Senior Commercial Manager - Pre-Contracts

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An exciting opportunity has presented itself for a Senior Commercial Manager - Pre Contracts to join Downer's market leading Energy & Utilities team and play a key role in driving commercial excellence, business growth and contract performance.

The opportunity

We're looking for a Senior Commercial Manager to join our collaborative and high-performing Energy & Utilities team. Reporting to the Commercial Director - Pre-Contracts, you'll play a key role in delivering business growth, strategic commercial outcomes, managing risk and opportunity, and supporting major tender opportunities across Australia and New Zealand.

What you'll do

• Be a key member of bid teams who are driving the growth of Downer's Energy & Utilities business.
• Lead and manage contract negotiations, ensuring alignment with legal, financial and operational requirements.
• Work closely with the bid team and operational leads to ensure competitive commercial positions that align with project goals and client expectations.
• Drive commercial excellence through a deep understanding of contract structures, risk profiles, and performance mechanisms.
• Provide expert advice on contract compliance, risk mitigations strategies and commercial governance.
• Review, interpret and draft contract provisions, identifying key risks, obligations and opportunities.
• Support the development and implementation of commercial governance frameworks and best practices.
• Contribute to post-tender reviews and lessons learned to drive continuous improvement.
• Contribute to a team-oriented culture, supporting shared goals and mentoring others where needed.

What we offer

• Competitive remuneration with a significant ASX-listed company
• Flexible work life balance including work from home days
• Structured career paths with the opportunity to work in different areas of the Utilities business, supported by a robust Commercial Operating Model
• A suite of health and wellness benefits and initiatives, including EAP Beyond Blue
• Retail discounts with major retailers, Dell, Good Guys, Samsung, Specsavers & ANZ
• We are a Tier 1 ASX listed company with in-house capabilities that far exceed traditional contractor environments

What we're looking for

• Tertiary qualifications in law, business, engineering, construction management, accounting, or quantity surveying.
• 8+ years of experience in construction, maintenance, or service-based contracting within the energy, utilities, or infrastructure sectors.
• Experience working across Australia or New Zealand (both is highly regarded)
• Proven ability to interpret and explain complex tenders and commercial models.
• Deep knowledge of diverse contract structures and risk profiles.
• Strong understanding of contract structures, risk management, and performance frameworks.
• Excellent organisational skills with the ability to manage multiple priorities and meet tight deadlines.
• Strong communication, negotiation, and stakeholder engagement and presentation skills.
• A collaborative team player with a continuous improvement mindset.
• Someone who aligns with our values and the Downer Difference, and is committed to building collaborative partnerships across all levels of the business.

About Energy & Utilities

Downer's Energy & Utilities business unit is an integrated trans-Tasman team, providing services and solutions that connect communities to essential networks and infrastructure. We design, build, operate and maintain today's critical assets and networks, delivering complete services across the water, electricity, telecommunications, industrial and power generation and transmission sectors. Downer plays a key role in Australia and New Zealand's energy transition and our expertise spans in-house technical smarts, specialist engineering, integrated OEM partners, and dedicated crews of qualified tradespeople.

Downer Group is an employer that acknowledges and embraces the importance of our people's diverse experiences, talents, and cultures. As an inclusive employer, we welcome applications from everyone.

How to apply

Click "Apply" to start your application. We look forward to hearing from you! Downer does not accept unsolicited resumes, fees, or costs from recruitment agencies, search firms, or third parties. Candidates are welcome to submit their applications via the advertisement.

Ready to make a lasting impact in the energy and utilities sector?

Apply now and be part of a team that's powering the future.

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Downer is the leading provider of integrated services in Australia and New Zealand. Driven by our purpose to enable communities to thrive, we deliver essential infrastructure services that improve the lives of millions of people every day and leave a lasting legacy for future generations.

Downer is one of Australia and New Zealand's largest employers, with 31,000 people who are united by a high-performance culture, called ‘The Downer Difference’. Our teams operate in sectors that are closely connected to population growth, urbanisation, national security, and decarbonisation – including roads, rail, ports and airports, power, gas, water, telecommunications, health, education and defence.

Downer is the leading provider of integrated services in Australia and New Zealand. Driven by our purpose to enable communities to thrive, we deliver essential infrastructure services that improve the lives of millions of people every day and leave a lasting legacy for future generations.

Downer is one of Australia and New Zealand's largest employers, with 31,000 people who are united by a high-performance culture, called ‘The Downer Difference’. Our teams operate in sectors that are closely connected to population growth, urbanisation, national security, and decarbonisation – including roads, rail, ports and airports, power, gas, water, telecommunications, health, education and defence.