Commercial Lead Capital Programme Contract Execution

81124 - Commercial Lead (Contract Execution)

This Commercial Lead (Contract Execution) will report to the Commercial Manager (Contract Execution and Governance) and will work within Capital Programme based in our London office, however for the right candidates we would also consider Stevenage or Bury St Edmunds. You will be a permanent employee.

You will attract a salary of £94,904 car allowance and a bonus of 3%. This role can also offer blended working after probationary period (6 months) - 3 days in the office and 2 remote

Close Date: 28/07/2025.

We also provide the following additional benefits

• 25 Days Annual Leave plus bank holidays.
• Reservist Leave – Additional 18 days full pay and 22 unpaid
• Personal Pension Plan – Personal contribution rates of 4% or 5% (UK Power Networks will make a corresponding contribution of 8% or 10%)
• Tenancy Loan Deposit Scheme, Season Ticket Loan
• Tax efficient benefits: Cycle to Work, Home & Tech, and Green Car Leasing Schemes
• Occupational Health support
• Switched On – scheme providing discount on hundreds of retailers' products
• Discounted gym membership
• Employee Assistance Programme

Job Purpose:

As the Commercial Lead you will produce and issue contracts for works and services for projects within Capital Programme ensuring the contracts are accurate, timeous and commercially sound, advising stakeholders to ensure the accuracy and suitability of the contracts and to ensure compliance with internal processes and governance.

You will assist the Commercial Manager and the wider commercial team in providing professional specialist quantity surveying support and advice to the Capital Programme and Procurement Delivery across several long term contracts for both capital expenditure and customer connections.

To manage commercial matters for several centralised contracts and projects with regards to contract set-up, management, pricing, service delivery, scope change and dispute resolution to ensure contract requirements are compliant with standards and co-ordinated to maximise profit delivery.

To support the wider project teams, variously comprising Programme Managers; Project Managers; Designers; P6 Planners; Consents Surveyors and Administrators.

Dimensions

Total Contracts between £200-£300 million per year across the team.

No direct reports.

Principal Accountabilities:

1. To be a Commercial Lead for providing contracts on the portfolio of client construction projects.
2. To comply with all UKPN guidelines, business objectives and procedures, identifying and reporting areas of non-conformance to the Commercial Manager and wider commercial management team.
3. Ensure that the project delivery team have provided accurate and appropriate information for incorporation into the contracts. Liaise with all external and internal stakeholders and providing advice and guidance to ensure the accuracy of the information and documents provided for the contract.
4. To critically review the documents and contract data provided by the project delivery team from a contractual and legal perspective to ensure accuracy and suitability for the contracts.
5. To progress without delay in amending, compiling the necessary documents and information to create each contract and issuing the contract for signature. Ensuring that the contracts are in place observing project milestones.
6. Assist in the preparation of activity schedules where necessary and the presentation of tender documentation, attending interviews and carrying out full tender analysis and comparisons to fixed rates. Critically review activity schedules, risk registers and tender documentation prepared by others and advise amendments for the purposes of inclusion in the contract.
7. Collaborate with the Project Managers, Quantity Surveyors and the Risk Manager to review and discuss update of the risk registers for inclusion in the contract documents.
8. Interface with the Portfolio Manager; Programme Managers, Senior Project Managers, Project Managers and P6 Planners to deliver advice and support where necessary to ensure that the projects are managed observing the contract and meeting the required reporting deadlines.
9. Manage a programme of current workload, in order that all contracts receive the relevant allocation of resource to meet stakeholder deadlines.
10. To assist the Commercial Manager in providing process and contract guidance to Senior Managers, Portfolio Managers, Programme Managers, Project Managers, P6 Planners, other Commercial Lead and Quantity Surveyors.
11. Demonstrate belief and understanding to the team and creates confidence even when faced with setbacks.
12. Produce quality reports in a timely, professional and legible manner and questioning the decisions and directions of others where necessary.
13. Assess contractor applications and EWN's and CE's on centralised contracts, making recommendations to, raising payment certificates for and preparing general correspondence on behalf of the Project Managers to ensure that only legitimate monies are certified.
14. To advise others regarding the application and interpretation of the different forms of contract in use within UKPN, predominantly being NEC3.
15. Manage and report change control procedures within centralised contracts and ensuring that they are followed by all parties.
16. Become involved in the relevant Annual rate reviews as necessary.
17. Work with the Project Managers, other commercial staff and the Commercial Manager to resolve contract issues, and in the event of a dispute arising to advise in the preparation of the required documentation to justify and reinforce our contractual position.
18. Consider alternative strategies for dispute resolution of moderate complexity and prepare written arguments from a claimant or defendant perspective, making recommendations to key UKPN stakeholders on the preferred option.
19. Liaise with internal and external legal advisors when necessary.

Nature and Scope:

The commercial functions within Capital Programme are headed up by the Head of Commercial who reports to the Director of Capital Programme and Procurement.

Four Commercial Managers report to the Head of Commercial, one for each of the 3 DNOs (London, Southern and Eastern) covering commercial matters on individual projects within their region and one centralised Commercial Manager covering the issuing and execution of the contracts for the projects across all three regions (Contract Execution and Governance).

As a Commercial Lead you will create and ensure the accuracy of the contracts and that they are issued by the deadline ensuring that governance is in place before those contracts are let, many of which are issued under over-arching framework agreements. You will compile these contracts based on information provided by the project teams and will work alongside two other Commercial Leads within the Contract Execution and Governance team who carry out the same function. Once executed the project specific contracts are managed by the project delivery teams within which they have quantity surveyors as their commercial support but you may also raise and manage centralised contracts which are non-project specific such as contracts for support services.

The project delivery teams within each region comprise a Portfolio Manager, Programme Manager, Project Manager, Quantity Surveyor and Planner, these teams will frequently seek advice from you regarding processes and contractual matters including contentious or disputed matters.

Knowledge, Skills, Qualifications and Experience:

• Quantity surveying experience including dealing with disputes or contentious issues an in-depth knowledge of contract and contract interpretation is essential.
• A track record in writing and compiling contracts for execution preferably main contracts on behalf of Clients.
• A demonstrable track record in managing complex, high value and varied contracts from a quantity surveying perspective.
• Degree qualified in quantity surveying or other relevant business discipline, with extensive experience in Quantity Surveying.
• Non degree holders may be considered if they have a demonstrable record of success with extensive experience in similar roles. Professional qualification and/or membership of the RICS, CIOB, ICES or other relevant Chartered Institute is required.
• Highly experienced in using Word, Excel, to an intermediate / advanced level and ideally experience of using PowerPoint and SAP.
• A seasoned quantity surveying professional who has excellent communication, negotiation and presentation skills.
• Analytical skills to make informed, balanced decisions and reporting findings back to Clients and Internal Stakeholders.
• Ability of building relationships with both service providers and internal stakeholders – including the confidence and stature to partner with executives and other senior managers.
• Institution of Occupational Safety & Health (IOSH) Certificate would be advantageous, although specific Health & Safety training will be given.

Health & Safety Responsibilities

Managers and supervisors carry both legal and company responsibilities for ensuring the health and safety of their employees, those under their control and those who might be affected by the work undertaken, i.e. public, visitors and employees of other organisations. This includes briefing individuals working for them and ensuring there is the necessary understanding, competence and application of requirements to work safely and without harming the environment.

Employees will ensure they understand the health and safety risks involved in their work activities and their responsibility to apply the controls needed to manage those risks to acceptable levels. Similarly where work activities can have an adverse impact upon the environment, and where there are legal requirements, employees will understand those impacts and the controls they must ensure are applied.

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