Senior Commercial Manager

Senior Commercial Manager – Defence & Aerospace Up to £85,000 Location: Bournemouth Sector: Defence & Aerospace Salary: Competitive, depending on experience We're currently recruiting for a Senior Commercial Manager to join a growing organisation within the defence and aerospace sector. This is a senior, hands-on commercial role focused on managing complex contracts, mitigating commercial risk and driving strong commercial performance across multiple programmes and customer relationships. You'll work closely with senior stakeholders, customers and internal teams, providing commercial guidance throughout the full contract lifecycle. The Role As Senior Commercial Manager, you'll take responsibility for the day-to-day commercial management of key contracts, ensuring contractual obligations are understood, risks are controlled and commercial objectives are achieved. The role covers everything from contract preparation and negotiation through to in-life management, contractual change, claims and close-out. You'll also have the opportunity to influence commercial strategy, improve contract governance and support the wider business with commercially informed decision-making. Key Responsibilities

• Lead the commercial management of key customer and supplier contracts.
• Manage contracts throughout the full lifecycle, from preparation and negotiation through to in-life management and close-out.
• Negotiate, draft and review contractual terms and conditions.
• Identify, assess and mitigate contractual and commercial risks.
• Manage contractual change, claims, disputes, risks and opportunities.
• Provide commercial advice and guidance to senior stakeholders and cross-functional teams.
• Develop and improve contract KPIs and performance measures.
• Analyse commercial and contract data to identify root causes, impacts and opportunities for improvement.
• Provide commercial oversight of compliance, governance and contract controls.
• Support pricing, margin, cash flow and broader commercial decision-making.
• Lead customer and stakeholder negotiations and engagement.
• Ensure contracts are delivered in line with agreed terms, milestones and business objectives.
• Drive continuous improvement and strengthen commercial processes and capability across the business. About You We're looking for an experienced commercial professional with a strong background in complex contracting and contract management. You'll ideally have:
• 5+ years' experience in commercial management, contract management or complex contracting.
• Strong experience drafting, reviewing and negotiating contracts and terms & conditions.
• Experience managing contracts through the full lifecycle.
• Strong understanding of commercial risk, pricing, margin, cash flow and value drivers.
• Experience managing contractual change, claims, risks and opportunities.
• Excellent analytical and problem-solving skills.
• Strong stakeholder management and negotiation capabilities.
• The ability to provide clear commercial advice and influence decisions at senior level.
• Experience managing complex, high-value or technically challenging programmes.
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills. Experience within defence, aerospace or another highly regulated/complex contracting environment would be highly advantageous. Experience working with the UK MOD, foreign government departments or export customers would also be beneficial. Qualifications A degree in a relevant discipline such as:
• Commercial Management
• Business Management
• Finance
• Accounting
• Economics
• Law Professional qualifications or memberships such as CIPS, WorldCC/IACCM or equivalent would be advantageous. Familiarity with MOD contract forms, terms and frameworks would also be beneficial. Why Apply? This is a hands-on senior commercial position offering the opportunity to work on complex contracts within the defence and aerospace sector. You'll have significant exposure to senior stakeholders and customers, with responsibility for shaping commercial outcomes, managing risk and supporting the successful delivery of major programmes. If you're an experienced Commercial Manager, Senior Commercial Manager, Contracts Manager or Contracts/Commercial professional with a background in complex contracting, we'd be keen to hear from you. Apply now or get in touch for a confidential conversation.