Contract Manager

Atomic Weapons Establishment; Milton Keynes; Hybrid; GBP 48,000 - 65,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

9-day working fortnight

Hybrid working

Pension scheme

Life Assurance

Job summary

Atomic Weapons Establishment is seeking an experienced Contract Manager to support the Future Infrastructure Programme and related commercial teams. You will manage high-value contracts and supplier relationships, ensuring delivery against commitments while optimizing value for money.

The role involves post-contract management, negotiations, and risk mitigation in a complex infrastructure environment. Hybrid working is available with a clear pathway to security clearance and UK government

Qualifications

• Proven experience in commercial or contract management, ideally within infrastructure or complex environments.
• Experience across the contract lifecycle, including post-contract management, mobilisation, and delivery.
• Experience with NEC contracts or strong understanding of NEC principles and application.
• Strong commercial awareness with experience of negotiations, change management and risk mitigation.

Responsibilities

• Manage a portfolio of high-value contracts and supplier relationships.
• Support post-contract management, negotiations and supplier performance.
• Drive value for money and ensure supply chain delivers against contractual commitments.
• Collaborate with stakeholders and internal teams across complex programmes.

Skills

Contract management

NEC contracts

Negotiation

Stakeholder management

Risk management

Supply chain management

Contract lifecycle

Commercial governance

Dispute resolution

Post-contract management

Job description

Contract Manager Location: Reading, with free onsite parking. Package: Starting from £47,760 to £65k (depending on your suitability and level of experience). Working pattern: AWE operates a 9-day working fortnight, with every other Friday as a non-working day. This role is eligible for hybrid working, meaning employees typically spend three days on site in a long week and two days on site in a short week. We support flexible working where possible, including part-time and varied working hours, so please let us know if you would like us to consider an alternative working arrangement when you apply.

Ready to play your part? At AWE, it’s not just a job, it’s far more than that. Our shared purpose is to help keep the nation safe. Could this role be the opportunity for you to play your part? Let us introduce the role. We are looking for an experienced Contract Manager to join AWE and support the delivery of some of the UK’s most significant and complex infrastructure programmes. Working within our Future Infrastructure Programme (FIP) & Liabilities or Future Materials Campus (FMC) commercial teams, you will manage a portfolio of high-value contracts and supplier relationships. With combined capital investment in the region of £17–19bn over the next 10 years, this is an exciting opportunity to work at significant scale and contribute to programmes critical to AWE’s future. You will support post-contract management, negotiations, supplier performance and commercial risk, helping to drive value for money and ensure our supply chain delivers against its contractual commitments. We are looking for a commercially minded contract professional with practical knowledge of contract management, contract law and commercial best practice, who can build strong relationships with key stakeholders and strategic suppliers.

Experience we are looking for We are interested in your experience, judgement, and approach, not only formal qualifications. You will have practical experience in some of the following:

• Proven experience in commercial or contract management, ideally within infrastructure, construction or another complex environment.
• Practical experience across the contract lifecycle, including post-contract management, mobilisation and contract delivery.
• Experience of NEC contracts, or a good understanding of NEC principles and their application.
• Experience developing and implementing contracting or commercial strategies.
• Good understanding of commercial governance, policies, controls and contract law.
• Strong commercial awareness with experience of contract negotiations, change management and risk mitigation.
• Experience managing supplier performance and contractual obligations, including payment applications and performance reviews.
• Understanding of dispute resolution and managing contractual issues.
• Strong stakeholder management and influencing skills, with the ability to build collaborative relationships with suppliers and internal teams.
• Good analytical and organisational skills, with the ability to manage multiple priorities and challenging timescales.
• A collaborative and commercially focused approach, with the ability to work effectively in complex environments.
• Knowledge of sustainability and social value within infrastructure procurement would be advantageous.
• Willing and able to obtain and maintain the security clearance required for the role

Work hard, be rewarded:

• 9-day working fortnight – meaning you get every other Friday off work, in addition to 270 hours of annual leave.
• Market leading contributory pension scheme (we will pay between 9% and 13% of your pensionable pay depending on your contributions).
• Family friendly policies: Maternity Leave - 39 Weeks Full Pay and Paternity Leave - 4 Weeks Full Pay.
• Opportunities for Professional Career Development including funding for annual membership of a relevant professional body.
• Employee Assistance Programme and Occupational Health Services.
• Life Assurance (4 x annual salary).
• Discounts – access to savings on a wide range of everyday spending.
• Special Leave Policy including paid time off for volunteering, public service (including reserve forces) and caring.
• #LI-RS1 #LI-Hybrid

Important things you need to know:

We encourage you to apply promptly to avoid disappointment if applications are high and the role therefore closes. You will need to obtain and maintain the necessary security clearance for the role. This will be funded by AWE. The nature of our work does mean you need to be a British Citizen who has been resident in the UK for the past 5 years in order to apply for SC clearance and 10 years for DV. We want you to feel comfortable and able to shine during our recruitment process. Please let us know on your application form if you need any adjustments/accommodations during the process. Our interviews typical take place over Teams and for most roles are a 1 stage process. Our ambition is to create workplaces where we recognise and celebrate differences, encourage diverse contributions and our employees feel able to be themselves at work. We strive to create a genuine culture of openness and inclusion and encourage diverse applicants. Any inclusion information you provide will be stored in accordance with GDPR and kept separate from your application form and CV, and the information will not be shared with anyone involved in interviewing or making hiring decisions. Please note that you must be a British Citizen to apply for a role with us. If you’re looking for a role with excitement, intrigue and something that really makes a difference then now is the time to join AWE. We are at the start of a once in a generation – possibly two generations – programme to design and produce a replacement warhead for the UK’s continuous at sea deterrent. We will do this while continuing to deliver the Trident programme as well as managing ambitious state-of-the-art capital and construction projects – some of which have never been done before. Find out more on our website.