Head of Digital Contracts and Commercial Management

Mace combines construction expertise with consultancy to unlock potential in every person or project and redefine the boundaries of ambition. Our values shape the way we consult and define the people we want to join us on our journey.

The Head of Digital Contracts and Commercial Management is accountable for ownership of all digital contracts, commercial governance and third-party spend across the Mace Consult digital function.

The role ensures that all contracts are reviewed, negotiated and agreed through a consistent, controlled process, and that commercial positions are actively managed to deliver value, mitigate risk and support strategic decision-making.

The role acts as a trusted advisor to Digital leadership, providing visibility of the IT cost base, driving commercial accountability, managing recoveries and establishing a scalable commercial operating model aligned to procurement and governance standards.

Note:

This role is based in UK (Birmingham Office), with hybrid working and occasional travel as required. London also considered.

You’ll be responsible for:

Contract governance and lifecycle management

Own the end-to-end contract lifecycle for all digital and IT suppliers across Mace Consult.

Establish and enforce a standardised contract review, approval and governance process.

Ensure all contractual obligations, risks and dependencies are clearly understood, documented and actively managed.

Maintain a centralised contract repository and ensure key contract data is accurate and up to date.

Commercial management and cost ownership

Own the commercial position for all third-party digitals spend, including software, services and managed service contracts.

Develop and manage cost models, forecasts and financial reporting to provide transparency of the IT cost base.

Identify and drive commercial optimisation opportunities, including cost savings, efficiencies and value realisation.

Define and manage recharge models for shared digital services across the business.

Supplier strategy and commercial negotiation

Managing commercial strategy for key suppliers, including benchmarking, market analysis and optimisation opportunities.

Negotiating new contracts, renewals and variations, ensuring strong commercial terms and risk mitigation.

Supporting the business in evaluating total cost of ownership (TCO) and commercial viability of solutions.

Work closely with procurement and legal teams to ensure alignment with corporate policies and governance.

Supplier and commercial governance

Establish and lead supplier governance frameworks, including performance reviews, scorecards and improvement plans.

Ensure effective governance of statements of work (SoWs), contract changes and supplier commitments.

Manage risks and issues across the supplier landscape, escalating where required.

Define and chair commercial and supplier governance forums with key partners.

Cost recovery and commercial model development

Own and oversee mechanisms for cost recovery across Digital services, ensuring appropriate allocation and recovery of costs.

Develop and evolve the digital commercial operating model to support business growth and transformation.

Ensure alignment of commercial structures with organisational changes, including multi-entity or shared service environments.  Stakeholder engagement and business alignment

Act as the primary commercial interface between Digital, Finance, Procurement, Legal and business stakeholders.

Translate complex contractual and commercial terms into clear business insights for senior stakeholders.

Support strategic decision-making by providing financial, contractual and risk-based perspectives.

Build strong relationships with application owners, service leads and supplier stakeholders.

Governance, risk and compliance

Ensure all contracts and commercial activities comply with regulatory, legal and security standards (e.g. ISO 27001, data protection).Provide assurance that commercial controls and approvals are consistently applied.

Identify and manage contractual and commercial risks across the digital estate.

Leadership and continuous improvement

Provide leadership and direction for the digital commercial and contract management function.

Drive a culture of commercial accountability, governance and continuous improvement.

Contribute to Digital Services strategy, particularly in supplier operating model, cost management and commercial frameworks.

Continuously improve processes, tools and governance to enhance efficiency and control.

You’ll need to have:

Strong experience in IT contract management, commercial governance and supplier management.

Proven experience negotiating complex contracts and commercial terms.

Strong understanding of procurement processes, commercial models and financial management.

Familiarity with regulatory and compliance requirements (e.g. ISO 27001, Cyber Essentials, data protection).Experience managing IT budgets and cost recovery models.

Experience operating in a multi-entity or shared services environment.

Significant…