SC Cleared - Contracts Manager - Defence & Cyber

Synergize Consulting Ltd; Rowberrow; On-site; GBP 70,000 - 90,000; Full time

Job summary

Synergize Consulting Ltd is seeking an experienced Contracts Manager for a Defence & Cyber portfolio. You will support bid and tender activities across MOD-related opportunities, advising on commercial and contractual matters and protecting business interests.

You will develop strategies, review obligations, mitigate risk and work with procurement to manage supply chain contracts. Strong communication and independent judgment are essential.

Qualifications

• Active MOD clearance is essential.
• Experience in defence sector contracts and MOD contracting.
• Experienced in supporting bids, tenders and proposals.
• Good understanding of defence contracting processes.
• Experience negotiating commercial agreements.
• Strong grasp of contractual obligations and governance.
• Ability to work independently and manage priorities.
• Excellent communication and stakeholder management skills.
• Collaborative with commercial, bid, programme and procurement teams.
• Relevant qualifications or significant domain experience.

Responsibilities

• Support bid and tender activities within a defence account, advising on commercial matters.
• Develop and review contractual strategies and obligation registers.
• Identify and mitigate commercial, contractual and business risks.
• Assist negotiations with customers and contribute to complex tenders.
• Prepare and review commercial agreements including NDAs and teaming agreements.
• Advise teams on dependencies, commitments and deliverables.
• Work with Procurement to manage supply chain risks and variations.
• Protect IP and commercial interests across contracts and opportunities.
• Support governance, approvals and escalation of complex matters.
• Share best practices to improve commercial performance.

Skills

MOD clearance

Defence contracting

Bid & tender support

Commercial risk management

Contract negotiation

Governance

Stakeholder management

Independent working

Cross-functional collaboration

MOD contracting processes

Job description

Contracts Manager - Defence & Cyber

The Opportunity

We are seeking an experienced SC Cleared Contracts Manager to support bid and tender activity within a major UK defence and technology environment, working across a portfolio of opportunities involving cyber and advanced electronic systems.

This role will suit a commercially minded contracts professional with strong experience in defence contracting, particularly MOD-related bids and proposals. You will work closely with bid, programme, commercial and procurement teams to protect business interests, manage contractual risk and ensure customer commitments are clearly understood and delivered.

The successful candidate will be comfortable working independently, influencing stakeholders and supporting complex commercial decisions throughout the bid and contract life cycle.

Key Responsibilities

• Support bid and tender activities within a defence account, advising on commercial and contractual matters.

• Develop and review contractual strategies, negotiation positions and obligations registers.

• Identify, assess and mitigate commercial, contractual and business risks.

• Support negotiations with prospective customers and contribute to complex tender submissions.

• Prepare and review commercial agreements, including NDAs, teaming agreements and collaboration agreements.

• Advise bid and programme teams on customer dependencies, contractual commitments and deliverables.

• Work with Procurement to manage supply chain risks, contract variations and end-to-end contractual obligations.

• Protect intellectual property and commercial interests across a diverse portfolio of contracts and opportunities.

• Support governance, business approvals and escalation of complex commercial matters.

• Identify opportunities to improve commercial performance and share best practice across teams.

Essential Skills and Experience

• Active MOD SC clearance - essential.

• Strong experience in commercial or contracts management within the defence sector.

• Practical experience supporting bids, tenders and proposals.

• Good understanding of MOD contracting and defence commercial processes.

• Experience developing, reviewing and negotiating commercial and contractual agreements.

• Strong understanding of contractual obligations, commercial risk and governance.

• Ability to work independently, exercise sound commercial judgement and manage competing priorities.

• Excellent communication and stakeholder-management skills, with the ability to influence cross-functional teams.

• A collaborative approach, working effectively with commercial, bid, programme and procurement teams.

• Relevant professional qualifications, technical training or significant equivalent domain experience.

Experience in cyber, data or electronic systems environments would be advantageous.

If you have strong defence contracts experience, understand MOD commercial requirements and are looking for your next contract, we would be interested in hearing from you.