Commercial Manager
Location: Portsmouth (60% onsite)
Security Clearance: Active SC Clearance required at application stage
Eligibility: Sole UK Nationals only
Contract Length: 6 Months with potential extension
IR35 Status: Off-payroll working rules (IR35) apply
Hours: 37 hours per week over 4.5 days, working flexibly between 7am and 7pm in line with business requirements
Rates:
£48.00 per hour UmbrellaInterview Process: One-stage virtual interview
The Opportunity
An exciting opportunity has arisen for an experienced Commercial Manager to join a leading organisation operating at the forefront of the UK defence, security, and secure communications sector. This position offers the chance to play a pivotal role in delivering commercially successful outcomes on complex, high-value programmes that support critical national capabilities.
Working within a collaborative commercial and contracts team, the successful candidate will be responsible for supporting the full contract lifecycle, from bid and proposal activities through contract negotiation, delivery, change management, and eventual contract closure. This is a highly visible role that requires strong commercial judgement, excellent stakeholder engagement, and the ability to balance business objectives with effective risk management.
The role offers the opportunity to work on innovative and strategically significant projects while contributing to the development of commercial best practices across the wider business.
Key Responsibilities
Provide commercial leadership and support to complex and competitive bid activities.
Lead the preparation, review, negotiation, and management of a wide range of commercial agreements and contracts.
Manage contracts ranging from moderate value projects through to major programmes worth hundreds of millions of pounds.
Support the management of contractual changes, amendments, and variations throughout the project lifecycle.
Identify, evaluate, and mitigate commercial risks while maximising commercial opportunities.
Work closely with programme, project, finance, engineering, procurement, and sales teams to deliver commercially successful outcomes.
Advise procurement teams on key contractual obligations, liabilities, and risk flow-down requirements.
Ensure contracts are managed in accordance with company procedures, governance requirements, and contractual obligations.
Develop and maintain strong customer and stakeholder relationships to ensure successful contract delivery.
Provide commercial guidance and support across the wider business as required.
Drive continuous improvement, commercial best practice, and operational efficiency within the commercial function.
Essential Skills & Experience
Demonstrated experience within a Commercial Management, Contracts Management, or Commercial & Contracts environment.
Strong contract management and contract negotiation experience.
Experience working within the Defence, MOD, Government, or highly regulated sectors.
Experience supporting or leading activities within a competitive bid environment.
Proven ability to work on the supplier side of commercial contracts rather than solely representing a customer organisation.
Excellent stakeholder management and influencing skills, with the ability to engage effectively at all organisational levels.
Commercial experience gained in customer-facing environments.
Strong understanding of risk management, project management principles, and financial considerations.
Strong analytical, problem-solving, and decision-making capabilities.
High attention to detail and ability to manage multiple priorities.
Active SC Clearance or the ability to obtain and maintain SC Clearance.
Desirable Skills & Experience
Experience working directly with the UK Ministry of Defence and MOD suppliers.
Knowledge of defence contracting frameworks, including Single Source Regulations and the Defence Reform Act.
Experience preparing and delivering successful commercial proposals and bids.
Experience working across project management, engineering, finance, procurement, and sales functions.
Continuous improvement experience and a proactive approach to enhancing commercial processes.
Degree-level qualification or relevant professional commercial qualification.
Ability to work independently while managing a complex and varied workload.
Ideal Candidate
The successful candidate will be an ambitious and commercially driven professional who thrives in a fast-paced defence environment. They will possess strong negotiation skills, sound commercial judgement, and the ability to build trusted relationships with both customers and internal stakeholders.
This role offers the opportunity to contribute directly to strategically important UK defence and secure communications programmes while developing valuable experience across complex contracts, major bids, and high-profile commercial activities. For a Commercial Manager looking to make a tangible impact within a growing and innovative environment, this represents an excellent opportunity.
This vacancy is being advertised by Belcan
