Contracts and Export Manager

Fortress Recruit Limited; Poole; On-site; GBP 60,000 - 80,000; Full time

Job summary

Fortress Recruit Limited is supporting a Defence Manufacturer in Poole in the appointment of a Contracts & Export Manager. The role will own the Contracts & Export function, ensuring orders are loaded, exported, delivered and invoiced.

You will lead a small team of Contracts & Export Coordinators, manage workloads, oversee end-to-end order handling, ensure compliance with UK and US export controls, licensing and documentation, and drive continuous improvement across the function.

Qualifications

• Experience within export compliance, export administration or international trade.
• Experience managing export licences and export documentation.
• Understanding of UK export controls and US export controls and ITAR.
• Experience leading a small team.
• Knowledge of Incoterms and international delivery factors.

Responsibilities

• Lead, develop and support a team of Contracts & Export Coordinators.
• Oversee end-to-end management of customer orders from loading to invoicing.
• Provide strategic oversight of export compliance, licences and documentation.
• Manage relationships with freight forwarders and logistics providers.
• Input on Incoterms and delivery considerations for bids and orders.
• Monitor KPIs across order loading, invoicing and export compliance.
• Identify opportunities to improve processes, controls and efficiency.
• Prepare the department for regulatory audits and maintain records.

Skills

Export compliance

Team leadership

Stakeholder management

Organisation and prioritisation

Proactive ownership

Commercial risk awareness

Tools

ERP systems

MRP systems

Job description

Fortress Recruit is supporting a Defence Manufacturer in Poole in the appointment of a Contracts & Export Manager.

This newly created role will take ownership of the Contracts & Export function, ensuring customer orders are managed effectively from contract loading through to export, delivery and invoicing.

Key responsibilities will include:

• Leading, developing and supporting a team of Contracts & Export Coordinators
• Managing departmental workload, priorities and resource requirements
• Overseeing the end-to-end management of customer orders from contract loading through to delivery and invoicing
• Providing strategic oversight of UK and US export compliance requirements
• Acting as the internal authority for export classification and licensing
• Ensuring export licences, authorisations and documentation are correctly managed and maintained
• Supporting the team with complex export requirements and compliance queries
• Maintaining awareness of changes to export legislation and ensuring processes remain compliant
• Managing relationships with freight forwarders and logistics providers
• Supporting business winning activities with input on export requirements, Incoterms and delivery considerations
• Identifying contractual or operational issues that could affect delivery or invoicing
• Ensuring orders remain deliverable and fully invoiceable in line with agreed requirements
• Monitoring departmental KPIs across order loading, invoicing and export compliance
• Identifying opportunities to improve processes, controls and departmental efficiency
• Preparing the department for future regulatory audits and maintaining appropriate records

To be successful in this role, you will have:

• Experience within export compliance, export administration or international trade
• Practical experience managing export licences and export documentation
• Understanding of UK export controls and ideally US export controls and ITAR
• Experience working with military goods or another regulated export environment would be advantageous
• Previous experience leading or supervising a small team
• Strong understanding of compliance, commercial risk and the importance of accurate processes
• Experience managing customer orders, contracts or commercial operations
• Good understanding of Incoterms and the factors that can affect international delivery
• Strong organisational and prioritisation skills with the ability to see the wider picture
• A proactive approach with the confidence to take ownership of a department
• Strong communication and stakeholder management skills
• Experience working with ERP or MRP systems
• Eligibility for SC clearance (5 years UK residency with no visa or sponsorship requirement)

The role will suit someone who can combine hands‑on knowledge of export compliance with strong people leadership and a strategic approach to managing a busy operational function. You will be expected to take ownership of the department, supporting an experienced team while identifying opportunities to improve processes, compliance and service delivery.

The role is 37 hours a week based full time, onsite in Poole, with competitive salary alongside learning and development opportunity. The role would suit someone who enjoys a hands‑on management position within a busy, customer‑focused environment, combining people leadership with responsibility for day‑to‑day contracts and export operations.

This is an opportunity to join a growing defence manufacturer in a newly created management position, with responsibility for developing the Contracts & Export function, strengthening processes and supporting continued business growth.