Senior contracts manager- contracts manager

Senior Contracts Manager or contracts manager

Location:

Bedfordshire (UK)

Employment Type:

Full-Time, Permanent

Package:
Highly competitive salary + bonus + benefits package

Reporting to:
Commercial Director / Board

About the company

Our client delivers engineering excellence from concept to completion, partnering with the UK’s leading house builders to deliver complex residential groundworks, infrastructure, and enabling works. Recognised for quality delivery, innovative approaches, and a people-first culture, they offer a self-delivery civil engineering model supported by its own fleet of plant and specialist equipment.

You’ll be joining a forward-thinking team that thrives on collaboration, blurs the line between challenge and opportunity, and consistently achieves exceptional groundworks and civils results in the residential sector.

Role Overview

As Senior Contracts Manager, you will be pivotal in shaping how the company successfully delivers major residential groundworks and civil engineering contracts while driving commercial performance, risk management, and client satisfaction.

You’ll lead and mentor a team of contract professionals, empower field teams to deliver outstanding results, and ensure commercial excellence across all projects. This is a hands-on leadership role that blends strategic oversight with day-to-day delivery support and decision-making

Key Responsibilities

Commercial Leadership & Contract Delivery

Lead contractual negotiation,     administration, and performance on major groundworks and infrastructure     projects.

Shape commercial strategy,     including pricing, risk mitigation, change control, and dispute avoidance.

Ensure consistency of     approach across contracts while maintaining compliance with company     standards and HSEQT expectations.

Project Oversight & Performance

Provide oversight and     challenge to Project Managers and Site teams to drive performance,     efficiency, and programme targets.

Champion proactive cost     control and forecasting to maximise profitability.

Ensure high standards of     contract execution, documentation and reporting.

Stakeholder & Client Engagement

Build and maintain strong,     trust-based relationships with clients, consultants, supply chain partners     and internal teams.

Attend commercial meetings     and represent the company on contractual, commercial and governance     matters.

Deliver exceptional client     experiences that foster long-term repeat business.

Team Leadership & Development

Coach, develop and inspire     junior commercial and contracts staff.

Promote best practice across     estimating, planning, commercial reporting and risk management.

Essential Skills & Experience

Significant experience     (typically 5–10 years) in contracts management within civil     engineering and residential groundworks delivery.

Proven track record of     managing multi-million pound contracts from tender through to completion.

Strong commercial acumen and     risk management skills.

Excellent negotiation and     stakeholder management capabilities.

Proficient in contract forms     used in UK civils and house building markets (e.g. JCT, NEC3/4 or similar).

Strong leadership skills with     experience managing and developing teams.

A pragmatic,     solutions-orientated mindset with an eye for detail.

Benefits & Competitive Package

Attractive base salary     (market leading for the sector).

Performance-linked bonus     scheme.

Comprehensive pension and     benefits (Car, Fuel card, healthcare).

Support for professional     development and career progression.

A collaborative culture that     values innovation, safety and wellbeing