Commercial Team Manager - Cost Audit

Scottish Water; Inverness; Hybrid; GBP 55,000 - 74,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

38 days holiday

Holiday buy-up

Volunteer time off

Flexible working

Pension

Life assurance

Company bonus

Job summary

Scottish Water is seeking a seasoned leader to manage a team responsible for cost, compliance and commercial audits across internal operations and key framework partners. You will ensure contractual compliance, identify risks, validate costs and highlight disallowed expenditure while guiding improvements through findings.

You will provide strong commercial leadership, develop your team, and coach staff to achieve business objectives, fostering high performance and effective people management.

Qualifications

• Significant experience in commercial, cost and compliance auditing.
• Strong leadership and stakeholder management skills.
• Ability to influence and communicate complex findings.

Responsibilities

• Lead and manage a team to carry out cost, compliance and commercial audits across internal operations and framework partners.
• Identify risks, validate costs and ensure contractual compliance.
• Provide recommendations and influence improvements through findings and contractual requirements.
• Lead negotiations and resolve escalated commercial disputes to deliver successful outcomes.

Skills

Leadership

Auditing

Commercial awareness

Stakeholder management

Negotiation

ERP systems

Contract interpretation

Tools

ERP systems

Job description

How's this for job satisfaction?

At Scottish Water, we look after Scotland's most precious natural resource. From source to tap, we're safeguarding Scotland's reputation for refreshingly pure water and caring for our environment at the same time. If making a positive difference to people, communities and the environment sounds like something you'd enjoy, we'd love to hear from you

What you'll do

We are looking for an experienced and motivated leader to manage a team responsible for carrying out cost, compliance and commercial audits across both internal operations and key framework partners. In this role, you will ensure compliance with contractual obligations, internal policies and commercial procedures, while identifying areas of risk, validating costs and highlighting potential disallowed expenditure.

Using your strong commercial expertise, you will provide clear recommendations for improvement and influence positive change through the presentation of findings and contractual requirements. You will lead, develop and support your team to achieve business objectives, fostering a high-performance culture through coaching, mentoring, training and effective people management, including recruitment, performance, attendance and disciplinary management.

As a subject matter expert, you will provide guidance on complex contractual, estimating, costing and audit matters, leading negotiations and resolving escalated commercial disputes to deliver successful outcomes.

What you'll need

Significant experience in commercial, cost and compliance auditing, with strong knowledge of financial systems, commercial management and contract interpretation. You'll be skilled at identifying and mitigating commercial risk, validating costs, challenging expenditure and ensuring compliance with contractual and governance requirements.

Strong leadership, analytical and stakeholder management skills are essential, alongside the ability to influence, negotiate and communicate complex findings to drive positive business outcomes.

Looking out for you

While the work we do is important, we know it's not the only thing that matters. That's why we make sure you have everything you need to find a good work-life balance.

This is a full-time role (35 hours per week) and you'll get plenty of time to recharge with 38 days of holiday every year (including public holidays). And you can even buy five more if you need a little extra time. You can also take time off to volunteer in your community.

When it comes to major life events we have family-friendly policies around adoption, maternity, and parental leave. And for the everyday? We embrace flexible working.

For your future, there's our pension (the know-what-you'll-get-when-you-retire' kind), and life assurance.

As for some nice extras? You will participate in a company bonus scheme. Not to mention access to SW Splash - handy rewards that can save you money on holidays, bills, and shopping.

The not-so-small print

This role will be a Grade 8. If you're new to Scottish Water, you'll join us on a starting salary of £54,776. Performance-driven pay progression would then allow you to move through the range to a maximum of £74,386

If you're interested in this role - or know someone else who might be - we'll be accepting applications until midnight on 16th September 2026.

We operate Balanced Hybrid working at Scottish Water and we encourage people to work half their time in a Scottish Water location.

Job offers at Scottish Water are conditional, and will be confirmed on completion of our pre-employment screening, e.g. referencing, criminal record checks, license checks, etc. Screening is conducted on our behalf by a third party, and must be completed before your start date. Don't worry - we'll only start these checks once you've accepted an offer.