Senior Commercial Manager

James Fisher and Sons plc; Seething; Hybrid; GBP 70,000 - 90,000; Full time

Job summary

A global engineering services company is seeking a Senior Commercial Manager for a permanent, full-time position. This role involves driving business success by managing customer and vendor contracts and developing pricing strategies. Located in Seething or London, this hybrid role requires strong negotiation and analytical skills. Ideal candidates will have a relevant degree and experience in commercial contracts. The position offers opportunities to work closely with various teams to enhance profitability while ensuring compliance.

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in a relevant field; MBA or legal qualification is a plus.
• Experience in commercial contracts or related pricing roles.
• Ability to negotiate complex agreements.

Responsibilities

• Draft and negotiate a range of commercial contracts.
• Collaborate with finance and sales for pricing models.
• Manage bid processes and ensure compliance.

Skills

Strong commercial acumen

Excellent written and verbal communication

Analytical skills

Negotiation skills

Pricing strategy knowledge

Education

Bachelor's degree in Business, Law, Finance, or a related field

Tools

Excel or similar tools

Contract lifecycle management (CLM) platforms

ERP systems (e.g., Salesforce, NetSuite)

Job description

About The Role

Senior Commercial Manager

Permanent, Full-time

Hybrid working in London or Seething, with travel

About Us

With two centuries of maritime shipping and innovation, James Fisher is a trusted partner in the safe and efficient movement of the world’s critical resources. As a market leader in ship-to-ship transfer and coastal shipping, we help customers protect people, cargo and infrastructure while shaping the future of global maritime transport.

The Role

We’re seeking a strategic and commercially astute Senior Commercial Manager to drive business success through leading the negotiation, management, and administration of customer and vendor contracts. This pivotal role will focus on aligning contract terms with organisational goals, optimising pricing strategies, mitigating risk, and supporting revenue growth.

As a key partner to our sales, operations, legal, tax, and finance teams, you’ll structure commercially sound agreements that enhance profitability, whilst ensuring alignment to our internal compliance. If you thrive in a fast-paced environment and have a strong track record in commercial contract management, we’d love to hear from you.

Role Accountabilities

• Lead the end-to-end process of drafting, negotiating, and finalising a wide range of commercial contracts, including client agreements, supplier contracts, service level agreements (SLAs), and licensing deals.
• Collaborate with finance and sales teams to develop and maintain commercially sound pricing models and terms.
• Advise sales teams on pricing strategies, financial implications, and contract structures to support competitive and profitable proposals.
• Manage bid and tender processes, ensuring alignment with internal compliance, risk management, and regulatory standards.
• Negotiate key financial terms—such as pricing, payment schedules, discounts, and incentives—to balance profitability with market competitiveness.
• Identify and mitigate commercial risks within contracts, ensuring alignment with business objectives and legal requirements.
• Act as the primary commercial contact for external clients throughout the contract lifecycle from negotiation onwards.
• Serve as the commercial interface for internal stakeholders including operations, legal, supply chain, tax, and finance.
• Monitor contract performance, ensuring obligations, milestones, and renewals are tracked and fulfilled.
• Maintain a centralised contract database and produce regular reports on contract status, value, and risk exposure.
• Analyse commercial KPIs such as win/loss ratios and margin variances to inform strategic decisions.
• Work with the Data Innovation Lead to assess market trends, competitor pricing, and customer feedback to enhance pricing and contract strategies.

Knowledge, Qualifications and Experience

• Bachelor’s degree in Business, Law, Finance, or a related field (MBA or legal qualification is a plus).
• Experience in commercial contracts, pricing, or procurement-related role.
• Strong commercial acumen with a solid understanding of pricing strategy, margin analysis, and revenue impact.
• Demonstrated ability to negotiate complex agreements with clients and vendors.
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills, with a focus on clarity, persuasion, and detail.
• Strong analytical and financial modelling skills using Excel or similar tools.
• Familiarity with contract lifecycle management (CLM) platforms and ERP systems (e.g., Salesforce, NetSuite, Business Central).

Maritime Transport - Part of James Fisher and Sons

James Fisher is a global engineering services company that has evolved from its origins as a ship owner and operator to provide expertise and innovative technology across Energy, Defence, and Maritime Transport. We help our customers deliver on their promises safely, efficiently, and responsibly. With a strong heritage built on our people and innovation, we are embedding sustainability across our business.

Our strategy, centred around the One James Fisher ambition, aims to build a cohesive engineering service company in the Blue Economy.

• Our Energy Division offers safe, sustainable products and services for oil, gas, and renewables.
• The Defence Division provides underwater systems and life support for defence and commercial diving markets.
• Maritime Transport leads in global maritime shipping, ship-to-ship transfer services and sale of marine products.

Together, we are building a brighter, bolder, and more innovative future.

If this sounds like the ideal next step in your career, then click ‘apply’ now!

Due to the volume of applications, we receive for our vacancies, on occasion applications may close before the deadline, so please apply early to avoid disappointment.

James Fisher and Sons are committed to taking positive action on diversity and strongly encourage applications for candidates from all backgrounds. We are proud to be a Disability Confident employer and recognise that our success depends on our talented and diverse workforce.

For more information, visit the James Fisher website or watch the short film “We are One James Fisher”.