Senior Contracts Manager

Highbury Recruitment; Norwich; On-site; GBP 70,000 - 110,000; Full time

Job summary

Our Norfolk-based client seeks a Senior Contracts Manager to lead pre-construction, procurement, and delivery for complex projects. You will coordinate with the quantity surveyor and senior team to define programmes, budgets, and strategy, while overseeing subcontractor selection and contract negotiation.

You will mentor the contracts team, drive value engineering, and maintain relationships with client representatives, regulators, and delivery partners to ensure milestones are achieved on time

Qualifications

• Senior-level leadership required with strategic oversight across pre-construction
• Proven ability to negotiate contracts, set programmes and budgets
• Experience managing multidisciplinary teams and stakeholders across delivery stages
• Knowledge of large-scale construction projects, risk and governance
• CRM/Client-facing experience with executive level stakeholders

Responsibilities

• Provide strategic leadership across pre-construction with the senior team.
• Oversee subcontractor pre-qualification, pricing, evaluation and appointment.
• Lead contract negotiation to clarify terms, risks and obligations.
• Develop execution plans, budgets and reporting for complex projects.
• Prepare client pitches, tender presentations and briefs.
• Lead contracts team and partners to deliver safe, efficient projects.
• Drive Value Engineering for quality and cost efficiency.
• Maintain client relationships and manage expectations at senior level.
• Monitor programme, cost, quality and project metrics.

Skills

Leadership

Contract negotiation

Stakeholder management

Risk management

Budget control

Communication

Education

Project management qualification

Construction management

RICS/CIOB membership

Job description

Senior Contracts Manager

Roles & Responsibilities

Client Overview

Our client is a Norfolk-based company specialising in complete project delivery. They work closely with local authorities, housing associations, commercial developers, and private developers to deliver projects that meet modern regulatory standards and support evolving housing needs.

Pre-Construction Leadership

• Provide strategic leadership across pre-construction, working with the Quantity Surveyor and senior team to define programmes, budgets, commercial parameters, and delivery strategy.
• Oversee subcontractor pre-qualification, pricing, evaluation, negotiation, and appointment to ensure best value and delivery capability.
• Lead contract negotiation activity, ensuring commercial terms, risks, and obligations are clearly understood and managed.
• Develop project execution plans, procurement routes, budgets, controls, and reporting processes for complex construction projects.
• Prepare and deliver client pitch materials, tender presentations, and senior-level project briefings.

Construction Delivery Leadership

• Lead, manage, and mentor the contracts team and subcontractor partners to ensure safe, efficient, commercially successful delivery.
• Drive Value Engineering to improve quality, programme certainty, cost efficiency, and buildability.
• Act as the senior client contact, maintaining strong relationships and managing expectations professionally.
• Monitor programme, commercial performance, quality standards, and key project metrics, providing clear updates to senior stakeholders.
• Identify, assess, escalation, and mitigate project risks to protect programme, budget, and quality objectives.
• Oversee formal project communications, meeting outputs, stakeholder correspondence, and progress reporting.
• Coordinate clients, consultants, contractors, designers, and internal teams to ensure timely decisions and milestone delivery.
• Work with finance, procurement, commercial, and operational departments to maintain governance, cost control, and delivery alignment.

Close-Out and Fit-Out Leadership

• Lead close-out documentation with the client's document controller, ensuring warranties, as-built drawings, manuals, certificates, and handover records are completed and delivered.
• Oversee local authority inspections, compliance requirements, and occupancy processes.
• Support the client with owner-direct vendors, specialist consultants, and third-party stakeholders through fit-out and handover.

Qualifications & Senior-Level Experience

• Minimum 12 years' relevant experience in construction, project delivery, or contracts management, including senior leadership experience.
• Recognised qualification in project management, construction management, a construction-related discipline, or equivalent experience.
• RICS or CIOB membership preferred, though equivalent senior-level industry experience will be considered.
• Confident client-facing operator, able to engage board, executive, operational, and site-level stakeholders.
• Strong knowledge of large-scale technical projects, construction methodology, contract administration, risk, and delivery governance.
• Proven leader able to manage multidisciplinary teams, influence outcomes, and drive high standards across delivery partners.
• Experience delivering large-scale new build, refurbishment, and complex multi-stakeholder projects.
• A competitive senior-level salary package will be offered, dependent on experience and capability