Defence Commercial Manager — SC Clearance Lead

Belcan; Portsmouth; On-site; GBP 55,000 - 77,000; Full time

Job summary

Belcan in Portsmouth is seeking a Commercial Manager to lead complex bid activities and manage high-value contracts. The role is 60% onsite with active SC clearance required at application stage, and is a 6-month contract with potential extension.

Responsibilities include negotiating diverse commercial agreements, managing contractual changes, and providing guidance across engineering, procurement, and sales teams. Applicants should have defence-related experience and strong stakeholder skills.

Qualifications

• Experience in Commercial Management, Contracts Management, or Commercial & Contracts environment.
• Strong contract management and contract negotiation experience.
• Experience working in Defence, MOD, Government, or highly regulated sectors.
• Experience supporting or leading activities within a competitive bid environment.
• Proven ability to work on the supplier side of commercial contracts.
• Excellent stakeholder management and influencing skills across all levels.

Responsibilities

• Provide commercial leadership and support to bid activities.
• Lead preparation, review, negotiation, and management of commercial agreements and contracts.
• Manage contracts from moderate to major programmes worth hundreds of millions of pounds.
• Support management of changes, amendments, and variations throughout the lifecycle.
• Identify, evaluate, and mitigate commercial risks while maximizing opportunities.
• Collaborate with programme, project, finance, engineering, procurement, and sales teams.
• Advise procurement on obligations, liabilities, and risk flow-down requirements.
• Ensure contracts align with company procedures, governance, and obligations.
• Develop and maintain strong customer and stakeholder relationships.
• Provide commercial guidance across the wider business as required.
• Drive continuous improvement and best practices in the function.

Skills

Commercial Management

Contract Negotiation

Defence Experience

Bid Management

Stakeholder Management

Job description

Belcan in Portsmouth is seeking a Commercial Manager to lead complex bid activities and manage high-value contracts. The role is 60% onsite with active SC clearance required at application stage, and is a 6-month contract with potential extension.

Responsibilities include negotiating diverse commercial agreements, managing contractual changes, and providing guidance across engineering, procurement, and sales teams. Applicants should have defence-related experience and strong stakeholder skills.