Senior Contracts Manager — Defence & Space Programs

Thales Group; Oxford; On-site; GBP 65,000 - 80,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Private medical insurance

Cycle to work scheme

Annual bonus

Employee discounts

Job summary

Thales Group is seeking a Contracts Manager to join its Commercial team in Crawley. You will own the full contract lifecycle from capture and bid through to delivery and closure, working with UK MoD and prime contractors.

The role requires drafting and negotiating contracts, managing changes, and providing proactive commercial guidance to multi-disciplinary teams while ensuring compliance and risk control.

Qualifications

• Proven experience in contract management across pre-award and post-award stages with strong drafting and assessment skills.
• Excellent attention to detail to identify commercial, contractual and compliance issues and propose solutions.
• Strong commercial awareness including risk, liability and pricing considerations.
• Collaborative team player and effective communicator capable of influencing stakeholders.
• Proactive, ownership-driven approach balancing strategic thinking with delivery focus.

Responsibilities

• Lead the commercial management of contracts and bids throughout the full lifecycle from capture through delivery and closure.
• Establish and maintain customer commercial relationships and embed commercial considerations across capture, bid and delivery activities.
• Draft, review, assess and negotiate contracts, proposals, quotations, amendments, orders and terms and conditions.
• Own contractual baselines and change management, ensuring compliance and providing commercial guidance to bid and project teams.
• Identify, assess and manage commercial risk, including liability and pricing risks, across multidisciplinary teams.

Skills

Contract management

Risk management

Stakeholder management

Negotiation

Attention to detail

Job description

Thales Group is seeking a Contracts Manager to join its Commercial team in Crawley. You will own the full contract lifecycle from capture and bid through to delivery and closure, working with UK MoD and prime contractors.

The role requires drafting and negotiating contracts, managing changes, and providing proactive commercial guidance to multi-disciplinary teams while ensuring compliance and risk control.