Regional Commercial Lead - Water - North

Stantec; Leeds; On-site; GBP 70,000 - 90,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Competitive salary

Bonus schemes

Enhanced pension plan

Private medical insurance

Flexible annual leave

Industry-leading training and development

Job summary

Stantec is seeking a Regional Commercial Lead to join our UK Water business. This role involves managing complex delivery models and driving commercial performance within partnerships with Scottish Water and Yorkshire Water. The ideal candidate will inspire teams, implement commercial strategies for growth, and provide oversight on bids. A degree in a relevant field and experience in the regulated water sector are preferred. The position comes with competitive benefits, flexible working, and the potential for significant impact in critical water infrastructure.

Qualifications

• Solid understanding of driving change within professional services teams.
• Experience in the regulated water sector is highly desirable.
• Exemplary experience in NEC4 contract management practices.
• Ability to interpret complex financial systems and reports.
• Self-management and ability to influence across all seniority levels.
• Willingness to travel across the North of the UK.

Responsibilities

• Ensure a healthy, profitable, and sustainable business.
• Provide strategic oversight on commercial elements of bids.
• Implement and improve controlled commercial strategies.
• Build and maintain strong relationships with clients and partners.

Skills

Commercial acumen

Leadership

Analytical skills

Contract management practices

Stakeholder management

Education

Relevant degree (Engineering, Quantity Surveying, Law, or Business)

Job description

The Opportunity

Stantec is seeking a strategic and driven Regional Commercial Lead (RCL) to join our thriving UK Water business. This is a pivotal leadership role within our North region as we accelerate our delivery across the transformative AMP8 cycle and the Scottish Water SR27 investment periods. With a robust portfolio of capital programs across the North of England and Scotland—most notably our integral roles within the Scottish Water Enterprise, Yorkshire Water and Northumbrian Water—this region is a cornerstone of our national growth and technical excellence.

This role offers a unique opportunity to shape our commercial approach to some of the UK’s most significant environmental and infrastructure challenges. As we navigate the unprecedented investment levels of the coming years, you will be instrumental in managing complex, multi‑party delivery models and driving commercial performance within the strategic partnerships in Scottish Water Enterprise, Yorkshire Water and Northumbrian Water.

About The Role

As Regional Commercial Lead, you will be responsible for ensuring that we have a healthy, profitable, and sustainable business while effectively managing and balancing business risk and growth. You will provide strategic oversight on the commercial elements of bids and developing competitive proposals with partner organisations that meet business objectives and provide opportunities for outperformance.

Working alongside our Senior Leadership Team to drive operational excellence, you will implement and improve controlled commercial strategies to enable business growth. Furthermore, you will lead stakeholder management by building and maintaining strong working relationships with Client and Partner Commercial Leads.

Your Impact

You will have the opportunity to have a significant impact across the Water Business. By providing commercial leadership to the regional leadership group, you will inspire and motivate the team to deliver best practice in commercial and risk performance management.

Your ability to challenge conventional thinking and foster a collaborative culture will be the catalyst for our sustainable growth. You will play a direct hand in securing our future portfolio, ensuring that Stantec remains a market leader in the delivery of critical water infrastructure. Your focus on proactive risk management and strategic partnership will protect the business while enabling us to take on the most ambitious projects in the sector.

About You

You are an experienced Commercial Lead with a solid understanding of how to drive change within professional services teams.

• Education: Ideally qualified with a relevant degree (Engineering, Quantity Surveying, Law, or Business).
• Industry Knowledge: Experience in the regulated water sector is highly desirable; experience within a design and build or consultancy environment is an advantage.
• Technical Expertise: Exemplary experience in NEC4 contract management practices and various Alliance/Enterprise delivery models common in the water industry.
• Analytical Skills: Strong commercial acumen with the ability to interpret complex financial systems and reports.
• Leadership Style: A high degree of self‑management and the ability to influence staff and partners across all seniority levels.
• Mobility: As this role covers the North of the UK, you must be willing to travel to client and project offices when required.

Why Join Us

• We put people first: We're proud of our friendly, inclusive and collaborative environment where everyone feels valued.
• We are driven to achieve: Named in the top 50 companies to work by Glassdoor 2025. Recognised by Corporate Knights as one of the world's top 10 most sustainable companies 2025.
• We do what is right: Industry leading training and development as well as paid-for professional subscriptions.
• Growth: We're on an exciting growth journey across the UK & Ireland—especially in the South—and we want you to be part of it.
• Great Benefits: Competitive salary, bonus schemes, enhanced pension plan, private medical insurance, and flexible "buy/sell" annual leave.
• Flexible working: Enjoy a healthy work‑life balance with our hybrid approach to flexible working.

About Stantec

The Stantec community unites more than 34,000 employees working in over 450 locations across 6 continents. We have been working with our clients and communities in the UK for over 150 years. We plan, design, deliver and manage the development and infrastructure needed to support the creation of sustainable, healthy and prosperous communities.

Our teams provide effective and relevant solutions, translating our clients’ vision into valued consents, deliverable plans for projects and programmes, and efficient designs for delivery, based on technical excellence and deep market insights. We deal with today’s challenges, but also keep a fairer, better tomorrow in sight, looking at how we deliver clean growth, support radical changes in our economy and meet the needs of future communities.

Stantec provides equal employment opportunities to all qualified employees and applicants for future and current employment and prohibits discrimination on the grounds of race, colour, religion, sex, national origin, age, marital status, genetic information, disability, sexual orientation, gender identity or gender expression. We prohibit discrimination in decisions concerning recruitment, hiring, referral, promotion, compensation, fringe benefits, job training, terminations or any other condition of employment. Stantec is in compliance with laws and regulations and ensures equitable opportunities in all aspects of employment.

At Stantec we are committed to ensuring our recruitment process is accessible to all. If you require reasonable adjustments to be made during the recruitment process then please inform a member of our Talent Acquisition team.