Commercial Contract Specialist Lead

Lead Commercial Excellence in Major Transport Projects – Shape Greater Manchester’s Future Are you a senior commercial and contract management professional ready to make a region-wide impact? Join TfGM as our Commercial Contract Specialist Lead and play a pivotal role in delivering innovative, high-profile infrastructure projects that improve lives across Greater Manchester. Your Role As Commercial Contract Specialist Lead, you will oversee specialist contractual arrangements for the delivery of our capital programme. This includes working across a diverse and evolving portfolio, from major transport infrastructure such as Metrolink and interchanges, to emerging priorities like reducing congestion, improving air quality, and promoting active travel. You will collaborate with internal teams, contractors, consultants, and district partners to ensure contract formation, application, and resolution are managed to realise optimal value and benefits. You will lead on complex contract management issues, providing recommendations to senior management, and ensuring best practice throughout the project lifecycle. Who are we? Transport for Greater Manchester (TfGM) delivers a wide range of projects, from traditional transport construction such as Metrolink, interchanges, rail stations, highways, and bus priority, to innovative solutions addressing congestion, air quality, and active travel! As part of the TfGM Commercial Services team, you will be integral to the Capital Delivery of the Infrastructure Pipeline, ensuring contract issues are managed effectively throughout each project. What you’ll bring What you do and how you do it is important – whatever type of role you work in at TfGM – and even small behaviours and actions can have a really big impact. At TfGM, our behaviours bring to life our values of Deliver, Care and Adapt. We are looking for someone who can demonstrate the following: * Extensive experience in commercial and contract management for major capital projects. * Proven ability to lead on complex contract negotiations, dispute mitigation, and resolution. * Strong stakeholder management and communication skills, with the ability to build and maintain relationships of trust with contractors, consultants, and internal and external partners. * Experience in developing procurement strategies, tender and contract formation, and negotiation of contractual matters across a range of construction contracts, including NEC and bespoke forms. * Ability to distil complex issues and communicate them simply to key stakeholders. * Experience in team management within a commercially and financially challenging environment. * Educated to degree level (or equivalent vocational qualification) in a relevant subject; a postgraduate or professional body qualification (such as MRICS or CiArb) is desirable. * Experience within the public sector or transport industry, and knowledge of legal implications surrounding contract management, are advantageous. What we can offer you This is a permanent contract with a salary of £70,906-£79,805 per annum At TfGM we encourage candidates to discuss flexible working options at any stage of the recruitment process. We are happy to #talkflexibleworking to help colleagues maintain a healthy work life balance. Our benefits include: * Generous annual leave starting at 28 days (plus bank holidays), increasing with service, with options to buy more. * Free travel on buses across Greater Manchester, plus rail or Metrolink travel to and from work. * Local Government defined pension scheme with life cover of 3x salary and options to boost your contributions. * Enhanced family-friendly leave policies, including those supporting fertility treatment, alongside flexible and hybrid working and a special leave policy to support a range of unexpected events. Please note that qualification criteria may apply, including a requirement to have been employed with the organisation for a minimum specified period of time. * Discover more benefits including wellbeing support, Personal and Career Development, Flexible working, financial support and more on our website