Third Parties - Senior Commercial Manager

HS2 (High Speed Two) Ltd; Greater London; On-site; GBP 59,000 - 70,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Flexible benefits fund (20% on top of£

Job summary

HS2 Ltd invites applications for a Senior Commercial Manager role focused on Third Parties. The postholder will lead the commercial and stakeholder management activity across internal customer teams and external Third Parties, driving the development of agreements to support the HS2 scheme.

The role requires leadership to deliver HS2 objectives, manage interface with procurement and legal drafting, and embed governance across contract management.

Qualifications

• Experience managing high‑value contracts for complex infrastructure projects.
• Strong analytical, commercial and negotiating skills.
• Proven ability to lead cross‑functional teams and stakeholder engagement.

Responsibilities

• Lead management of Third Party commercial agreements aligned with HS2 strategy.
• Engage internal teams to deliver third‑party programmes.
• Provide SME input into contract drafting and governance.
• Lead negotiation of additional agreements and variations.
• Deliver monthly performance information and manage supply chain disputes.

Skills

Contract management

Negotiation

Stakeholder management

Leadership

Commercial strategy

Relationship building

Programme delivery

Risk management

Governance

Job description

Job Description

Base salary: £59,268pa - c.£69,727pa depending on skills and experience. In addition, we offer flexible benefits fund of 20% which is paid on top base salary and is fully pensionable, as well as a range of competitive benefits - check them out in the Benefits section on our website.

HS2 Ltd endeavours to ensure everyone working for us and with us feels included, thrives and achieves their full potential. In practice, this means we are positive and inclusive about making adjustments, providing flexible working, encouraging our staff networks to flourish and providing personal and professional development opportunities.

The Third Parties - Senior Commercial Manager role is responsible for delivering Commercial and Stakeholder Management activity with Internal Customer teams across their commercial & agreement interfaces with Third Parties (external to HS2Ltd.) The role provides leadership to HS2 staff within the broader Third Parties Commercial Team in their management of Internal Customers, external Third Parties and the development of agreements to ensure the functional strategy is effectively delivered. The role is responsible for supporting the Third Parties Head of Commercial to enable delivery of the HS2 Scheme to cost and schedule through the management of Third Party commercial & contractual interfaces.

General

About the role:

• Manage a portfolio of complex and bespoke Commercial Agreements with Third Parties, ensuring alignment with the HS2 Commercial Strategy and overall HS2 objectives, including the delivery of wider benefits.
• Engage with other HS2 Directorates to identify requirements for third party agreements and to devise programmes for delivery and implementation.
• Provide subject matter expertise into other Directorates within HS2.
• Undertake assurance activity across a portfolio of awarded agreements throughout the agreement life cycle.
• Establish collaborative ways of working with Third Party stakeholders assisting in brokering, negotiating and delivering schemes that interact with the HS2 programme.

Pre-Agreement

• Lead the development and assessment of commercial models and strategies for/with third parties to ensure effective risk management, value for money and compliance with governmental guidelines.
• Secure ‘buy-in’ and support from Internal teams in responding to challenge and scrutiny.
• Manage interfaces with Delivery (and other) procurements and with broader CCO directorate, to influence delivery strategies and to ensure requirements of Commercial Agreements are appropriately shared with contractors.
• Develop agreement principles and provide instruction to legal for drafting.
• Evaluating and negotiating Commercial Agreements with Third Parties Post Agreement.
• Embed agreements within relevant business teams, ensuring contract management plans are in place and are being effectively managed.
• To be responsible for leading the negotiation of strategies for additional commercial agreements and variations to existing agreements.
• To be accountable for delivering on input into contract level performance information into monthly MBR reports;
• To be accountable for supporting the settlement of supply chain disputes;

Post Agreement

• Embed agreements within relevant business teams, ensuring contract management plans are in place and are being effectively managed.
• To be responsible for leading the negotiation of strategies for additional commercial agreements and variations to existing agreements.
• To be accountable for delivering on input into contract level performance information into monthly MBR reports;
• To be accountable for supporting the settlement of supply chain disputes;

Leadership

• To be responsible for providing second key corporate governance approval on cost, variations and risk in accordance with corporate governance requirements.
• To be responsible for providing domain knowledge in the development and maintenance of efficient and effective contract and commercial management policies, processes and procedures.
• To be accountable for managing and supporting agreed external relationships with strategic stakeholders by agreeing joint ways of working that maximise opportunity for both HS2 and Third Parties.
• Represent HS2 at forums conducted by external Third Parties where decision making is required on maximising HS2 as a catalyst for growth.
• Work with Third Parties to enhance HS2 scope for regional benefit, where feasible to do so.
• To be responsible for leading team members, agreeing objectives, managing performance and development to ensure staff have the necessary skills and support to deliver in their roles.
• Actively promote and embed Equality Diversity and Inclusion (EDI) in all your work, and support and comply with all organisational initiatives, policies and procedures on EDI.

Skills

About you:

• Ability to develop, manage and administer high value and delivery critical contracts to support the delivery of complex infrastructure or similar projects and programmes.
• Strong analytical, commercial and negotiating skills and the ability to settle disputes whilst maintaining business critical commercial relationships.
• Ability to deliver value driven management of commercial relationships with Third Parties.
• Skilled in developing stakeholder engagement programmes.
• Ability to network, influence and build collaborative working relationships with internal and external stakeholders – in particular with large public and private sector organisations.
• Demonstrate leadership, promoting collaboration across teams, with all internal and external stakeholders.
• Be proactive at promoting core behaviours including innovation, agile management techniques, lean, flexibility collaboration and commercial awareness.
• Skilled in managing the complex dynamic that exists in matrix organisations by demonstrating the ability to influence others to emulate the right behaviours.
• Prioritisation – Able to work to tight deadlines in a calm manner even in a fast moving organisation.
• Able to manage political ambiguity within the project engagement workstreams.

Type Of Experience

• Experience of managing commercial management teams in major complex infrastructure projects and programmes to deliver value for money for the Client/Employer.
• Experience of working with or for publicly funded bodies and/or a major publicly funded programme.
• Experience of building strong working relationships with key internal and external stakeholders.
• Either experience of procurement of services or the management of large value complex contracts or providing client relationship management during the planning stage of infrastructure projects.
• Experience of implementing innovative solutions in complex partnerships to broker agreements.
• Experience of high-profile stakeholder management with public and/or private sector organisations.
• Experience of providing counsel at a senior leadership level across an organisation.

The post-holder is expected to behave at all times in a manner consistent with the HS2 values of Safety, Leadership, Integrity and Respect. It is expected that you will actively promote and embed Equality, Diversity and Inclusion (EDI) in all your work and support and comply with all organisational initiatives, policies and procedures on EDI.

As HS2 Ltd do not hold a sponsorship license from the Home Office, we are not able to provide sponsorship to any applicant. Applicants must already have the Right to Work in the UK at the time of application and our process involves a Right to Work validation prior to the interview stage. Note, there are certain types of time-bound visas that we cannot accept. Any offers made to applicants will be subject to satisfactory completion of pre-employment checks which include Nationality & Immigration Status, employment references, DBS, Financial and Education checks.

About Us

High Speed 2 (HS2 Ltd) will be the UK’s new high speed rail network. As well as improving capacity, the new scheme will shorten journey times between a number of Britain’s major population centres, boost the economy and create thousands of jobs.

HS2 Ltd will create a skills legacy and develop a diverse range of talent. We aim to be a leader in EDI practice by creating a safe & inclusive working environment for all our staff - living our values of Safety, Respect, Integrity and Leadership.

In practice, this means we are positive and inclusive about making adjustments, providing flexible working, encouraging our staff networks to flourish and providing personal and professional development opportunities.

HS2 Ltd is also a safety-critical organisation. Employees are required to ensure reasonable care of their own and others’ health and safety by taking personal responsibility for working to our ‘Safe at Heart’ programme principles and following safe working procedures at all times.

HS2 Ltd endeavours to ensure everyone working for us and with us feels included, thrives and achieves their full potential.