Commercial Director

Ward Personnel; Cork; On-site; EUR 150,000 - 230,000; Full time

Job summary

Ward Personnel is seeking a Commercial Director for a specialist modular construction business in Ireland. The role reports to the CEO and leads the Commercial Managers, Quantity Surveyors, and the Commercial Function.

You will own, lead and future‑proof the commercial performance of the business at an executive level, guiding decisions while remaining close enough to projects to manage risk and value. This is a senior leadership role with full accountability for commercial strategy, governance,

Responsibilities

• Own and drive the commercial lifecycle from contract review to final account.
• Set and drive the commercial strategy across the project portfolio.
• Act as the commercial authority on contracts, risk, and entitlement.
• Lead CVRs, forecasting, reporting cadence, and margin control.
• Embed disciplined execution of variations, notices, EOTs, and claims.
• Maintain clear visibility of risk, exposure and opportunity in real time.
• Lead senior‑level negotiations and client engagement.
• Build, lead and coach a high‑performing commercial team.
• Drive adoption of systems, processes and governance across the business.
• Ensure commercial decisions support delivery and business objectives.

Job description

Overview

Role: Commercial Director. Reports to: CEO. Team: Commercial Managers, Quantity Surveyors, Commercial Function. Sector: Specialist subcontracting / Modular construction. The Mandate

Our client operating within the area of specialist modular construction is appointing a Commercial Director to own, lead, and future‑proof the commercial performance of the business. This is a senior leadership role with full accountability for commercial strategy, governance, risk, and capability across the complete project lifecycle.

The brief is clear: bring control, pace, and consistency, protect margin, strengthen contractual positioning, and build a commercial function that scales with the business.

This is not a hands‑on QS role. The successful candidate will operate at executive level while remaining close enough to projects to guide decisions, manage risk, and intervene where value or exposure is at stake.

Core Accountabilities

• Full ownership of the commercial lifecycle from contract review to final account
• Set and drive commercial strategy across the project portfolio
• Act as the business’s commercial authority on contracts, risk, and entitlement
• Lead CVRs, forecasting, reporting cadence, and margin control
• Embed disciplined execution of variations, notices, EOTs, and claims
• Maintain clear, real‑time visibility of risk, exposure, and opportunity
• Lead senior‑level negotiations and client commercial engagement
• Build, lead, and coach a high‑performing commercial team
• Drive adoption of systems, processes, and governance
• Ensure commercial decisions actively support delivery and business objectives

What Success Looks Like

• Improved margin protection and entitlement recovery
• Strong, consistent commercial reporting and forecasting
• Early identification and management of risk
• A confident, capable commercial team operating with clarity and ownership
• Commercial discipline embedded across delivery teams
• Reduced dependency on individuals and increased organisational resilience

Required Background

• Proven experience in a senior commercial leadership role, ideally within a subcontracting or complex project environment
• Strong track record managing upstream and downstream commercial positions
• Deep experience with CVRs, variations, final accounts, claims, and negotiation
• Comfortable overseeing multiple projects with differing contract forms and risk profiles
• Experience embedding systems, governance, and process discipline in a growing business

Technical Strengths

• Expert knowledge of construction contracts (NEC, JCT, bespoke forms)
• Strong commercial forecasting, cost control, and margin management capability
• Highly confident reviewing contracts, amendments, and international conditions
• Able to translate commercial data into clear executive‑level decisions

Leadership Profile

• Credible, decisive, and commercially rigorous
• Strong coach and developer of people
• Comfortable challenging, influencing, and holding others to account
• Clear communicator with non‑commercial stakeholders
• Strategic thinker who can drop into detail when risk or value demands it
• Calm under pressure; focused on outcomes, not noise