Commercial Manager (Pre-Construction)

Barratt London; East London; On-site; ZAR 50 000 - 90 000; Full time

Job summary

An established industry player in construction is seeking a dynamic Commercial Manager to lead their team in cost-effective building practices. This role involves overseeing a diverse team of surveyors and managing multiple projects, ensuring compliance with policies while driving efficiency in procurement and cost control. You'll be at the forefront of enhancing collaboration across departments, optimizing design efficiency, and implementing strategies to mitigate risks. If you're ready to take on a challenging role that impacts the sustainability of high-quality home delivery, this opportunity is perfect for you.

Qualifications

• Experience in managing commercial operations and cost planning.
• Strong understanding of procurement processes and supply chain management.

Responsibilities

• Manage front-end commercial operations and oversee multiple developments.
• Control budgets and valuations, providing monthly updates on costs.

Skills

Cost Control

Budget Management

Procurement Strategy

Team Management

Value Engineering

Education

Degree in Quantity Surveying

Professional Certification in Project Management

Tools

Cost Planning Software

Project Management Tools

Job description

What you'll be doing?

The Commercial team handles all aspects of cost-effective building, including quantity surveying, estimating, procurement, and material buying.

With a focus on material selection, cost control, customer satisfaction, and sales, our Commercial team—which includes Estimators, Quantity Surveyors, and Material Buyers—aims to deliver high-quality homes at optimal costs. Their work is vital to our business's sustainability and offers a dynamic environment that will challenge your creativity and commercial skills.

Reporting to the Commercial Director, you will manage a team of surveyors, overseeing multiple developments, including regeneration schemes and projects with several phases. You will manage costs, ensure targets are met by controlling budgets and valuations, and provide monthly updates on estimated final costs with clear cost and value reconciliation. You will be responsible for all sub-contractor procedures, materials, and goods, ensuring compliance with Group Policies and Procedures. Additionally, you will mentor a diverse team and participate actively in value engineering to stay ahead of market trends.

You Will Be Expected To

• Manage front-end commercial operations, including bidding, land purchase, cost planning, design control, budget management, supply chain management, procurement strategy, and supporting procurement activities to contract closure.
• Drive standardization and consistency across all front-end activities to support procurement and facilitate smoother project delivery.
• Enhance collaboration with departments such as planning, buying, procurement, commercial, and design management.
• Support all pre-contract design stages (RIBA 0-3) to optimize design efficiency and procurement processes for commercial success.
• Consider project-specific risks and opportunities from the outset; develop mitigation strategies and contingency plans to inform commercial assessments.
• Manage the supply chain strategically through early engagement, tracking exposure, and maintaining relationships to achieve cost certainty.
• Analyze inflation indices to inform forecasts and update cost plans accordingly.
• Engage early with the supply chain when risks are identified, especially where in-house expertise is lacking.
• Benchmark cost data and design metrics across projects to support cost planning and provide market context to the board.
• Promote standardization and sharing of cost data and design metrics between London regions to enhance market understanding and performance.
• Gather final account data to analyze risk expenditure and incorporate insights into cost planning.
• Analyze abnormal costs to understand site-specific factors influencing build costs.
• Upskill cost planning teams in presentation tools and templates to improve consistency and clarity in cost data, risks, and opportunities.