Commercial Manager Defence - All levels

At Turner & Townsend we’re passionate about making the difference. That means delivering better outcomes for our clients, helping our people to realize their potential, and doing our part to create a prosperous society. Every day we help our major global clients deliver ambitious and highly technical projects, in over 110 offices worldwide.

The Defence Infrastructure Cost Centre provides support to projects that range in complexity and size with our service offerings spanning across Programme and Project Management, Project Planning, Cost Engineering, Risk Management, and Commercial Disciplines.
We provide support to the full project lifecycle both pre-contract and post contract, delivering infrastructure projects on behalf of our clients, that range from several hundred thousand pounds in value to major projects and programmes worth over £200M.

We are actively looking to expand the team due to client requirements and have talented individuals join us who will support our Defence client portfolio, whilst further developing their career, working on a range of complex and challenging commissions.

As a Commercial Manager, you will work directly with Defence clients in the Public Sector, supporting them in delivering commercial excellence across procurement, contract management, supplier relationships, business transformation, and strategic decision-making. You will help design and implement commercial strategies, conduct procurement and tendering processes, manage contracts, and oversee risk mitigation efforts.

Key Responsibilities

Procurement & Commercial Strategy

• Develop and assure business cases, commercial strategies, and contracting approaches.

• Conduct market analysis and strategic sourcing to identify the best commercial approaches.

• Support end-to-end procurement processes, including tendering, evaluation, and contract negotiation.

• Develop category management strategies and apply best practices in sourcing and supplier selection.

Contract & Supplier Management

• Implement and manage contract lifecycle processes, ensuring compliance with public sector procurement regulations (DSPCR, PCR and PA).

• Proactively monitor supplier performance, applying strategies and tools to secure the maximum value from contract, motivating performance and driving innovation and continuous improvement.

• Resolve disputes, manage contract variations, and drive supplier accountability.

Risk & Performance Management

• Identify, assess, and mitigate commercial risks to ensure project success.

• Analyse cost structures and commercial risks to provide strategic insights.

• Ensure robust contract governance, ensuring accountability and compliance at all levels.

• Provide commercial assurance and guidance to senior stakeholders and project leaders.

Business Transformation & Stakeholder Engagement

• Support business transformation, change management, and efficiency initiatives.

• Work closely with internal teams and clients to implement innovative contractual arrangements.

• Engage with multiple stakeholders, including government agencies, suppliers, and programme teams.

• Engaging in knowledge sharing activities across the business and supporting more junior colleagues (where applicable)

Required Skills & Experience

• Extensive commercial experience in procurement, contract placement, and contract management, preferably within Defence or a related sector.

• Ability to identify the most suitable commercial approach, balancing risk and value.

• Experience in negotiating and managing single-source and competitive contracts.

• Excellent analytical and problem-solving skills with expertise in cost analysis and supplier performance monitoring.

• Knowledge of contract forms such as NEC, FIDIC, and JCT.

• Familiarity with Microsoft Excel, contract-related management information systems, and data analytics tools.

Desirable Experience

• Background in Government Procurement processes.

• Experience working on major public sector programmes in Defence, Technology, or Infrastructure.

• Experience of category management, transformation programmes, and innovative commercial solutions.

Person focus

Turner & Townsend is looking for the right people to join our team- if you do not fulfil 100% of the advert but think you can add value to our teams and clients please apply or reach out to the recruiter for a discussion.

Recommend bringing this to the top of the job advert - there are lots of responsible, skills and experiences listed and we could miss our on applicants that do not meet all of these and close down the advert before getting to this section.

Degree (or equivalent professional qualification) in Procurement, Commercial Management, Business, Law, Project Management, or a related field, or an equivalent level of experience.

• Charted Institute of Procurement and Supply (CIPS), or a similar procurement certification/level of experience.

• UK MoD Security Clearance (or ability to obtain).

Security Clearance

Important: Before applying, due to the sensitive nature of these projects, you must be a SOLE UK National who is able to achieve and maintain UK MoD Security Clearance (SC).
Many of the clients and projects we support are subject to MoD security clearance and Trade Control restrictions. This means that your eligibility for certain roles may be affected by your place of birth, nationality, current or former citizenship, and any residency you hold or have held. Further details are available at United Kingdom Security Vetting: clearance levels - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk).

Working in teams/site attendance 

Turner & Townsend recognises the importance of helping its employees harmonise their work and home life by offering hybrid working, that enable them to balance their working life with other priorities. At the same time T&T recognises that employee office and site attendance must at all times remain in line with the demands of the business and clients. Currently, we anticipate you being on client sites or Turner & Townsend offices 60% of your time, but this may flex depending on client and business requirements. The office is not the only place work gets done, but it is increasingly important for teams to be stronger together by learning, collaborating, and creating amazing work together.

Turner & Townsend is looking for the right people to join our team- if you do not fulfil 100% of the advert but think you can add value to our teams and clients please apply or reach out to the recruiter for a discussion.

Our inspired people share our vision and mission. We provide a great place to work, where each person has the opportunity and voice to affect change.

We want our people to succeed both in work and life. To support this we promote a healthy, productive and flexible working environment that respects work-life balance. 

Turner & Townsend is an equal opportunity employer. We celebrate diversity and are committed to creating an inclusive environment for all employees and actively encourage applications from all sectors of the community.

Please find out more about us at www.turnerandtownsend.com

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SOX control responsibilities may be part of this role, which are to be adhered to where applicable.

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It is strictly against Turner & Townsend policy for candidates to pay any fee in relation to our recruitment process. No recruitment agency working with Turner & Townsend will ask candidates to pay a fee at any time. 

Any unsolicited resumes/CVs submitted through our website or to Turner & Townsend personal e-mail accounts, are considered property of Turner & Townsend and are not subject to payment of agency fees. In order to be an authorised Recruitment Agency/Search Firm for Turner & Townsend, there must be a formal written agreement in place and the agency must be invited, by the Recruitment Team, to submit candidates for review.