Balfour Beatty plc
Commercial Services Manager - Rail
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About The Role
Our projects are more than just infrastructure – they connect communities, support growth and keep the UK moving. At Balfour Beatty Rail, we are looking for a Commercial Services Manager to bring expert commercial, contractual and legal insight to some of the most complex and high-profile work in the rail sector.
This is a brilliant opportunity for a commercially astute, legally minded specialist who thrives on negotiation, risk management and providing clear, confident advice that protects the business while enabling successful delivery.
What you'll be doing
As Commercial Services Manager, you will play a pivotal role in safeguarding our commercial position across tender, pre-contract and delivery stages. You will lead the review, drafting and negotiation of contracts, subcontracts, frameworks, joint ventures, consortium agreements, MoUs and alliance arrangements, with a strong focus on NEC forms of contract and effective risk allocation.
You will provide authoritative legal, contractual and commercial guidance to work winning, procurement, project delivery and senior leadership teams, helping them make well-informed decisions that balance opportunity, compliance and commercial protection.
Key Responsibilities
- Leading commercial and legal reviews of tenders, contracts and associated documentation, identifying key risks, negotiation points and areas requiring escalation.
- Drafting, reviewing and negotiating complex contractual arrangements, ensuring terms are clear, robust and aligned with business objectives.
- Advising on NEC contracts, compensation events, early warnings, dispute avoidance and contractual compliance throughout the project lifecycle.
- Supporting negotiation strategies that deliver balanced, commercially sound outcomes with customers, partners and the supply chain.
- Ensuring compliance with Group Minimum Commercial Expectations, governance protocols, gated lifecycle requirements and business management processes.
- Providing pragmatic guidance on insurance matters, bonds, guarantees, security instruments, claims and commercial risk mitigation.
- Building strong relationships with internal teams, legal, procurement, treasury, clients, stakeholders and supply chain partners.
- Coaching and mentoring colleagues to strengthen commercial capability, improve contract management standards and promote best practice across the business.
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Who we're looking for
We’re looking for someone who combines strong commercial judgement with the confidence to interpret complex legal and contractual provisions and turn them into clear, practical advice.
You will be an experienced negotiator who can influence senior stakeholders, challenge constructively and protect the business while maintaining collaborative, long-term relationships.
Qualifications
- Extensive experience in senior-level commercial, contractual and legal advisory roles within complex project environments, ideally rail or infrastructure.
- Strong practical knowledge of NEC contracts, including drafting, negotiation, risk management, compensation event assessment and dispute avoidance.
- A proven track record of negotiating contracts and managing commercial risk from tender through to delivery and close-out.
- Excellent analytical skills, with the ability to interpret contractual terms and provide calm, confident advice under pressure.
- Strong understanding of commercial governance, insurance, change control, cost management, bonds, guarantees and corporate procedures.
- Professional qualification or membership such as RICS, CICES or CIOB would be highly beneficial.
Why work for us
Day in, day out, our teams deliver some of the UK’s most ambitious, exciting and meaningful projects; developing, building and maintaining the vital infrastructure that supports national economies and strengthens communities.
Why join us?
Benefits
As if contributing to and supporting work that makes life better for millions wasn’t rewarding enough, we offer a full range of benefits too. You’ll have the freedom to shape the package that’s right for you and your life. Here are some of our key benefits:
- Smart working, giving you more flexibility such as staggered start and finish times, with up to 40% remote working, where roles allow.
- 25 days paid annual leave (pro rata)
- Family friendly policies which include 28 weeks full pay for maternity/adoption leave and four weeks full pay for paternity/partners leave
- Pension, share incentive plan, volunteering leave, recognition schemes and much more…
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About Us
Balfour Beatty works at the heart of the UK’s rail networks – designing, enhancing and maintaining thousands of miles of the railways that connect communities and underpin growth.
From feasibility studies, planning and design through to implementation and asset management, we provide multi-disciplinary rail infrastructure services across the lifecycle of rail assets. Our expertise covers electrification, track, power, civils, specialist rail plant, railway systems and technologies.
Diversity and inclusion
At Balfour Beatty we believe that diversity and inclusion are essential components of any successful, happy workplace. Through our Value Everyone Diversity and Inclusion Strategy and Action Plan, we are growing our diverse workforce and developing our inclusive culture where everyone is able to thrive and reach their full potential, regardless of their identity or background. To find out how we are making this a reality, visit www.balfourbeatty.com/diversityandinclusion
To help and support us with our desired commitment to create an inclusive culture we are members of WISE, enei, Business Disability Forum and the Association for Black and Minority Ethnic Engineers (AFBE). In 2020, we signed the Audeliss and Involve Open Letter to demonstrate our commitment to taking key long term and sustainable actions on Black Inclusion. Balfour Beatty is also a Gold Award holder in the Ministry of Defence 'Employer Recognition Scheme' and actively encourage applications from Armed Forces personnel, veterans and reservists.
As a Disability Confident Employer, we are committed to working with people who have disabilities and long-term health conditions to remove barriers for them in obtaining employment. We are also committed to offering applicants with a disability an interview if they meet the minimum requirements for the role. For more info, visit: https://disabilityconfident.campaign.gov.uk/
We are looking to continually improve our resourcing process and ensure that it is fair and inclusive for all. If you have any feedback on the process, please share this with us at: candidaterecruitmentqueries@balfourbeatty.com
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