Fleet Contract Manager

Southeastern Railway; Greater London; Hybrid; GBP 70,000 - 100,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Final salary pension

25 days annual leave

Free rail travel

Job summary

Southeastern Railway is seeking two Fleet Contract Managers to join our Fleet Commercial team at the London Bridge Head Office, with hybrid working. You’ll manage engineering contracts that impact fleet safety, reliability and performance, partnering with engineers, ROSCOs and suppliers across leases, maintenance and modifications.

Ideal candidates bring an engineering background, track record of pulling together contracts, and strong commercial influence with senior stakeholders.

Qualifications

• Degree-level qualification (or equivalent experience), ideally in Mechanical / Engineering discipline.
• IMechE qualified, working towards, or equivalent professional credibility.
• 5+ years’ experience within an engineering or asset-heavy environment.
• Proven experience pulling together contracts — not just administering template agreements.
• Strong stakeholder management skills, with the confidence to influence engineers, suppliers and senior leaders.
• High attention to detail and strong analytical capability.

Responsibilities

• Draft, review and negotiate engineering and rolling stock contracts, including maintenance, modification and lease arrangements.
• Own the end-to-end contract lifecycle - from development through to delivery and performance management.
• Act as a trusted commercial partner to Engineering Managers, advising on: Contractual frameworks, Warranties and performance regimes, Commercial risk and opportunity.
• Build strong working relationships with ROSCOs, engineering suppliers and internal stakeholders.
• Identify contractual risks, ambiguities and value opportunities, and recommend clear actions.
• Maintain high standards of accuracy and governance, ensuring contract documentation and financial controls are robust and up to date.

Skills

Contract management

Stakeholder management

Engineering contracts

Commercial awareness

Attention to detail

Education

Degree in Mechanical Engineering

IMechE qualification

Job description

Are you looking for a career where you can play a key role in managing complex engineering contracts and driving best practice in commercial expertise?We’re recruiting two Fleet Contract Managers to strengthen our Fleet Commercial team, based at our Head Office in London Bridge (hybrid working). This is a hands‑on engineering‑led contracts role, ideal for someone with an engineering background (Mechanical / Electrical) who has moved into - or is moving into - commercial and contractual responsibility.You will manage and shape engineering contracts that directly impact fleet safety, reliability and performance, working closely with engineers, ROSCOs and suppliers across rolling stock leasing, maintenance and modification programmes.This role suits someone who enjoys pulling contracts together, influencing technical and commercial stakeholders, and maintaining a forensic level of detail while operating in a high‑profile operational environment.Can you move people?

What you’ll be doing

• Draft, review and negotiate engineering and rolling stock contracts, including maintenance, modification and lease arrangements
• Own the end‑to‑end contract lifecycle - from development through to delivery and performance management
• Act as a trusted commercial partner to Engineering Managers, advising on:Contractual frameworksWarranties and performance regimesCommercial risk and opportunity
• Build strong working relationships with ROSCOs, engineering suppliers and internal stakeholders
• Identify contractual risks, ambiguities and value opportunities, and recommend clear actions
• Maintain high standards of accuracy and governance, ensuring contract documentation and financial controls are robust and up to date

About you

Essential experience

• Degree‑level qualification (or equivalent experience), ideally in Mechanical / Engineering discipline
• IMechE qualified, working towards, or equivalent professional credibility
• 5+ years’ experience within an engineering or asset‑heavy environment
• Proven experience pulling together contracts — not just administering template agreements
• Strong stakeholder management skills, with the confidence to influence engineers, suppliers and senior leaders
• High attention to detail and strong analytical capability

Desirable

• Rail, rolling stock, transport, defence or heavy engineering experience
• Experience working with maintenance, modification or asset‑based contracts
• Sound commercial and financial awareness in technically complex settings

Why Join Us?

• Work at the intersection of engineering excellence and commercial delivery
• Influence contracts that directly impact fleet safety and performance
• Exposure to complex, high‑value engineering agreements
• Hybrid working with flexibility
• Clear development pathway into senior fleet commercial or leadership roles
• Purpose‑driven work supporting a safe, reliable railway
• As proud members of the Armed Forces Covenant and Disability Confident Scheme, we will offer you an interview if you apply under these schemes and meet the minimum criteria for the role. Find out more here.

Other things to know

This vacancy may close early if we receive a large number of applications. So, make sure you get yours in early.

All offers of employment are subject to satisfactory references, a right to work verification, a basic criminal record check, and a pre-employment medical assessment. Work visa sponsorship isn’t available for this role.

If you applied but weren’t successful in getting a similar role at Southern, please wait six months before applying again.

Find out more about our recruitment process and get tips to help you apply.

What you’ll get in return

• a final salary pension
• 25 days annual leave allowance (plus bank holidays)
• free rail travel across our networks

Meaning you can feel secure in your career as well as fulfilled by your work.

A bit about SouthernWe’re one of Britain’s busiest train operators, serving London, Kent and parts of East Sussex. We run over 1,700 trains a day, carrying more than 500,000 passengers and serving 180 stations. However, working on our railway is more than getting passengers from A to B. It’s about all the little moments that make a difference to their journey. It’s also about making our railway a great place to work. With a team that represents the communities we serve. This is a journey we’re fully committed to and we’re proud to have been named a ‘Great Place to Work’ at the 2023 National Rail Awards and endorsed as a WORK180 Employer for Women. Our ways of working are what we expect of everyone at Southern. They are powerful. Tiny moments, every day, from every one of us, add up to massive, positive change. Improving how it feels to work here and how it feels to travel with us. At the heart of everything we do, our Safeguarding Team works to keep our customers, colleagues, and the public safe by improving safeguarding measures and knowledge making sure everyone gets home safe, every day. Learn more about our railway.