Description:
The Contract Manager role is responsible for the commercial and contractual governance of a portfolio of high‑value frameworks, ensuring compliance with industry‑standard forms of contract (NEC3/NEC4, FIDIC) while delivering best value, risk mitigation, and performance certainty.
The role involves the development, implementation, and end‑to‑end management of commercially robust frameworks supporting short‑, medium‑, and long‑term delivery strategies across both reactive and planned works for District and Licence central functions. Expenditure managed typically ranges between £100m–£200m per annum across overhead lines, cables and civils, plant, services, and resource frameworks.
Drawing on a strong contractual or commercial management background, the role ensures effective cost control, change management, risk allocation, and contractual performance across the regulatory contract.
What You’ll Be Doing
Management Duties
- End to end ownership of assigned frameworks for the licence area to facilitate the effective delivery of c. £100m - £200m of expenditure per annum and associated unit volumes including contract strategy, mobilisation, administration, change control, and close‑out under NEC3/NEC4 and relevant FIDIC forms.
- Manage and control framework funding, forecast expenditure, and proactively identify risks of fund depletion, engaging with Procurement and District Leads to ensure continuity of delivery and contractual compliance.
- Develop frameworks to facilitate the implementation of our future delivery strategy ensuring flexibility to meet changing external and internal factors.
- Manage the development of contractual relationships to realise additional value from both reactive and planned activities, whilst ensuring effective management of the framework and service level agreements through an integrated contract management regime.
- Engage with service partner stakeholders and co-ordinate resources for each operating district during extreme weather events
- To determine optimum delivery mechanisms for the short-, medium- and long-term plans through resource and capacity planning for SPD, identifying resource imbalances and recommend solutions delivered via frameworks.
- Drive the application/inclusion of innovative solutions to all contracts whether it is technological, procedural, or commercial and continue to promote an exemplary safety culture and ensure that all safety legislation is implemented and delivered through all frameworks.
- You will lead and drive continual performance improvement through analysis of outputs and feedback from internal and external sources.
- Through active customer and stakeholder engagement, support delivery of robust communication activities to facilitate the delivery of project plans and deliverables affecting local communities, customers, and stakeholders.
Liaison with Health & Safety Teams
- Working together to improve standards through collaboration, lessons learned and recorded data from service partner performance.
Liaison with Districts
- Maintain close engagement with District teams to promote contractual compliance, health & safety standards, and commercial discipline.
- Provide in‑person support to district depots, upskilling operational teams in contract administration, NEC processes, and commercial best practice.
- Build strong, collaborative relationships with service partners through regular site and office engagement, supporting effective stakeholder management and long-term value creation.
Liaison with Service Partner Representatives
- Visiting service partners in-person to promote collaboration and long-term stakeholder management.
What You’ll Bring
- Strong commercial or contractual management or quantity surveying background, with demonstrable experience managing high‑value frameworks and multi‑discipline contracts
- In‑depth knowledge and practical application of NEC3/NEC4 contracts and familiarity with FIDIC forms
- Proven ability in cost control, forecasting, change management, and risk management
- Commercially astute with a proactive, solution‑focused approach
- Excellent interpersonal, negotiation, and stakeholder management skills
- High levels of integrity, professionalism, and attention to contractual detail
- Ability to operate confidently under pressure and manage complex contractual environments
- Strong IT capability, particularly in Microsoft Excel and commercial reporting tools
- Self‑motivated, adaptable, and capable of working independently or as part of a team
- Flexible approach to working hours where required