Commercial Manager – Supply Chain Services

Independent Builders Merchant Group; Polegate, Barnstaple, High Wycombe; On-site; GBP 50,000 - GBP 70,000; Full time

Job summary

A leading construction supplier in Polegate is seeking a dependable Commercial Manager to oversee pricing for social housing clients. The role involves developing competitive pricing models, managing tender processes, and ensuring compliance with regulations. The ideal candidate has a strong background in pricing management within the construction sector. This position offers a competitive salary, pension, and opportunities for career growth within a supportive team environment.

Benefits

Competitive salary

Pension scheme

Paid holidays

Staff discount on building materials

Employee assistance program

Career development training

Qualifications

• Proven experience in pricing, commercial, or margin management.
• Strong understanding of social housing and maintenance pricing models.
• Experience with ERP pricing systems and handling large datasets.

Responsibilities

• Develop and maintain pricing frameworks for social housing customers.
• Lead pricing activity for tenders and long-term supply agreements.
• Monitor supplier cost movements and track gross margin performance.

Skills

Pricing management

Analytical skills

Communication

Stakeholder management

Education

Experience within building merchant or construction supply business

Tools

ERP pricing systems

Excel

Job description

Commercial Manager - Supply Chain Services (VA2316)

The Company

IBMG Independent Builders Merchants Group (IBMG) is one of the UK’s leading building materials merchant groups, bringing together a strong network of well-established local merchant brands. With branches across the South of England and beyond, IBMG supplies building materials, timber, plumbing & heating, roofing and specialist products to trade professionals and customers. IBMG combines the local knowledge and customer focus of independent merchants with the scale, support and buying power of a national group. Each brand retains its identity, while benefiting from shared systems, investment and long-term growth strategy. The group is committed to developing its people, supporting local communities, and building a sustainable future for the construction supply industry. IBMG offers a dynamic working environment with opportunities to grow, learn and build a long-term career.

We’re expanding our team and are looking for a dependable Commercial Manager to join us, supporting branches across the area. This role is key to helping us continue delivering excellent service to our trade and retail customers.

The Role

The Commercial Manager - Supply Chain Services is responsible for developing, controlling, and optimising pricing for customers operating within the social housing, repairs, and maintenance sectors across our Polegate, Barnstaple, and High Wycombe branches. The role ensures pricing is competitive, compliant with contractual requirements, and financially sustainable, supporting long-term partnerships with housing associations, local authorities, and specialist contractors. The Commercial Manager plays a key role in protecting margin, supporting tender success, and embedding strong pricing governance across the business.

Qualifications & Experience

• Proven experience in pricing, commercial, or margin management within a building merchant, distributor, or construction supply business.
• Strong understanding of social housing, repairs, and maintenance pricing models, including procurement frameworks and tender processes
• Experience building and managing contract, framework, and managed supply pricing structures.
• Strong analytical capability, with advanced Excel skills and experience handling large pricing datasets.
• Confident user of ERP pricing systems and contract price list management.
• Experience working closely with sales, buying, and finance teams to support commercial decision-making.

Personal Attributes

• Commercially astute, with a strong focus on margin protection and long-term profitability.
• Detail-oriented, with a disciplined approach to pricing governance and controls.
• Confident and credible, able to challenge pricing decisions constructively and influence stakeholders. Analytical and data-led, comfortable interpreting margin, cost, and discount data.
• Well-organised, able to manage multiple pricing activities, tenders, and deadlines simultaneously. Pragmatic and solution-focused, balancing customer needs with commercial realities.
• Collaborative, building strong working relationships across sales, buying, finance, and operations.
• Resilient, able to manage pressure in regulated, cost-sensitive environments.

Main Accountabilities and Responsibilities

Pricing Strategy & Governance

• Develop and maintain pricing frameworks for social housing and contractor customers, balancing competitiveness with margin protection.
• Define pricing rules, discount structures, and approval levels to ensure consistent pricing application across branches and sales teams.
• Own pricing policies for framework agreements, customer terms, and managed supply contract

Contract, Framework & Tender Pricing

• Lead pricing activity for tenders, frameworks, and long-term supply agreements with housing associations, local authorities, and maintenance contractors.
• Build and maintain contract pricing models, including fixed pricing, indexed pricing, and cost-plus arrangements.
• Ensure pricing reflects service requirements such as delivery frequency, stockholding, call-off volumes, and compliance obligations.

Cost & Margin Management

• Monitor supplier cost movements and assess their impact on both contract and spot pricing.
• Implement cost increases in a structured and controlled way, managing customer sensitivity in regulated and budget-constrained environments.
• Track gross margin performance by customer, contract, category, and branch, identifying risks and corrective actions.

Product & Category Pricing

• Price core product ranges used in social housing and R&M activity, including timber, Heavyside, Lightside, plumbing and heating, electrical, kitchens, doors, and windows.
• Work closely with buying and category teams to ensure pricing reflects true landed costs, rebates, and supplier agreements.
• Support range rationalisation and value-engineered alternatives where appropriate.

Sales & Account Team Support

• Act as the commercial pricing partner to key account managers and sales teams.
• Support deal construction and customer negotiations, providing clear guidance on pricing options and margin impact.
• Challenge unprofitable pricing and support value-based selling aligned to service delivery and reliability.

Data, Reporting & Systems

• Analyse pricing, margin, and discount data to identify trends, leakage, and improvement opportunities.
• Produce regular pricing and margin reports, including contract performance reviews for senior stakeholders.
• Own and maintain pricing files, contract price lists, and ERP pricing structures.
• Support improvements to pricing processes to reduce manual intervention, errors, and inconsistent application.

Risk & Compliance

• Ensure pricing complies with competition law, internal governance, and customer contract terms.
• Maintain clear audit trails for pricing approvals, tenders, and contract variations.
• Identify and mitigate pricing risks, including loss-making contracts and unmanaged cost exposure.

The Hours

Monday to Friday 08:00-17:00

The Rewards

What we Offer

At IBMG, we value our employees and offer a supportive work environment that fosters growth and development. By joining our team, you will have access to training opportunities, career advancement prospects, and a range of benefits:

• Competitive salary
• Pension scheme and paid holidays
• Supportive team and positive work environment
• Career development and training
• Staff discount on building materials
• Employee assistance program
• Perks Membership (Discounts available in a variety of retailers)
• Branded Uniform

Additional

Experience: Driving Licence; Management experience; Building industry and Product knowledge