Head of Contracts - Major Projects

National Grid; Cardiff; Hybrid; GBP 110,000 - 150,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Hybrid working

Job summary

National Grid seeks a Head of Contracts – Major Projects to lead a high‑impact commercial function. You will own end‑to‑end spend around £400m annually, design and embed processes for cost control, value tracking and governance, and report to the Major Projects Director.

This leadership role requires strategic influence and a proven track record of delivering large transformation. The role offers a hybrid working pattern with site bases across NGED locations and travels 2–3 times weekly.

Qualifications

• Proven experience in a Commercial Director, Head of Commercial, or similar senior commercial leader role.
• Experience leading a new commercial function within an engineering or infrastructure environment.
• Strong budgeting and performance reporting capabilities.
• Experience managing large multi-million-pound budgets.
• Analytical approach to complex commercial and contractual challenges.
• Ability to influence strategically at all levels and with external stakeholders.
• Track record of communicating compelling business cases and securing buy-in for significant change.
• Leadership skills to coach and develop talent and build high-performing teams.

Responsibilities

• Hold end-to-end commercial accountability for the Major Projects portfolio (~£400m annual spend).
• Report to the Director of Major Projects, ensuring commercial strategy aligns with objectives.
• Build and lead a high-performing commercial function with cost controls and progress measurement.
• Serve on the Major Projects Leadership Team to contribute to strategy and governance.
• Set commercial standards and governance, embedding best-practice processes.
• Provide commercial expertise across supply chain and contracting.
• Drive change and transformation across the organisation.
• Partner with Procurement to develop effective contracting strategies that embed cost and progress controls.
• Act as Commercial Counsel supporting budgeting, targets, and financial governance.
• Ensure compliance with contractual obligations and resolve disputes as required.
• Lead performance reporting, budgeting, and governance for decision-making.

Skills

Strategic leadership

Commercial leadership

Stakeholder management

Contract/NEC4 knowledge

Budgeting/Reporting

Tools

NEC4 contracts knowledge

Job description

We’re seeking a Head of Contracts – Major Projects to play a critical leadership role within our Major Projects function at National Grid.

This role carries commercial responsibility for a portfolio of circa £400m annual spend and will focus on building a new commercial team within Major Projects. You will design, implement, and embed commercial processes that enable effective cost control, value tracking, and robust measurement of progress against spend. As a member of the Major Projects Leadership Team, you’ll help shape strategy and culture, ensuring cost consciousness, strong governance, and value delivery sit at the core of how we operate. This is a high‑impact role requiring strategic influence, strong commercial judgement, and the ability to drive meaningful transformation across a complex organisation.

And because we know flexibility matters, this role offers a hybrid working approach—a mix of home and office working and you’ll also have the freedom to base yourself at any of our sites across the East Midlands, West Midlands, South West, or Wales, with travel to NGED locations 2–3 times a week.

Main Responsibilities

• ities
  Hold end‑to‑end commercial accountability for the Major Projects portfolio, with approximately £400m annual expen
• ditureReport to the Director of Major Projects, ensuring commercial strategy is aligned with wider business obje
• ctivesBuild and lead a high‑performing commercial function within Major Projects, establishing clear cost control, progress measurement, and value tracking pro
• cessesAct as a key member of the Major Projects Leadership Team, contributing to strategy, performance, and cultural devel
• opmentSet commercial standards and governance, owning commercial systems and embedding best‑practice processes and ways of w
• orkingProvide commercial expertise and thought leadership across supply chain and contracting
• topicsDrive change and transformation across the organisation, delivering consistent commercial disc
• iplinePartner with Procurement to develop effective contracting strategies that embed cost and progress controls within supply chain con
• tractsAct as Commercial Counsel to the Major Projects Director, supporting financial target setting, budget development, and ongoing budget moni
• toringEnsure compliance with contractual obligations, managing and resolving disputes as re
• quiredLead performance reporting, budgeting, and governance processes to support effective decision‑
• making

Ideal Candidate

• ndidate
  Proven experience in a Commercial Director, Head of Commercial, or similar senior commercial leaders
• hip roleExtensive experience leading commercial subject matter experts within an engineering or infrastructure env
• ironmentDemonstrated success building a new commercial function within an existing
• businessStrong experience managing, compiling, and controlling large, complex, multi‑million‑pound
• budgetsProven capability in leading performance reporting and budgeting processes in comparable organ
• isationsStrong analytical approach to complex commercial and contractual ch
• allengesDeep knowledge of NEC4 contracts and programmatic contract ma
• nagementAbility to influence strategically at all levels of the organisation and with external stak
• eholdersTrack record of communicating compelling business cases and securing buy‑in for significan
• t changeStrong people leadership skills, including coaching, developing talent, and creating cohesive, high‑performi
• ng teamsCommercial excellence underpinned by a strategic
• mindsetExcellent leadership, organisational, communication, and interpersonal

skills

About Us

We’re National Grid Electricity Distribution (NGED), the owner and operator behind the electricity distribution systems for the Midlands, the Southwest of England and South Wales. Serving communities of more than 8 million people, our expert teams deliver heat, light and power for homes and businesses, working outdoors with underground cables, overhead lines and substations that operate between 230 and 132,
000 volts. National Grid employs over 29,000 people worldwide. We are building an inclusive workplace, a place to actively celebrate the cultures, personalities and preferences of our colleagues – who in turn help to build the success of our business and reflect the diversity of the communities we serve. Our vision is to be at the heart of a clean, fair and affordable energy future and we are doing this in a fast-moving industry with an increasing focus on tackling climate change, exploring new energy sources that are renewable, low carbon, and improve efficiency to m
eet demand.