Commercial Manager

Overview

Role: Commercial Manager

Location: Flexible, hybrid working (Offices in Harwell Oxfordshire, London, Glasgow, Manchester & Bristol + home working)

Role ID: 2023-1722

Our vision is to create a safe and sustainable world.

Ricardo plc is a global strategic, environmental, and engineering consulting company, listed on the London Stock Exchange. With over 100 years of engineering excellence and employing close to 3,000 employees in more than 20 countries, we provide exceptional levels of expertise in delivering leading-edge and innovative cross-sector sustainable products and solutions. Every day, we enable our customers to solve the most complex and dynamic challenges to help achieve a safe and sustainable world.

Working here

You will be warmly welcomed into our workplace where every voice matters. We are diverse thinkers and doers, coming together to create a culture of inclusion. We will support you to find your place.

We will encourage you to use your passion and expertise to make a positive impact through the projects you work on.  Your knowledge and desire to bring about change will be invaluable in helping deliver innovative solutions that support communities across the globe in becoming safer and more sustainable.

Work life balance

We offer flexible approaches to work, whether that is working from home, being in the office, or as a hybrid worker. We're happy to discuss flexible working arrangements. Wellbeing is at the core to our culture, allowing employees to flourish and to achieve their full potential.

We are currently looking for a Commercial Manager to join our team of sell-side contract management professionals.

This role would ideally suit someone with previous experience and/or knowledge of reviewing, negotiating and drafting Commercial Contracts and applications from individuals with a legal qualification are welcome.

Key Responsibilities

The Commercial Manager is responsible for working alongside Business Development teams, Business Managers, Finance and Project Managers to provide commercial support across the project life cycle, providing practical and strategic consultation and guidance to the organisation on all contractual, risk and business decisions that could have an impact on the business from a contractual perspective.  Supporting the business to win successful contracts on appropriate contract terms with clients as diverse as the European Commission, BEIS, NEOM, Thames Water and Coca Cola.

• Legal: Leading contractual negotiations with clients including payment schedules, intellectual property, liability, and insurance matters.
• Compliance & Governance: Undertaking due diligence procedures and advising the business accordingly. Ensuring teams follow and incorporate Environmental, Social, and Corporate Governance guidelines in all aspects of their work.
• Proposals & Tenders: Reviewing proposals and or/tender documents and advising the business on legal, operational, procedural and non-technical aspects of the bid providing the business with the best possible chances of success. Supporting sales and bidding activity with commercial risk assessment, mitigation, and management.
• Processes: Contributing to driving best practice and continuous improvement within the commercial function by identifying gaps in processes, drafting improvements and assisting managers with implementing change and developments to commercial processes and procedures to meet future business demands and improve current efficiency.
• Project Finance: liaising with Finance to ensure values documented in costing templates are accurately reflected in proposal or tender documents.
• Working closely with internal stakeholders e.g. Bid Team, Project Team, Project Managers, Business Development and Finance Personnel.
• Liaison with Ricardo Group Risk and insurers and with the Finance team.
• Dispute resolution.
• Training: Development and delivery of commercial training to the business.
• Internal and external training will be offered, including membership and certification with the World Commerce and Contracting Association.

Key competencies and experience

• The sucessful candidate will have some commercial contract (including reviewing, negotiating and drafting) experience, with proven ability to work with a degree of independence.
• A track record in supporting or managing consultancy bids.
• Be able to work as part of a team.
• A sound working knowledge of commercial contract law and of recent developments in related legislation.
• Excellent communication skills and the ability to communicate effectively at all levels.
• Proficient levels of written, negotiation, and problem-solving skills.
• Ability to multi-task and deliver to sometimes challenging deadlines.

Skills and behaviours

You will typically have a commercial contract legal background or transferable skills, and an understanding of financial practice and experience operating in a commercial / contracting environment. A degree or equivalent in law or a business-related subject or a World Commerce and Contracting certification would be an advantage, but not essential.

Benefits

We want you to know how much you are valued. Your remuneration and benefits package will reflect that. You will receive a range of benefits which include support for your physical and mental health.

Our core benefits include 25 days' annual leave, plus 8 flexible bank holidays, a competitive company pension scheme, life assurance and professional subscriptions reimbursement. We also offer a wide range of flexible benefits to suit your lifestyle.

Next steps

Once you have submitted your application a member of our Recruitment Team will be in touch. Please be aware that the timing can vary dependent on the volume of applications that we receive for each role and in some cases, we may start to review applications prior to the closing date.

Ricardo is a Disability confident employer please advise the recruitment team via recruit.ee@ricardo.com if you require any adjustments to support you throughout the recruitment process.