176 Best every day Jobs in St Albans (October 2025)

Smiths Detection

Contract Manager

3 days ago

Hemel Hempstead

___, part of ___, is a global leader in threat detection and screening technologies for aviation, ports & borders, defense, and urban security. Our expertise is spread across 5 R&D centers, 21 Global Offices and 7 Manufacturing Sites with 3000 Brilliant minds globally contributing for over 40 years at the frontline which enables us to deliver the solutions needed to protect our society from any threat and illegal passage of explosives, prohibited weapons, contraband, toxic chemicals, and narcotics. Every minute of every day, our technology and talented team members help to make the world a safer place - Job Purpose: The Contracts Manager is an embedded role operating predominantly within commercial portfolios and is responsible for commercial management of bids, negotiating contracts and the commercial management of a portfolio of contracts. The Contracts Manager is the lead for managing negotiations with customers and supplier partners to maximise the revenue and margin for Smiths Detection while achieving a high-level of customer satisfaction. The Contracts Manager is required to operate within the Programme Excellence Centre (PEC) Contracting and Commercial Capability Framework as defined and maintained by the Contracting and Commercial Management Excellence Lead (C&C Lead). As a result, this role is a significant contributor to the application of strong contract lifecycle management processes, risk mitigation strategies and the optimisation of commercial outcomes during project/programme execution. The Contracts Manager is a senior professional and versatile role. Day-to-day duties will vary in accordance with the needs of assigned portfolio(s), however, the overall job purpose remains the same Duties: Operate in accordance with the PEC Contracting and Commercial Capability Framework: • Follow the standardised contract management processes and in accordance with local portfolio needs., • Apply commercial best practices to improve project/programme financial and risk management., • Ensure compliance with all Smiths Detection and Customer processes and policies, including opportunity approvals as dictated by internal governance and delegation of authority., • Tenders, bids and project/programme execution:, • Negotiate contracts with customers, covering, airports and critical infrastructure, ports and borders, defence and other similar organisations., • Take responsibility and accountability for commercial performance of contracts, driving revenue, margin and cash., • Take the lead role in identifying and managing risk through effective contract management, ensuring appropriate pricing and protection is in place., • Ensure effective commercial change management control, including pricing and negotiation of terms and preparation of contract amendments., • Understand the company’s contractual obligations and work closely with the project delivery teams and support functions to ensure their understanding and compliance., • Draft and issue Requests for Proposals (RFPs) and contracts with sub-contractors., • Assist with preparation of Request for Quotations (RFQs), winning proposals and tender responses, including the management, engagement and approvals with applicable internal and external stakeholders., • Monitor and control commercial and contract documentation and correspondence, being first point of contact for administration of contracts., • Monitor customer and sub-contractor activity to avoid and where necessary resolve commercial issues., • Manage customer commercial flow-down arrangements to sub-contractors (that may include security of information, commercial terms and performance (financial and delivery) metrics)., • Be the day-to-day point of interface on commercial and contractual matters, internally and externally. Portfolio specific duties: • Provide proactive commercial support to members of the Programmes, Sales and Service functions of the North West Europe Region., • Participate in the Heathrow Supplier Relationship Management processes. Stakeholder Engagement and Collaboration: • Work closely with sales, legal, procurement, intellectual property and finance teams to ensure commercial alignment across the project/programme lifecycle., • Minimise risks and maximise value., • Effectively communicate with internal and external stakeholders to enhance contract negotiation strategies., • Provide advice and guidance throughout execution to project delivery team on all live contracts to maintain a strong commercial position. People and Talent Management: • Promote disciplined PM and Commercial practices throughout assigned portfolio(s)., • Mentor other members of the Commercial team to increase the knowledge and skill base. Continuous Improvement: • Applies Lessons Learned and supports continuous improvement initiatives to enhance the Global Programmes commercial capabilities., • Utilise data analytics and reporting tools to provide insights into contract and commercial performance for area of responsibility. Policies and Procedures: • Ensure compliance with company policies for Ethics, Security, Health, Safety and Environment., • Support PEC business change initiatives, such as the development of the Commercial Lifecycle Process and integration with Product Lifecycle Process into a PEC process framework for application across the global business., • Follow a proactive approach to develop an understanding of company policies and procedures and in the first instance use resources such as training material, procedure documents and process guidelines as a go-to source., • Understand the company’s contractual obligations and work closely with the project delivery teams and support functions to ensure their understanding and compliance., • Draft and issue Requests for Proposals (RFPs) and contracts with sub-contractors., • Assist with preparation of Request for Quotations (RFQs), winning proposals and tender responses, including the management, engagement and approvals with applicable internal and external stakeholders., • Monitor and control commercial and contract documentation and correspondence, being first point of contact for administration of contracts., • Monitor customer and sub-contractor activity to avoid and where necessary resolve commercial issues., • Manage customer commercial flow-down arrangements to sub-contractors (that may include security of information, commercial terms and performance (financial and delivery) metrics)., • Be the day-to-day point of interface on commercial and contractual matters, internally and externally. Technical Knowledge, Skills and Abilities: Educational requirements: • Internationally recognised professional qualification in Commercial/Contract management desirable., • Degree qualification (HND minimum) in relevant discipline (Business/Law/Project Management) desirable., • Chartered member of as professional body such as RICS desirable. Knowledge: • Strong knowledge of contract law, risk management, and negotiation strategies., • Familiarity with project management methodologies (e.g., PMBOK, PRINCE2, Agile)., • Proficiency in contract lifecycle management tools and commercial analytics., • Awareness of complex integrated technology-based sensor systems and the critical roles that the technology and products play in the market., • Working knowledge of export control regulations., • Familiarity with Defence sourcing, commercial structures and Defence Conditions (DEFCONs). Skills: • Extensive experience in contract management, commercial management within a complex organisational structure essential., • Very good working knowledge of commercial contracting conditions and pricing structures in the field of high-tech industrial equipment supply into complex buildings and infrastructure projects., • Experience and competence of commercial management of partnerships, channels, and subcontracts gained over multiple years., • Be familiar with various standard forms of contract (including IET MF/1 & NEC3) along with being able to work with client’s bespoke contracts., • Strong verbal and written communication and people management skills. Ability to communicate effectively cross-functionally and at all levels of the organisation., • Proactive, dynamic individual with strong attention to detail., • Able to identify areas of commercial opportunity, risk and mitigations (e.g., contract terms that if accepted would represent a risk to the Company and how they could be mitigated)., • The ability to work effectively under pressure, demonstrate resilience, managing both ambiguity and complexity with conflicting priorities, and to meet challenging deadlines., • Tenacious and driven with strong negotiating and influencing skills, but with the ability to be flexible and adapt to a given situation and stakeholder. Diversity & Inclusion: We believe that different perspectives and backgrounds are what make a company flourish. All qualified applicants will receive equal consideration for employment regardless of race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, economic status, disability, age, or any other legally protected characteristics. We are proud to be an inclusive company with values grounded in equality and ethics, where we celebrate, support, and embrace diversity. At no time during the hiring process will Smiths Detection, Smiths Group, nor any of our recruitment partners ever request payment to enable participation – including, but not limited to, interviews or testing. Avoid fraudulent requests by applying jobs directly through our career’s website (___)

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