Commercial Manager – Highways

Overview

In this role, you will lead commercial bid activity within a multi-discipline highways framework, shaping winning proposals and ensuring margin. You will align with the pre-construction delivery team, governance processes, and cross-functional partners to craft competitive, client-focused solutions. You’ll manage pricing strategies, contract reviews, and risk handling to deliver compelling tenders. This is an opportunity to influence tender strategy, pricing, and relationships with clients and subcontractors in a dynamic, large-scale project environment.

Responsibilities

• Develop and manage pricing strategies for bids to maximise margin
• Drive innovation in proposals including operational delivery, supply chain use, project planning and scheduling
• Present proposals to clients and internal stakeholders in a clear, compelling manner
• Identify and articulate commercial risks and opportunities in proposals
• Collaborate with Operations and across the business to source necessary skills and resources
• Ensure bids follow the governance process and deadlines
• Build relationships with clients and capture intelligence on customer needs
• Coordinate contract reviews with legal, pensions, property, insurance, bonds & guarantees, and HR
• Manage tender risk & opportunities registers with the work winning team
• Coordinate procurement approaches with Operations, Estimating and Procurement teams
• Ensure highest scoring submission per client criteria and successful handover to delivery team
• Obtain feedback from live contracts and industry developments to inform future bids
• Develop the commercial team and manage relationships with highways clients and subcontractors
• Oversee subcontract procurement, variation management, payments, WIP, and final accounts
• Support entitlement realisation and timely variances/claims documentation
• Prepare monthly reporting, budgets, forecasting, and reconciliations
• Review Account Risk Register

Key requirements

• Highways experience
• A commercial related degree (desirable, or equivalent track record in QS/cost control)
• Membership of a professional institution (unknown)
• MS Excel (essential)
• Experience with NEC forms advantageous
• Ability to work under pressure and meet deadlines
• Experience providing commercial support to design/consulting and highways contracts (NEC advantageous)
• Proven track record in a Commercial Manager role
• Ability to work with procurement, operations, and legal teams

• stakeholder management
• communication
• presentation
• pricing strategy
• bid development
• contract reviews

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