Director Commercial Operations

Willmott Dixon; Weybridge; Vor Ort; GBP 140.000 - 210.000; Vollzeit

Benefits dieser Stelle

Pension

Private medical cover

Life assurance

Incentive bonus

Car scheme

MEA

Car-leasing scheme

Zusammenfassung

Willmott Dixon is seeking a Commercial Director to provide strategic leadership across all commercial aspects of the business. You will drive profitability, risk management, contract performance and supplier relations, while guiding pre-construction and delivery milestones.

You will lead with integrity, build strong teams, and challenge executive leadership to improve decision-making and sustainable growth across the wider organisation.

Qualifikationen

• Commercially astute with focus on profitability, value creation and performance.
• Strategic thinker who balances short-term priorities with long-term objectives.
• Influential leader capable of engaging stakeholders at all levels.
• Senior commercial leadership experience within construction, engineering, infrastructure or built environment sectors.
• Proven track record of delivering and protecting project and business margins.

Aufgaben

• Provide strategic commercial leadership across all areas of the business.
• Protect and enhance project profitability by involvement through bidding, pre-construction, and delivery.
• Influence Board decisions with commercial insight, data analysis, and industry expertise.
• Identify, assess and manage commercial risks and opportunities with mitigations.
• Oversee performance against budgets and forecasts with real-time reporting.
• Ensure appropriate pre-construction capability, capacity, and resources.
• Develop strategies to optimise commercial performance and growth.
• Monitor supply chain performance and manage relationships to reduce risk.
• Promote governance and commercial excellence across the business.
• Collaborate with operations, finance and pre-construction teams to ensure robust, deliverable projects.

Kenntnisse

Commercial leadership

Strategic thinking

Stakeholder engagement

Risk management

Contract governance

Data analysis

Negotiation

Team leadership

Decision making

Ausbildung

Degree qualified in a relevant discipline

Jobbeschreibung

We are seeking a Commercial Director to provide strategic leadership across all commercial aspects of the business, overseeing profitability, risk management, contract performance, supply chain relationships, and commercial controls. They work closely with board members and senior leaders to ensure informed decision-making, strong governance, and the successful delivery of business objectives.

We're looking for a leader who can bring clarity, focus and direction in a fast-moving environment. You will be able to cut through complexity, make sound commercial decisions and turn strategy into action. Comfortable operating at pace, you will communicate with clarity and consistency, maintain perspective under pressure, and address challenges early to ensure there are no surprises. You will set high standards for yourself and others, balancing short-term priorities with long-term business outcomes while driving the delivery of commercially robust, deliverable bids, protecting project margins, and ensuring effective management of pre-construction programmes and key milestones.

Just as importantly, you will be committed to building strong teams and helping people succeed. You will optimise capability and capacity across your function, create an environment where individuals feel supported, challenged and accountable, and provide honest feedback that encourages growth. With a natural curiosity and continuous improvement mindset, you will seek better ways of working, embrace innovation and encourage others to do the same. Above all, you will lead with integrity, provide constructive challenge and effective governance to improve decision-making, and make choices that support sustainable growth and long-term business performance across the wider business.

Key Responsibilities

• Provide strategic commercial leadership across all areas of the business, ensuring strong commercial control, accurate reporting, and effective performance management.
• Protect and enhance project profitability by maintaining active involvement throughout the bidding, pre-construction, and delivery phases.
• Challenge and influence Board-level decisions through the provision of commercial insight, data analysis, and industry expertise to support continuous improvement and informed decision-making.
• Lead the identification, assessment, and management of commercial risks and opportunities, ensuring appropriate mitigation measures are implemented and reported on a regular basis.
• Oversee business performance against budgets and forecasts, ensuring early identification of issues and delivering transparent, real-time commercial reporting.
• Ensure the business maintains the appropriate pre-construction capability, capacity, and resource structure to support current and future workloads.
• Develop and implement strategies that optimise commercial performance, improve operational efficiency, and support sustainable business growth.
• Monitor and assess the performance, capability, and financial stability of key supply chain partners, taking proactive action to manage risk and strengthen relationships.
• Promote a culture of accountability, governance, and commercial excellence across our business.
• Work collaboratively with operational, finance, and pre-construction teams to ensure projects are commercially robust, deliverable, and aligned with business objectives.

About You

• Commercially astute with a strong focus on profitability, value creation, and business performance.
• Strategic thinker who can balance short-term priorities with long-term business objectives.
• Influential leader capable of engaging, challenging, and inspiring stakeholders at all levels.
• Strong decision-maker who can assess complex information, manage risk, and make sound commercial judgements.
• Results-driven with a track record of delivering successful commercial outcomes.
• Analytical and detail-oriented while maintaining a broad business perspective.
• Senior commercial leadership experience within the construction, engineering, infrastructure, or built environment sectors.
• Professional membership of RICS or MCIOB.
• Proven track record of delivering and protecting project and business margins.
• Strong commercial, contractual, and financial management expertise.
• Experience leading commercial teams and developing high-performing individuals.
• Demonstrable experience influencing and challenging executive leadership teams and boards.
• Strong understanding of risk management, governance, and commercial controls.
• Experience managing complex projects and portfolios from bid stage through to final account.
• Proven ability to develop and implement commercial strategies that support business growth and profitability.
• Strong knowledge of procurement, contract administration, and supply chain management.
• Excellent leadership, negotiation, communication, and stakeholder management skills.
• Ability to analyse complex commercial data and provide clear recommendations to support decision-making.
• Degree qualified in a relevant discipline or equivalent industry experience.
• Experience within a Tier 1 or Tier 2 contractor environment.
• Experience driving business transformation, change management, or continuous improvement initiatives.

Additional Information

We reward our people with a competitive package and flexible benefits designed to suit different lifestyles and priorities. These include a pension scheme, private medical cover for you and a partner, life assurance, an incentive bonus, a car scheme, and a motoring expenditure allowance (MEA). Colleagues can also access low-carbon and electric vehicles through the Willmott Dixon car-leasing scheme.

We provide an inclusive and flexible working environment where people can thrive and support agile working wherever possible. We are a proud member of the Disability Confident Scheme.

About Us

Willmott Dixon Construction is a £1.1bn privately owned contractor with more than 170 years of history. Guided by our purpose beyond profit, we deliver brilliant buildings that transform lives, strengthen communities and enhance the environment for future generations.

We operate across further and higher education, commercial, health, development-led, science and technology, blue-light, leisure and residential sectors. Our solutions-led approach combines competitive value with technical insight, helping us become a trusted partner to our customers.