Assistant Commercial Manager (Defence) - £60K

1st Executive Ltd; Portsmouth; Hybrid; GBP 51,000 - 60,000; Full time

Job summary

A leading recruitment firm in the UK is seeking an Assistant Commercial Manager to support their busy Commercial team. The role involves owning commercial strategies, leading negotiations, and collaborating with various teams to ensure smooth contract management. Candidates should possess strong customer focus and a solid grounding in commercial principles, ideally within the defence sector. The position offers a competitive salary up to £60K and excellent corporate benefits, alongside opportunities for personal and professional development.

Benefits

Competitive pension

Flexible wellbeing and lifestyle benefits

Employee share options

Private health offerings

Discounted shopping schemes

Qualifications

• Solid grounding in commercial principles, ideally within the defence or advanced engineering sector.
• Understanding of contract law and the ability to identify and manage key risks.
• Experience guiding or managing people and fostering effective team relationships.

Responsibilities

• Supporting a busy Commercial team across various customer contracts and bids.
• Owning commercial strategies for pricing, contract development, and margin growth.
• Leading customer negotiations and preparing bid materials.

Skills

Customer focus

Commercial principles knowledge

Contract law understanding

Team management

Job description

Assistant Commercial Manager (Defence) - £60K

Contact:

Contact email:

Job ref: J692262C_1766496558

Published: about 19 hours ago

Expiry date: 2026-01-22

Startdate: ASAP

Salary: Up to £60K + Excellent Corporate Package
Location: Portsmouth (1-2 days p/w on-site)

What you'll be doing:

• Supporting a busy Commercial team across a broad mix of customer contracts, bids and strategic campaigns
• Owning commercial strategies covering pricing, contract development, risk, governance compliance and margin growth
• Reviewing and securing approval for contract terms - collaborating with specialist functions such as Legal, IP and Tax where needed
• Leading customer negotiations for proposals of varying scale and complexity - ensuring outcomes align with commercial and business objectives
• Playing an active role within Bid Teams - preparing bid materials, leading commercial reviews and steering proposals through corporate governance
• Working closely with project teams, business development, and customers to keep existing contracts running smoothly while helping to shape new opportunities

What you'll bring:

• Strong customer focus and the discipline to meet deadlines in a fast-paced environment
• Solid grounding in commercial principles, ideally within the defence or advanced engineering sector
• Understanding of contract law, contractual frameworks and the ability to identify and manage key risks
• Good awareness of how functions work together as part of integrated bid and project teams
• Experience guiding or managing people and fostering effective team relationships

What's in it for you:

You'll join an organisation that's investing in its people, its product portfolio and its future. Expect a competitive pension, flexible wellbeing and lifestyle benefits, employee share options, private health offerings and discounted schemes - including green car plans and shopping perks. Many roles also offer eligibility for annual performance incentives.

A workplace that supports you:

You'll be part of an inclusive culture where integrity, performance and diverse perspectives are genuinely valued. If you need adjustments during the recruitment process - whether due to a disability, neurodiversity or health condition - support is available.

Security requirements:

Due to the nature of the programmes you'll work on, security and export control restrictions apply. Applicants must meet baseline security standards, and some positions may require higher-level national security vetting. This requires 5 years of continuous UK residency.