Commercial Lead

UK Power Networks; Bury St Edmunds; Hybrid; GBP 80,000 - 95,000; Full time

Job summary

A leading energy company based in Bury St Edmunds is looking for a Commercial Lead to support the Capital Programme. This role involves managing contracts, providing quantity surveying support, and liaising with stakeholders to ensure project compliance. The ideal candidate will have significant experience in quantity surveying, proficiency in communication and negotiation, and a relevant degree. The salary is competitive with additional benefits, including flexible working options after a probation period.

Benefits

Reservist Leave

Personal Pension Plan

Tax efficient benefits

Occupational Health support

Gym membership discount

Employee Assistance Programme

Qualifications

• Experience managing complex, high-value contracts from a surveying perspective.
• Demonstrable success in similar quantity surveying roles considered.
• IOSH Certificate is advantageous, Health & Safety training provided.

Responsibilities

• Assist the Commercial Manager with quantity surveying support for contracts.
• Manage commercial matters for contract set-up and pricing.
• Liaise with stakeholders for project progress and compliance.
• Produce quality reports and manage financial implications for projects.
• Resolve contract issues and assist in dispute documentation.

Skills

Quantity surveying experience

Excellent communication skills

Negotiation skills

Analytical skills

Intermediate/advanced Word, Excel, PowerPoint

Education

Degree in quantity surveying or relevant business discipline

Professional qualification/membership of RICS, CIOB, ICES

Tools

SAP

Job description

This Commercial Lead will report to the Regional Commercial Manager and will work within Capital Programme – Diversions (Connections) based in our Bury St Edmunds office. You will be a Permanent employee.

You will attract a salary of £94,906 plus car and a bonus of 3%. This role can also offer blended working after probationary period (6 months) - 3 days in the office and 2 remote

Close Date: 25/01/2026

Benefits

• Reservist Leave – Additional 18 days full pay and 22 unpaid
• Personal Pension Plan – Personal contribution rates of 4% or 5% (UK Power Networks will make a corresponding contribution of 8% or 10%)
• Tenancy Loan Deposit Scheme, Season Ticket Loan
• Tax efficient benefits: Cycle to Work, Home & Tech, and Green Car Leasing Schemes
• Occupational Health support
• Switched On – scheme providing discount on hundreds of retailers' products
• Discounted gym membership
• Employee Assistance Programme

Should you not have the full range of essential skills, qualifications and competencies listed below, there may be an opportunity for further training to equip you. If you do not have all relevant competencies for the core grade, it will be appropriate to appoint at a lower grade until you have developed the required competencies.

Job Purpose

To assist the Commercial Manager and the wider commercial team in providing professional quantity surveying support to the Capital Programme and Procurement Delivery across several long‑term contracts.

To manage commercial matters for those contracts and projects with regards to contract set‑up, management, pricing, service delivery, scope change and dispute resolution to ensure contract requirements are compliant with standards and co‑ordinated to maximise profit delivery.

To support a wider project team, variously comprising Programme Managers; Project Managers; Designers; P6 Planners; Consents Surveyors and Administrators.

Main Responsibilities

• To be commercial lead on a portfolio of client construction projects.
• To comply with all UKPN guidelines, business objectives and procedures, identifying and reporting areas of non‑conformance to the Regional Commercial Manager and wider commercial management team.
• Ensure that the project delivery team have acted in accordance with the Contract. Responsible for liaising with all external and internal stakeholders to enable the projects to progress without delay, ensuring that all reasonable requests are met in a timely efficient manner, under the guidance of the wider commercial team.
• Assist in the preparation of activity schedules and the presentation of tender documentation, attending interviews and carrying out full tender analysis and comparisons to fixed rates.
• Interface with the Portfolio Manager; Programme Managers, Senior Project Managers, Project Managers and P6 Planners to deliver advice and support and to ensure that the projects are managed in accordance with the contract and meeting the required reporting deadlines.
• Manage a programme of current workload, in order that all contracts receive the relevant allocation of resource to manage them commercially.
• To assist the Commercial Manager and Senior Quantity Surveyor in providing guidance to junior members of staff,
• Demonstrate belief and understanding to the team and create confidence even when faced with setbacks.
• Make decisions and justify them when challenged.
• Produce quality reports
• Question the decisions and directions of others where necessary.
• Assess contractor applications and EWN's and CE's, making recommendations to, raising payment certificates for and preparing general correspondence on behalf of the Project Managers to ensure that only legitimate monies are certified.
• Collaborate with the Project Managers to review and update the risk registers and add in new risks arising from the aforementioned EWN's and CE's.
• Identify principal risks and opportunities, raise, addresses and resolve problems at a project level and support the project delivery team,
• Maintain a schedule of potential financial implications for the projects.
• Advise others regarding the application and interpretation of the different forms of contract in use within UKPN, predominantly being NEC3.
• Responsible for managing and reporting change control procedures within each specific contract and ensuring that they are adhered to by all parties.
• Be involved in the Annual rate reviews.
• Review Principal / Main Contractors Subcontracts and identifies where clauses are in breach of Partner policies and guidelines, making recommendations to achieve compliance.
• Work with the Senior Project Managers, Project Managers other commercial staff and the Regional Commercial Manager to resolve any contract issues, and in the event of a dispute arising to assist in preparing the required documentation to fully justify and reinforce our contractual position.
• Consider alternative strategies for dispute resolution of moderate complexity and prepare written arguments from a claimant or defendant perspective, making recommendations to UKPN partners on the preferred option.
• Collaborate with internal and external legal advisors.

Dimensions

Turnover – up to £30 million per year project and/or contract revenues

Knowledge, Skills, Qualifications and Experience

• Quantity surveying experience,
• A track record in managing complex, high value and varied contracts from a quantity surveying perspective.
• Degree qualified in quantity surveying or other relevant business discipline, with experience in Quantity Surveying.
• We may consider non‑degree holders if they have a demonstrable record of success with extensive experience in similar roles.
• Professional qualification and/or membership of the RICS, CIOB, ICES or other relevant Chartered Institute would be an additional advantage.
• Experienced in using Word, Excel, PowerPoint to an intermediate / advanced level and SAP.
• Experienced quantity surveying professional who has excellent communication, negotiation and presentation skills.
• Communicate with all levels of Senior Management and provide clear and concise communication in all formats.
• Expert analytical skills to make informed, balanced decisions and report findings back to Clients and Company partners.
• Proven ability of developing and maintaining relationships with both service providers and company partners – including the confidence and stature to work with executives and other senior managers.
• Institution of Occupational Safety & Health (IOSH) Certificate is advantageous, although we will give specific Health & Safety training.

Health & Safety Responsibilities

• Managers and supervisors carry both legal and company responsibilities for ensuring the health and safety of their employees, those under their control and those who might be affected by the work undertaken, i.e. public, visitors and employees of other organisations. This includes briefing individuals working for them and ensuring there is the necessary understanding, competence and application of requirements to work safely and without harming the environment.
• Employees will ensure they fully understand the health and safety risks involved in their work activities and their responsibility to apply the controls needed to manage those risks to acceptable levels. Similarly where work activities can have an adverse impact upon the environment, and particularly where there are legal requirements, employees will understand those impacts and the controls they must ensure are applied.

We are committed to equal employment opportunity regardless of race, colour, ancestry, religion, sex, national origin, sexual orientation, age, citizenship, marital status, disability, gender, gender identity or expression, or veteran status. We are proud to be an equal opportunity workplace.