Senior Contracts Manager; Engineering Heavy Maintenance

BUSINESS FUNCTION:
Engineering

GRADE: ML2/SB2

SALARY: £63,263-£66,968 per annum

ROLE TYPE:
Onsite

HOURS:

Average 37 per week

LOCATION:

York, Leeds, Manchester

Heavy Maintenance keeps Northern’s fleet safe, reliable and ready for service. As Senior Contracts Manager, you’ll play a key role in making sure that happens.

You’ll lead and assure the delivery of Heavy Maintenance (HM) carried out by Northern and third‑party providers, making sure work is delivered safely, to specification and with the right materials available. You’ll work closely with Train Control Centre (TCC) management, depots, engineering teams and suppliers to keep HM activity moving and resolve issues quickly when they arise.

There’s a strong commercial focus too. You’ll manage HM contracts and significant budgets, protect Northern’s commercial interests and make sure suppliers deliver what they’ve committed to. You’ll also oversee Additional Arising Work (AAW), assess the value of proposed work and make sure warranty claims and liquidated damages are pursued where appropriate.

It’s a role where good contract management has a direct impact on the reliability and cost of keeping our fleet on the railway.

You’ll lead the commercial management and assurance of HM activity across Northern and our third‑party providers.

You’ll:

• Lead and direct the HM team to make sure contracted workloads are delivered safely, efficiently and to the required standards.
• Manage around £15m of HM materials and £7m of external HM contracts, ensuring spend is controlled, correctly allocated and aligned with agreed budgets.
• Manage HM contracts and suppliers, monitoring safety, quality, performance, cost and contractual compliance.
• Work closely with TCC management, depots, engineering teams and the supply chain to make sure HM work is delivered on time and to specification.
• Oversee additional arising work, making sure requests are properly assessed, challenged where appropriate and delivered using the best‑value solution.
• Identify opportunities to reduce HM material costs, including in‑house component overhauls where these offer a commercial benefit.
• Ensure warranty claims and liquidated damages are pursued where appropriate, protecting Northern’s financial and contractual position.
• Monitor supplier performance and take action where delivery, quality, safety or contractual commitments fall short.
• Build strong working relationships with Depot Production Managers, HM Team Leaders, Depot Planning Managers, Engineering Finance, Production Support and Technical teams.
• Work with external partners including rolling stock operating companies (ROSCOs), Wabtec Rail and Unipart.
• Lead contract review meetings, making sure performance, safety, quality and commercial issues are clearly understood and addressed.
• Provide clear assurance to senior colleagues on contract performance, costs, risks and delivery.
• Deputise for the Fleet Commercial Manager when required.
• Safety remains at the heart of the role. You’ll challenge unsafe or unacceptable delivery and take appropriate action where HM work does not meet the required standard.

You’ll have strong experience of contract management within an engineering, rail or similarly complex operational environment.

You’ll bring:

• People Management experience, including contract management.
• Experience managing suppliers, contracts and significant budgets.
• A good understanding of heavy maintenance and depot working environments.
• Knowledge of rail vehicles and the maintenance activities required to keep them safe and reliable.
• Strong commercial awareness, with the confidence to challenge costs, performance and contractual commitments.
• Excellent communication skills and the ability to build effective relationships with internal…