Deputy Contract Manager

AWE; Reading; On-site; GBP 45,000 - 54,000; Full time

Job summary

A leading defense and nuclear company in the UK is seeking a Deputy Contract Manager to support the delivery of operational key service provisions contracts. You'll work alongside the Contract Manager, ensuring compliance and effective stakeholder engagement. Ideal candidates should have strong negotiation, communication, and analytical skills, with prior experience in managing operational contracts. Join a dynamic environment that offers generous benefits including a competitive salary and professional development opportunities.

Benefits

270 hours of annual leave

Flexible working arrangements

Professional Career Development

Employee Assistance Programme

Defined contribution pension

Life Assurance

Discounts on everyday spending

Paid time off for volunteering

Qualifications

• Prior experience with supporting and negotiating key operational contracts.
• Working knowledge of industry standard contracting models (e.g., NEC, JCT).
• Experience in pressurised environments to secure value for money.

Responsibilities

• Support the Contract Manager in monitoring contract risks.
• Ensure effective record keeping and change management.
• Manage contract compliance in accordance with legal requirements.

Skills

Stakeholder management

Communication skills

Negotiation skills

Numerate and analytical skills

Job description

Deputy Contract Manager

Location - Reading / Basingstoke Area

Salary - Up to £54k (dependent on experience and suitability for the role)

Closing date - 19th September

AWE is recruiting for a Deputy Contract Manager to support the Estate Services Contract Manager in the delivery of the operational key service provisions contracts across various AWE sites.

Why AWE?

As part of our People Promise, AWE (one of the best 25 big companies to work for in the UK) has a range of benefits to suit you. These include:

• Time to recharge your batteries with 270 hours of annual leave (plus every other Friday off work)
• Consideration for flexible working arrangements so that your work may fit in with your lifestyle.
• Opportunities for Professional Career Development that include funding for the annual membership of a relevant professional body, access to mentors and training.
• Employee Assistance Programme and Occupational Health Services
• A generous defined contribution Group Personal Pension (we will pay between 9% and 13% of your pensionable pay depending on your own contribution)
• Life Assurance
• 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 for your family.
• A host of voluntary & core benefits to suit your health and wellbeing - more information available on our careers site.

Key Accountabilities:

• Working with the Contract Manager to understand the detailed business requirements of AWE stakeholders by maintaining effective stakeholder communications and engagement.
• Supporting the Contract Manager in the production of contract Cost and Activity Schedules
• Ensuring all contract's, they are responsible for, have a robust Contract Management Plan with defined procedure for delivery performance management, invoice applications, risk management and contract reviews.
• Ensuring service contracts are fit for purpose, fully documented, and understood by relevant parties.
• Maintaining high standards of compliance against customer, regulatory and legislative requirements.
• Ensuring contract change is managed efficiently, effectively, and timely.
• Assisting the Contract Manager to ensure contracts maximise value for money by identifying service improvements as and where possible.

Key Responsibilities:

• Supporting the Contract Manager in the monitoring of contract risks (including Quality, Environmental & Health and Safety, supplier fragility and supplier co-dependency), develop and implement corrective action plans for the identified risks.
• Assisting in the maintenance of effective record keeping and change management of the contract in accordance with the contractual governance procedures.
• Maintaining contract compliance in line with company, regulatory and legal requirements.
• Ensuring there is an effective contract reporting and engagement strategy in place to enable all key stakeholders to be aligned to contracts risks and opportunities.
• Assisting the Contract Manager in identifying and estimating the likelihood and impact of contract-related risk, establish mitigation methods aligned to business needs and track effectiveness of those mitigations.

Whilst not to be considered a check list, candidates should be able to demonstrate some of the following:

• Prior experience with supporting and negotiating key operational contracts.
• Numerate and able to translate and analyse a supplier's financial data.
• Excellent stakeholder management skills.
• Articulate and persuasive, able to relate commercial information to a non-specialist audience and influence support for difficult or unpopular commercial decisions.
• Excellent communication, presentational and negotiation skills.
• Working knowledge of industry standard contracting models (e.g., NEC, JCT), as applicable to business area.
• Experience of achieving success in highly pressurised environments to secure value for money and/or performance outcomes.

All candidates must be willing and able to obtain and maintain the necessary security clearance for the role and be willing and able to work in designated areas.