Project Commercial Manager

Balfour Beatty plc; Fort William; On-site; GBP 65,000 - 90,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Smart working

Remote work up to 40%

25 days annual leave

Pension, share incentive plan

Volunteering leave

Recognition schemes

Job summary

Balfour Beatty is seeking a Commercial Manager to lead the commercial aspects of the New Lochaber Hospital project in Fort William. The role requires driving cost-forecasting, risk management and strong stakeholder engagement across Scotland.

You will oversee procurement strategy, contract administration and the commercial team, with regular travel to Fort William as construction progresses from January 2028. Fort William-based or Scotland-wide applicants welcome.

Qualifications

• Experience delivering major construction projects.
• Experience in healthcare or large, technically complex building projects.
• Strong main-contractor background and understanding of full project lifecycle.
• Excellent knowledge of procurement, contract management, cost control, forecasting and commercial reporting.
• Experience managing and developing Quantity Surveyors and wider commercial teams.
• Ability to work closely with clients, consultants, designers, supply-chain partners and senior project leadership.
• BSc/MSc in Quantity Surveying or equivalent; membership of RICS/ICES/CIOB, or progress towards; CSCS card essential.

Responsibilities

• Providing commercial leadership across the project and supporting key strategic decisions.
• Managing the project’s commercial risk and opportunity.
• Leading commercial relationships with the client, supply-chain partners and key stakeholders.
• Supporting procurement strategy, subcontractor appointments and supply-chain management.
• Leading contract administration and protecting Balfour Beatty's contractual and financial position.
• Working with design, construction, planning and procurement teams on buildability and value engineering.
• Managing project cost forecasting, reporting and commercial performance.
• Leading the preparation and review of monthly CVRs and associated commercial reports.
• Managing target costs and ensuring programme-related commercial issues are identified and addressed.
• Leading, supporting and developing the wider commercial team.

Skills

Major construction projects

Healthcare projects

Main-contractor background

Procurement

Contract management

Cost control

Forecasting

Commercial reporting

Team leadership

Stakeholder management

Education

Quantity surveying degree

Professional memberships (RICS/ICES/CIOB)

CSCS card

Job description

About the role

Job Title: Commercial Manager

Location: Highlands / Scotland Wide with Regular Travel to Fortwilliam

Company: Balfour Beatty

Project: Healthcare Construction

Build more than a project. Help deliver a new hospital for the Highlands.

Balfour Beatty is looking for an experienced Commercial Manager to take a leading commercial role on the New Lochaber Hospital in Fort William.

This is an opportunity to join a major healthcare project that will make a lasting difference to communities across Lochaber and the wider Highlands.

We are particularly keen to hear from commercially strong construction professionals who have delivered major building projects within healthcare, education or similarly complex environments and want to play a key role in taking a significant project through its next stages and into construction.

The role is based around Fort William, although we are open to applications from candidates based anywhere in Scotland, provided you are comfortable with regular travel to Fort William, particularly as the project moves into the construction phase, currently planned to commence in January 2028.

What you’ll be doing

As Commercial Manager, you’ll be an integral member of the project leadership team, responsible for driving the commercial and financial success of the project.

You’ll have broad responsibility across risk, procurement, contract management, financial reporting and supply‑chain management, while leading and developing the commercial team supporting the project. This reflects the Balfour Beatty Commercial Manager role profile, where the position owns project commercial performance and manages all costs and income within its area of responsibility.

Your responsibilities will include:

• Providing commercial leadership across the project and supporting key strategic decisions.
• Managing the project’s commercial risk and opportunity.
• Leading commercial relationships with the client, supply‑chain partners and key stakeholders.
• Supporting procurement strategy, subcontractor appointments and supply‑chain management.
• Leading contract administration and protecting Balfour Beatty's contractual and financial position.
• Working closely with design, construction, planning and procurement teams on buildability and value engineering.
• Managing project cost forecasting, reporting and commercial performance.
• Leading the preparation and review of monthly CVRs and associated commercial reports.
• Managing target costs and ensuring programme‑related commercial issues are identified and addressed.
• Leading, supporting and developing the wider commercial team.

Who we’re looking for

We’re looking for an established Commercial Manager, Managing Quantity Surveyor or Senior Commercial professional ready to take commercial ownership of a significant project.

Ideally, you’ll bring:

• Strong experience delivering major construction projects.
• Experience within healthcare, education or other large, technically complex building projects.
• A strong main‑contractor background and understanding of the full project lifecycle.
• Excellent knowledge of procurement, contract management, cost control, forecasting and commercial reporting.
• Strong understanding of commercial risk and opportunity management.
• Experience managing and developing Quantity Surveyors and wider commercial teams.
• The confidence to work closely with clients, consultants, designers, supply‑chain partners and senior project leadership.
• The ability to look beyond the numbers and contribute commercially to the overall project strategy.
• A BSc/MSc in Quantity Surveying or equivalent is expected, alongside membership of RICS, ICES or CIOB, or progress towards professional membership. CSCS card is also essential.

Why this role?

This isn’t simply another Commercial Manager vacancy.

You’ll have the opportunity to become part of a project with a genuine long‑term social legacy, helping deliver important new healthcare infrastructure for Fort William and the surrounding communities.

You’ll join the project ahead of the main construction phase, giving you the opportunity to influence the commercial strategy, procurement, risk, supply chain and delivery approach before construction begins.

And while the project is in Fort William, you don’t necessarily need to relocate. We are keen to speak with talented commercial professionals from across Scotland who can commit to regular travel to the project, with the site presence increasing as construction progresses from January 2028.

Professional and personal development

The size and scale of Balfour Beatty coupled with our strong pipeline of work provides incredible opportunities, regardless of what stage you are at in your career.

We encourage and empower our employees to take control of their career and explore which part of the business they want to work in and what role is right for them. We actively encourage our managers and employees to have open communication throughout the year about wellbeing, development and career opportunities.

We’re proud of the Balfour Beatty Academy. Whether it’s sharpening your technical expertise, improving your personal skills or seeking support to become professionally qualified, our 70:20:10 approach to development means we have a learning approach that suits everyone.

70% learning on the job, 20% learning from those around you, and 10% formal training courses and learning events.

For further information about Balfour Beatty Scotland, please visit the Balfour Beatty careers website.

Why work for us

Day in, day out, our teams deliver some of the UK’s most ambitious, exciting and meaningful projects; developing, building and maintaining the vital infrastructure that supports national economies and strengthens communities.

Why join us?

As if contributing to and supporting work that makes life better for millions wasn’t rewarding enough, we offer a full range of benefits too. You’ll have the freedom to shape the package that’s right for you and your life. Here are some of our key benefits:

• Smart working, giving you more flexibility such as staggered start and finish times, with up to 40% remote working, where roles allow.
• 25 days paid annual leave (pro rata)
• Family friendly policies which include 28 weeks full pay for maternity/adoption leave and four weeks full pay for paternity/partners leave
• Pension, share incentive plan, volunteering leave, recognition schemes and much more…

About us

From Dunfermline’s tramways in 1909 to highland hospitals today, Balfour Beatty has been trusted for over a century to deliver the complex and critical infrastructure and iconic buildings Scotland relies on.

We have the people, knowledge and experience to safely deliver projects right first time, maximising value for money and ensuring a positive social impact and inclusive economic growth for local communities.

Our award-winning sustainable projects, including active travel, Passivhaus and retrofit, demonstrate our commitment to supporting Scotland’s transition towards net zero in the built environment.

Diversity and inclusion

At Balfour Beatty, we want everyone to be able to thrive and achieve their full potential, regardless of their identity or background. We’re making great progress through our Value Everyone DEI Action Plan, but we know we’ve got more to do. Find out more about our values and DEI initiatives.

As a Disability Confident Employer, we ensure that a fair and proportionate number of disabled applicants that meet the minimum criteria for this role will be offered an interview.

We are committed to our processes being barrier‑free and will support adjustments at any stage of the recruitment process. Please let the recruiter for this role know if you require any adjustments.

We’re looking to continually improve our recruitment process, so if you have any feedback, please share this with us via [e-mail]