Commercial Manager

Job content

Be a Part Of Who We Are
United Living Infrastructure Services is made up of our three subsidiaries, United Living Energy Limited, United Living Water Limited and United Living Fixed Line Telecoms. United Living Energy is a UK gas and energy engineering specialist offering design, build and maintenance on critical national infrastructure for the UK gas asset owners. United Living Water Limited provide a comprehensive range of water infrastructure services covering all aspects of pipeline networks including investigation, design, planning infrastructure maintenance, mains rehabilitation, new connections, metering and repairs. United Living Fixed Line Telecoms provide construction of networks including cabling, splicing and testing on networks.
Purpose
Responsible for the management of commercial, contractual and general quantity surveying issues on a project / group of operations basis to ensure full contractual and monetary entitlement in the most advantageous terms to the Company.
Specific Responsibilities

• Ensure that United Living’s SHEQ standards, operating processes and company policies are understood and adhered to at all times and that, as far as is reasonably practicable, legislative requirements are complied with
• Ensure that all employees are inducted in the United Way of working and ensure that all employees are complying with and adopting this in their daily disciplines.
• Act in a professional manner in everything you do such that the Company’s reputation is enhanced.
  

Pre-contract

• Assist in the preparation of tenders as directed and attend pre-contract meetings and reviews as necessary.
• Support the bid and estimating teams and study documents and advise on onerous conditions therein, offering solutions when appropriate and work with the bid team to create an achievable profit plan for each scheme
  

Business Unit Management

• Contribute fully to the development and implementation of Company policies and procedures.
• Marketing the business with existing and new clients to assist the business development team
  

Project (s) delivery

• Agree target margins for project/s responsible for.
• Perform Commercial Lead function and engage with the project team(s) to ensure consistent delivery of successful projects in order to support the achievement of United Living business objectives and to deliver the target margins.
• Attend site meetings as necessary.
• Actively interrogate all appropriate financial and contractual information ensuring that it accurately forecasts project(s) position and value, costs & margins against the target margin and profit plans. Ensure any changes and solutions are agreed with the operations Manager prior to implementation
• Support the Operations Director to ensure that all significant project issues and correspondence and all necessary contractual processes have been observed, notices issued, records kept and documents stored by the team to protect the company’s position
• Provide advice to the management team on contractual, valuation and measurement matters.
  

Procurement

• Review and when necessary facilitate subcontract enquiries including formulating the tender list in consultation with the wider management team and subsequent analysis and assessment of subcontract quotations.
• Review and agree project procurement strategy with Operations manager and ensure implementation.
• Support the Group Procurement Department buying deals by ensuring they are communicated to subcontractors at tender stage and applied at order stage.
• Negotiate sub-contract packages to deliver the most favourable outcome for the company.
• Check that at all times, the drafting and placement of sub-contracts are being completed following the Company’s authorisation procedure and ensure no subcontractors commence on site without a subcontract order fully completed.
  

Main Contract

• Ensure that surveyors understand their responsibilities for the preparation and negotiation of interim valuations and final accounts
• Develop & maintain close relationships with customers, consultants & subcontractors to continuously improve customer experience, improve our Ccompany position and obtain repeat & negotiated business
• Ensure monthly valuations are invoiced, paid, in full and on time
• Ensure that any agreement with client representatives is documented
• Ensure that adequate records are kept in respect of any future claims
• Prepare and once approved by line manager submit and negotiate all necessary contractual claims
  

Subcontract

• Ensure that surveyors prepare and negotiate interim valuations and final accounts including all necessary measurement as well as making sure that any agreement of variations with supply chain is documented
• Ensure surveyors process all associated payments in accordance with the Construction Act and/or other prevailing legislation
• Review responses to any claim for loss and expense Ensure that claims by subcontractors have been addressed, and support the surveying team in preparing any necessary documentation/correspondence to protect the Company’s interests
  

Financial

• Having full project(s) profit and loss accountability
• Competent use of company cost system
• Actively manage and monitor financial aspects of contracts at all stages, ensuring that the forecast is accurate and the cash position of the project/s is maximised without compromising either contractual arrangements or relationships.
• Review, check and manage the CVR, in conjunction with the Operations Director, understanding and accurately forecasting project values, costs & margins against the target margin and profit plan, and agreeing changes and solutions with the Operations Director prior to implementation
• Ensure that at all times the Surveying team use best endeavours and seek to maximise margins in co-operation with the Operations Director by keeping cost to a minimum and value to a maximum and ensure that alarm signals are raised when the contract is straying outside the cost and profit parameters
• Keep abreast of the preliminaries/site management costs and ensure that the Project team are advised accordingly so they are able to action and remedy over-expenditure
• Review forecast of cash on an accurate and timely basis, ensuring that the cash position of the project is maximised without compromising our contractual arrangements and relationships with either customers or subcontractors & suppliers
• Ensure profit plans are understood for each scheme/project and monitor and deliver on agreed areas and work on identifying further areas for recovery.
  

People

• Lead all of the People responsibilities for the team including undertaking and monitoring the completion of Performance & Development Reviews, supporting and coaching team members to achieve both individual and business objectives.
• Planning and allocation of surveying resources, including temporary requirements, on a project/s.
• Promote best practice within the team, ensuring that they develop in their ability and are able to meet the demands placed upon them by the business
• Mentor junior staff
  

Legal / Dispute

• Ensure that the preparation of ‘claims’ or other means of dispute management to correct an imbalance of cost and value are occurring in a timely and appropriate manner and potential risk is communicated to the Regional Commercial Manager / Commercial Director
• Inform the Regional Commercial Manager / Commercial Director of any possible claims by subcontractors and prepare and/or seek direction in preparing any necessary documentation/correspondence to protect the Company’s interests.
• Upon receipt of contracts ensure that comparison of contract documents with tender documents is carried out and advise on any anomalies as well as ensuring that terms are in line with House Rules.
  

Other

• Collate documentation relating to insurance claims.
• Involvement with business improvement processes and initiatives including working groups.
• Attend industry / client events within and outside normal working hours.
• Undertake reasonable levels of continued professional development so as to keep abreast of developments in the industry and thus keep you effective in your duties. Such activities would normally be undertaken outside normal working hours.
• Knowledge of and compliance with Group Delegated Authorities and Contracts Process.
• Working in one or more locations as required
• Involvement in community engagement activities within and outside normal working hours
• Any other duties assigned
  

What We Need From You
Thrive within United Living’s values and culture of relentlessly striving to excellence through;

• Doing the right thing
• Raising the bar
• Positive attitude and energetic pace
• Excellent interpersonal and communication skills
• Integrity
• Ability to make things happen – starter/finisher
• Tact and the ability to deal with difficult situations
• T literate particularly Microsoft Office and Excel.
• Well-developed verbal and written communication skills
• Team player, but also comfortable working alone.
• Understands the need for respect, sensitivity and discretion in a public facing role.
• Some flexibility of working hours may be required.
• Self-Motivated, enthusiastic and calm under pressure.
  

Criteria

• 10 year plus experience
• BSc in Quantity Surveying or similar commercial related course
• Professional membership of appropriate body
• Good data interrogation skills
• Leadership experience with the ability to influence at all levels
• Bid Knowledge
• Excellent legal/contractual knowledge
• Industry experience
• Excellent communication and negotiation skills
• Experience of a senior commercial role
• Valid driving licence