Head of Commercial Contracts-UK & Europe

Serco; Hart; Hybrid; GBP 100,000 - 150,000; Full time

Job summary

A leading public service organization is seeking a Head of Commercial Contracts to oversee the commercial contracts function in the UK. In this strategic role, you will lead a high-performing team to manage complex contractual issues, drive improvements, and support critical bidding processes. You will need senior leadership experience in commercial contracts, strong negotiation skills, and a commitment to maintaining high professional standards. The position offers a competitive salary, performance-related bonuses, and a range of benefits.

Benefits

Competitive six figure base salary

Performance-related bonus

Employer pension contribution

Private medical insurance

Flexible hybrid working

Additional company benefits

Qualifications

• Senior leadership experience in a large, complex services or outsourcing organisation.
• Deep expertise in managing in‑life contractual issues, particularly claims and disputes.
• Proven ability to innovate and improve contract delivery.

Responsibilities

• Set the strategy for the UK&European Commercial Contracts function.
• Lead a team ensuring high-quality support across bids and delivery.
• Resolve complex disputes and contractual risk issues.
• Partner with other departments for commercial leadership across contracts.

Skills

Senior leadership experience in commercial contract management

Expertise in managing in-life contractual issues

Strong grasp of contract structures and compliance

Experience leading and motivating teams

Innovative mindset with stakeholder management skills

Excellent planning and organisational skills

Ability to work with changing priorities

Inclusive and consultative nature

High integrity and commitment to standards

Job description

At Serco, we deliver vital public services that shape society—from justice and defence to healthcare, immigration, and transport. With , people operating across the UK, Europe, the Middle East, Asia-Pacific, and the Americas, we work on complex, mission‑critical contracts that demand expert commercial leadership.

We are now seeking an experienced leader with deep commercial contracts expertise to join us as Head of Commercial Contracts. Reporting to the UK & Europe Chief Legal & Risk Officer, this is a senior strategic role that will lead the divisional commercial contracts function—driving excellence across contractual aspects of bidding, commercial contract management and optimisation, risk management, prosecution of commercial opportunities and enablement of organic growth, and in‑life commercial issue resolution.

This is an opportunity to lead a high‑performing team and drive and play a prominent role in Serco’s sustainable growth through enhancing commercial awareness, effecting commercially sound decision‑making and being central to the design and execution of its most complex and strategically important projects.

What you’ll be doing

• Set the strategy and direction of the UK&E Commercial Contracts function in alignment with divisional priorities
• Lead and develop a team of commercial contracts professionals, ensuring consistent and high‑quality support across bids, delivery, and change
• Key enabler for optmised commercial contract performance—leading on contract changes and organic growth, resolution of complex disputes,and contractual risk issues
• Embed best practice tools, processes, and systems to support proactive contract management, change control, compliance, and value recovery
• Partner with Legal, Finance, Procurement, and Operations to provide commercial leadership across the contract lifecycle
• Support major bids, renegotiations, and commercial aspects of M&A, due diligence, and transformation programmes
• Build trusted relationships with customer commercial leads, subcontractors, and internal stakeholders to influence successful outcomes
• Continuously evolve how we manage contracts—driving efficiency, consistency, and commercial innovation across the portfolio

What you’ll need to bring

• Senior leadership experience in commercial contract management, ideally in a large, complex services or outsourcing organisation
• Deep expertise in managing in‑life contractual issues—particularly claims, disputes, and complex negotiations
• Strong grasp of contract structures, change mechanisms, risk frameworks, and compliance across public sector services (UK Government experience strongly preferred)
• Experience leading and motivating teams of commercial contracts professionals in matrix and high‑pressure environments
• Proven ability to innovate and apply technology to improve the speed, consistency, and quality of commercial contract delivery
• A commercially astute, solutions‑focused mindset with excellent stakeholder management and negotiation skills
• Excellent planning and organisational skills to manage multiple streams of work simultaneously
• Ability to work with changing priorities and thrive in a fast‑paced dynamic environment
• Inclusive, approachable, consultative, and enabling nature
• High integrity and commitment to the highest ethical and professional standards
• Security clearance (SC) will be required

What we offer

• Competitive six figure base salary
• Performance‑related bonus of up to %
• % employer pension contribution
• Private medical insurance
• days holiday + flexible hybrid working
• A range of other company benefits