Commercial Director

Sector

Utilities (Major Water Programs)

Cambridgeshire

£100-130K + Car allowance + Performance Bonus + Healthcare + Pension

The Commercial Lead will act as the main point of contact for all commercial negotiation issues related to Third Party Agreements and will report to the Head of Commercial for the Program.

They will possess a deep understanding of complex commercial agreements, strong negotiation and influencing skills, and a proven track record of managing high‑value, long‑term partnerships within a major infrastructure environment. They will be experienced in navigating complex regulatory environments and lead the commercial, legal and technical interfaces to enter into the agreements with a deep understanding of the UK statutory undertaker regime, asset protection requirements and bespoke requirements from private entities.

• Develop and implement a comprehensive Commercial Strategy for all third party agreements (TPAs), ensuring alignment with the programme's schedule, funding constraints and consenting strategy, justifying value for money for customers.
• Lead the development and assessment of commercial models for third parties to ensure effective risk management, value for money and compliance with applicable guidelines.
• Work closely with our Legal/DCO functions to standardise Heads of Terms and commercial templates to ensure a consistent approach to negotiations and to mitigate the risk of disadvantageous precedents.
• Provide strategic advice to Senior Leadership on the commercial implications of statutory protections, indemnity clauses, liability flows, asset protection requirements etc.
• Engage with other Directorates and functions to identify requirements for third party agreements and to devise programmes for their delivery and implementation.
• Be responsible for leading the negotiation of variations to existing agreements.
• Embed with the DCO delivery/third party agreements team and work within a dynamic environment for decision making and collective and joint risk management.
• Lead the commercial engagement with external entities to secure the permissions and protections required for DCO consent, delivery and IP investment.
• Act as the lead negotiator and proactively manage complex negotiations with Statutory Undertakers (e.g., utility providers, network operators), Local Authorities and other third parties to secure signed agreements that facilitate programme commencement through a successful DCO application and Infrastructure Provider investment.
• Work with the Third Parties team to help identify requirements and stakeholders such as Section 106 (Planning Obligations), Section 278 (Highway Works), bespoke Asset Protection Agreements (APAs), The Crown Estate, National Rail, National Grid and other private parties.
• Work closely with our Estimating Function, to rigorously interrogate third‑party cost estimates and technical requirements and to input into programme estimate updates to ensure all financial settlements are necessary and proportionate, successfully challenging any attempts to improve third‑party assets at the programme's expense.

• Ensure the programme's commercial positions are defensible and compliant with statutory frameworks and regulatory obligations.
• Manage the commercial resolution of any statutory objections, negotiating settlements that allow the programme to proceed while minimizing financial and operational exposure.
• Prepare evidence‑based commercial positions for use in planning inquiries, technical hearings or regulatory reviews as required.
• Ensure all third‑party commercial arrangements comply with public procurement regulations (where…