Bilfinger
Head Of Commercial
Get notified of more jobs like this · No spam, ever
How your CV stacks up
Upload your CV to see how well it fits this job role
?%
Bilfinger is a leading international industrial services provider, driving efficiency and sustainability for the process industry. With about 31,000 employees and over €5.4 billion in revenue in 2025, we offer solutions in consulting, engineering, manufacturing, maintenance, turnarounds, and digital applications across key sectors like energy, chemicals, pharma, and oil & gas.
Shape the future with Bilfinger UK:
With a strong commitment to sustainability, Bilfinger UK stands out as a premier provider of engineering and maintenance services. For over 50 years, Bilfinger UK has consistently pushed the boundaries of innovation, delivering advanced solutions that support industries, infrastructure, and communities across the United Kingdom.
As a key member of the globally respected Bilfinger Group, Bilfinger UK has built a reputation as a versatile leader, offering both onshore and offshore services. From energy and utilities to pharmaceuticals and petrochemicals, the company’s broad expertise across various sectors makes it a trusted partner in the industry, as well as a work environment where you can develop your potential.
At Bilfinger, we offer a work environment where you can learn and grow. Join us and be part of a team shaping the future!
Function: Commercial
Coverage: UK/ West Europe
Projects Portfolio
Reports to: Commercial Director / Business Controller Pre-Fab and Installation
Direct / Functional Reports: Commercial Managers, Managing Quantity Surveyors, Quantity Surveyors, Change Managers, and associated commercial resources
Role Purpose
The Head of Commercial is responsible for providing strategic commercial and contractual leadership across the projects portfolio, with primary accountability for margin protection, commercial governance, contractual strategy, financial assurance, risk management, and commercial performance.
Operating as the senior commercial authority for Projects, the role provides expert leadership throughout the complete project lifecycle — from tender and contract negotiation through project execution, change, claims, recovery, dispute resolution, and final account.
The Head of Commercial acts as the principal escalation point for significant commercial and contractual matters and provides direct intervention on projects requiring special measures due to deteriorating margin, programme delay, significant change, contractual dispute, cash exposure, or other material commercial risk.
A fundamental requirement of the role is extensive contractual knowledge and the ability to understand, interpret, articulate, present, and negotiate complex contractual positions, translating contractual provisions into practical strategies that protect the Company’s entitlement and financial performance.
The role provides independent commercial challenge to project teams and senior management, ensuring that reported project performance is evidence-based, contractual rights are preserved, and commercial risks are identified and addressed before they crystallize into financial loss.
The Head of Commercial also owns the development and consistent application of commercial standards across Projects, including CVR, forecasting, contract administration, commercial assurance, claims management, tender governance, and commercial capability development.
Key Accountabilities
Margin Protection & Commercial Performance
-
Lead the protection and optimisation of margin across the Projects portfolio.
-
Maintain oversight of project commercial performance and proactively identify indicators of:
- Margin erosion
- Cost growth
- Unrecovered change
- Programme and delay exposure
- Productivity deterioration
- Unsupported revenue
- Subcontract exposure
- Cash deterioration
- Emerging contractual liability
- Other threats to forecast project performance
Reasons to use Rodeo
Start with a chat, not a search bar
Grad scheme, placement, apprenticeship? Not sure what you want yet — that's fine. Your agent talks it through with you and turns "I have no idea" into a shortlist.
It searches the market for you
Every day your agent scans the market matching roles against what actually matters to you, not just keywords on a CV.
Only hits
No noise. No "maybe this fits." Just roles with a clear explanation of why they're right — and where to focus when applying.
- Challenge project teams where commercial assumptions are inconsistent with the underlying contractual, operational, or financial position.
- Develop and implement commercial recovery strategies with project leadership where performance deviates materially from the approved position.
- Ensure commercial issues are addressed proactively rather than being retrospectively recognised through margin deterioration.
- Drive identification and realisation of commercial opportunities alongside management of downside risk.
Senior Contractual Authority
-
Act as the principal commercial and contractual escalation point across the Projects portfolio.
-
Provide expert interpretation and application of NEC and other relevant engineering and construction contracts, including bespoke amendments and associated commercial agreements.
-
Provide strategic advice concerning:
- Change and variations
- Compensation Events
- Payment and valuation
- Delay and disruption
- Extension of time
- Acceleration
- Programme obligations
- Damages
- Indexation and inflation
- Risk allocation
- Liability
- Suspension and termination
- Claims
- Final account
- Contractual dispute
-
Interpret complex contractual provisions and translate them into clear, commercially focused strategies and practical instructions for project teams.
-
Ensure contractual positions are founded upon the executed contract and contemporaneous evidence rather than custom, assumption, or historic project practice.
Commercial Strategy & Executive Counsel
- Act as senior commercial adviser to Project and Business leadership.
- Provide clear and objective advice concerning significant commercial decisions, contractual exposure, and strategic options.
- Develop commercial strategies for complex or high-value matters, balancing contractual entitlement, financial impact, programme requirements, client relationships, and wider business considerations.
- Present complex contractual and financial matters in concise terms to enable informed executive decision-making.
- Provide recommendations concerning negotiation parameters, settlement strategy, risk acceptance, and escalation.
- Challenge decisions where the proposed course of action exposes the business to disproportionate or inadequately understood commercial risk.
Special Measures & Project Intervention
-
Act as the senior commercial focal point for projects requiring enhanced commercial intervention or special measures.
-
Undertake rapid commercial health assessments to establish the true project position, including:
- Contract and entitlement
- Current and forecast margin
- Cost to complete
- Programme and delay
- Outstanding change
- Claims
- Cash and working capital
- WIP
- Subcontract liabilities
- Client exposure
- Risk and opportunity
- Adequacy of project commercial controls
-
Establish a clear commercial recovery plan, identifying actions, owners, values, priorities, and timescales.
-
Provide direct leadership and intervention where existing project commercial arrangements are insufficient to protect the business.
-
Coordinate Commercial, Project Management, Planning, Engineering, Finance, Procurement, and Legal resources to implement recovery actions.
-
Remain engaged until appropriate controls are established and the project commercial position has stabilized.
Claims Strategy, Preparation & Substantiation
-
Lead the strategy, preparation, and presentation of significant contractual claims and commercial submissions.
-
Establish the appropriate contractual basis and evidential strategy required to demonstrate entitlement.
-
Ensure claims establish a clear relationship between:
- Event → Entitlement → Causation → Effect → Quantum
-
Direct the preparation and collation of:
Get help with your application
Your very own career expert that helps elevate your application to the next level.
-
Contractual notices
-
Chronology
-
Contemporaneous project records
-
Correspondence
-
Programme and delay evidence
-
Technical evidence
-
Change records
-
Labour, plant, and productivity records
-
Cost and quantum evidence
-
Cause-and-effect analysis
-
Contractual narrative
-
Supporting substantiation
-
Critically review claims before submission to ensure they are coherent, contractually robust, appropriately quantified, and capable of withstanding detailed scrutiny.
-
Lead the presentation and negotiation of material claims with clients and their advisers.
Dispute Avoidance, Preparation & Resolution
-
Lead commercial strategy where matters become contentious or progress towards formal dispute.
-
Maintain a strong focus on early resolution and dispute avoidance where this represents the optimum business outcome.
-
Where formal proceedings become necessary, work with internal and external Legal, delay experts, quantum experts, counsel, and other professional advisers.
-
Support preparation for adjudication, mediation, arbitration, litigation, or other dispute-resolution procedures as applicable.
-
Lead the commercial assembly and review of factual and documentary evidence.
-
Prepare, review, and contribute to:
- Witness statements
- Statements of fact
- Chronologies
- Position papers
- Claims narratives
- Quantum evidence
- Rebuttal material
- Supporting documentation
-
Support project witnesses in establishing clear factual evidence and understanding the relevant contractual issues.
-
Review opposing claims and identify weaknesses, inconsistencies, and areas requiring challenge or rebuttal.
CVR & Month-End Commercial Assurance
-
Own and drive consistent Cost Value Reconciliation (CVR) and project commercial reporting standards across the portfolio.
-
Lead the commercial review, audit, and challenge of month-end project financial submissions.
-
Interrogate:
- Contract value
- Revenue recognition
- Value earned
- Actual and committed cost
- Accruals
- WIP and unbilled revenue
- Cost to complete
- Estimate at Completion
- Forecast margin
- Margin movement
- Change and claims assumptions
- Subcontract liabilities
- Risk and opportunity
- Cash and working capital
- Movements against previous forecast and baseline
-
Require significant movements to be clearly explained and supported.
-
Challenge unsupported assumptions, including forecast recovery of unagreed change or claims.
-
Ensure foreseeable liabilities and commercial exposures are appropriately recognised and are not deferred through optimistic recovery assumptions or unrealistic cost-to-complete forecasts.
-
Provide independent commercial assurance to senior management regarding the integrity and credibility of project month-end numbers.
-
Work closely with Finance while retaining commercial ownership of the contractual and operational assumptions underpinning project forecasts.
Commercial Governance & Assurance
-
Establish and maintain the commercial governance framework for Projects.
-
Define minimum standards and expectations for:
- Contract administration
- Change management
- CVR and forecasting
- Cost control
- Measurement and valuation
- Claims
- Subcontract management
- Risk and opportunity
- Cash management
- Record keeping
- Delegated authority
-
Undertake targeted commercial audits and project health checks.
-
Identify weaknesses in commercial controls and ensure corrective actions are implemented.
-
Ensure significant commercial commitments and contractual positions receive appropriate review and authority.
-
Drive consistent commercial discipline across the project portfolio.
Tender & Work-Winning Commercial Leadership
- Act as the lead commercial representative
“It took my CV and asked me questions relevant to understanding what kind of jobs to suggest for me. Suggestions were almost perfect. Jobs were exactly what I’ve been looking for.”
Jessica, London
Skills