Senior Commercial Manager

Location: Manchester (Hybrid, 1 day per week in office)
Day rate: £400 - £450 (inside ir35)

We are seeking an experienced Senior Commercial Manager to join a high-profile programme delivery team. This is an exciting opportunity to play a key role in managing strategic supplier relationships, ensuring contractual compliance, driving commercial performance, and supporting the successful delivery of large-scale services.

Working closely with senior stakeholders, suppliers, and delivery partners, you will lead commercial activities across the contract lifecycle, helping to maximise value, manage risk, and maintain strong governance standards.

• Manage strategic supplier and contract relationships to ensure delivery against agreed objectives, KPIs, and SLAs.
• Lead commercial governance activities, ensuring contractual obligations are met and risks are effectively managed.
• Oversee contract changes, variations, extensions, mobilisation, transition, and exit activities.
• Develop and maintain productive relationships with internal and external stakeholders.
• Monitor supplier performance and drive continuous improvements in service delivery.
• Support dispute resolution, contract negotiations, and commercial decision-making.
• Produce high-quality commercial reports, insights, and recommendations for senior leadership.
• Identify and mitigate commercial, contractual, and operational risks.
• Support procurement and tendering activities where required.
• Deputise for senior commercial leadership as needed.

You'll be a commercially minded professional with strong contract and supplier management experience gained within complex, regulated, or public sector environments.

• Significant experience in commercial, contract, or supplier management roles.
• Strong knowledge of contract management principles and commercial governance.
• Proven experience managing supplier performance against contractual obligations.
• Experience handling contract variations, negotiations, and change control processes.
• Excellent stakeholder management and communication skills.
• Strong commercial acumen with the ability to manage risk and identify opportunities.
• Experience working with senior leadership teams and external partners.

• Knowledge of Public Contracts Regulations (PCR) and public sector procurement frameworks.
• Experience within government, utilities, housing, energy, infrastructure, transport, or similarly regulated sectors.
• Professional commercial qualifications such as CIPS, WorldCC/IACCM, CMCP, or equivalent.
• Experience supporting procurement activity and commercial strategy development.

• Opportunity to work on a high-profile and impactful programme.
• Significant exposure to senior stakeholders and strategic suppliers.
• Flexible hybrid working arrangement.
• Competitive salary and benefits package.
• Excellent opportunities for professional growth and development.

If you're an experienced commercial professional with a passion for contract management, supplier performance, and delivering value through strong commercial leadership, we'd love to hear from you.