a strong background in construction, infrastructure or civil engineering. A commercial track record spanning multiple sectors across the construction industry, with working knowledge of a wide range of forms of contracts, is highly desirable.

You should be able to demonstrate:

• Significant experience of construction contracts and commercial risk management.
• Experience supporting tenders, pre-construction or work-winning teams.
• A strong understanding of both pre-contract and post-contract commercial management.
• Experience negotiating complex contracts within demanding tender timescales.
• The confidence to challenge contractual positions and influence senior stakeholders.
• Strong commercial judgement with the ability to identify risks and develop practical solutions.
• Excellent communication, negotiation and stakeholder-management skills.
• Experience working collaboratively with legal, financial, procurement and operational teams.
• The ability to manage several complex tender opportunities and competing deadlines.
• A relevant commercial, quantity surveyor, construction or legal qualification.
• Professional membership of RICS, CICES or CIOB would be advantageous.

Why Join Us?

This is an opportunity to play an influential role at the front end of major construction and infrastructure projects.

You will work with experienced commercial and work-winning professionals, provide advice on complex contractual matters and help shape the commercial strategy behind future projects.

Professional and personal development

The size and scale of Balfour Beatty coupled with our strong pipeline of work provides incredible opportunities, regardless of what stage you are at in your career.

We encourage and empower our employees to take control of their career and explore which part of the business they want to work in and what role is right for them. We actively encourage our managers and employees to have open communication throughout the year about wellbeing, development and career opportunities.

We're proud of the Balfour Beatty Academy. Whether it’s sharpening your technical expertise, improving your personal skills or seeking support to become professionally qualified, our 70:20:10* approach to development means we have a learning approach that suits everyone.

*70% learning on the job, 20% learning from those around you, and 10% formal training courses and learning events.

For further information about Balfour Beatty Scotland please go to www.balfourbeatty.com/careers/Scotland - You can also check out further job opportunities in the careers section

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Why work for us

Day in, day out, our teams deliver some of the UK's most ambitious, exciting and meaningful projects; developing, building and maintaining the vital infrastructure that supports national economies and strengthens communities.

Why join us?

As if contributing to and supporting work that makes life better for millions wasn't rewarding enough, we offer a full range of benefits too. You'll have the freedom to shape the package that's right for you and your life. Here are some of our key benefits:

• Smart working, giving you more flexibility such as staggered start and finish times, with up to 40% remote working, where roles allow.
• 25 days paid annual leave (pro rata)
• Family friendly policies which include 28 weeks full pay for maternity/adoption leave and four weeks full pay for paternity/partners leave
• Pension, share incentive plan, volunteering leave, recognition schemes and much more…

About us

From Dunfermline’s tramways in 1909 to highland hospitals today, Balfour Beatty has been trusted for over a century to deliver the complex and critical infrastructure and iconic buildings Scotland relies on.

We have the people, knowledge and experience to safely deliver projects right first time, maximising value for money and ensuring a positive social impact and inclusive economic growth for local communities.

Our award-winning sustainable projects, including active travel, Passivhaus and retrofit, demonstrate our commitment to supporting Scotland’s transition towards net zero in the built environment.

Diversity and inclusion

At Balfour Beatty we believe that diversity and inclusion are essential components of any successful, happy workplace. Through our Value Everyone Diversity and Inclusion Strategy and Action Plan, we are growing our diverse workforce and developing our inclusive culture where everyone is able to thrive and reach their full potential, regardless of their identity or background. To find out how we are making this a reality, visit www.balfourbeatty.com/diversityandinclusion

To help and support us with our desired commitment to create an inclusive culture we are members of WISE, enei, Business Disability Forum and the Association for Black and Minority Ethnic Engineers (AFBE). In 2020, we signed the Audeliss and Involve Open Letter to demonstrate our commitment to taking key long term and sustainable actions on Black Inclusion. Balfour Beatty is also a Gold Award holder in the Ministry of Defence 'Employer Recognition Scheme' and actively encourage applications from Armed Forces personnel, veterans and reservists.

As a Disability Confident Employer, we are committed to working with people who have disabilities and long-term health conditions to remove barriers for them in obtaining employment. We are also committed to offering applicants with a disability an interview if they meet the minimum requirements for the role. For more info, visit https://disabilityconfident.campaign.gov.uk/

We are looking to continually improve our resourcing process and ensure that it is fair and inclusive for all. If you have any feedback on the process, please share this with us at [e-mail]