Commercial & Contracts Manager – PMC

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Position Summary

The Commercial & Contracts Manager is the PMC's senior commercial authority responsible for protecting the Project Owner's contractual and commercial interests throughout the delivery of a multi-billion-dollar renewable energy and transmission project comprising Solar PV, BESS, HVAC substations, HVAC transmission systems, and the Indonesia–Singapore subsea interconnector. Acting independently through the PMC appointment, the role provides leadership across contract administration, change management, claims management, dispute avoidance, commercial risk management, and contractor performance oversight, with particular focus on managing complex commercial interfaces involving major Chinese EPC contractors, marine contractors, international suppliers, and cross-border infrastructure stakeholders.

Role Purpose

The Commercial & Contracts Manager is the PMC's senior commercial leader responsible for protecting the Project Owner's commercial interests and providing independent commercial, contractual, and claims management services across the project lifecycle.

Acting on behalf of the Owner through the PMC appointment, the role provides strategic oversight, governance, assurance, and administration of all major project contracts covering:

• Solar PV Generation Facilities
• Battery Energy Storage Systems (BESS)
• HVAC Transmission Infrastructure
• Substations and Grid Connection Facilities
• HVAC Subsea Cable Systems
• Marine Installation Contracts
• Engineering, Procurement and Construction (EPC) Contracts
• Engineering, Procurement, Construction and Installation (EPCI) Contracts
• Equipment Supply Agreements
• Long-Term Service Agreements
• Consultancy and Specialist Service Agreements

The Commercial & Contracts Manager is responsible for ensuring that contract administration processes are robust, commercial risks are proactively managed, contractor obligations are enforced, changes are properly controlled, and potential disputes are identified and resolved before escalation.

Key Responsibilities

1. Commercial Leadership – Lead the PMC Commercial & Contracts function, providing commercial strategy, governance, risk management, contract oversight, and decision-support to ensure alignment with project objectives and owner interests.

2. Contract Strategy & Governance – Develop and implement contracting strategies, governance frameworks, and contract administration processes while ensuring appropriate risk allocation, compliance, and protection of contractual rights.

3. Contract Administration – Oversee administration of all major contracts, including compliance monitoring, correspondence, notices, contractual obligations, milestones, warranties, guarantees, bonds, and contract records.

4. EPC/EPCI Contractor Management – Manage commercial performance of EPC and EPCI contractors, including contract compliance, claims evaluation, negotiations, dispute avoidance, and preservation of contractual entitlements.

5. Vendor Management – Build effective relationships with major Chinese contractors and suppliers while managing supply-chain risks, delays, variations, claims exposure, and potential dispute areas.

6. Change & Variation Management – Establish and manage change control processes, evaluate variations, assess commercial and schedule impacts, maintain registers, and safeguard contractual positions.

7. Claims Management – Lead claim assessments, entitlement reviews, commercial responses, negotiation strategies, claims tracking, and exposure management while providing early warning on emerging claims risks.

8. Dispute Avoidance & Resolution – Promote proactive dispute avoidance, facilitate negotiations, coordinate legal advisors, and support formal dispute resolution processes where required.

9. Commercial Risk Assessment – Identify, evaluate, monitor, and mitigate commercial and contractual risks, maintaining risk registers and supporting project risk management activities.

10. Procurement & Tendering Support – Support tender development, bid evaluations, commercial assessments, negotiations, contract awards, and procurement of EPC, EPCI, equipment, and specialist services contracts.

11. Commercial Cost Governance – Review payment applications, verify contractual entitlement, assess variation and claims impacts, and oversee commercial commitments in collaboration with Project Controls.

12. Commercial Interface Management – Coordinate commercial matters across multiple work packages, contractors, utilities, government obligations, and interface agreements to ensure alignment across contract boundaries.

13. Commercial Reporting – Prepare and present commercial reports, claims and variation status updates, risk assessments, executive dashboards, and board-level reporting.

Key Accountabilities

• Protection of Owner commercial and contractual interests.
• Effective administration and governance of all project contracts.
• Management of commercial risks, claims, changes, and opportunities.
• Oversight of contract compliance and preservation of contractual rights.
• Commercial support to project decision-making and governance.
• Timely escalation of significant commercial issues and risks.
• Minimization of disputes, claims exposure, and commercial leakage.

Required Experience

Minimum Requirements

• Bachelor’s degree in Quantity Surveying, Law, Engineering, Construction Management, Commerce, or a related discipline.
• 20+ years’ experience in commercial and contracts management on major capital projects.
• 10+ years’ experience in senior commercial leadership roles.
• Extensive experience with EPC/EPCI, major infrastructure, and FIDIC-based contracts.
• Proven track record leading contract administration, claims management, and commercial teams.
• Experience on large-scale projects valued at US$1 billion+.

Preferred Experience

• Renewable energy and utility-scale infrastructure projects, including:
  • Solar PV
  • Battery Energy Storage Systems (BESS)
  • High-voltage transmission networks
  • Marine installation and subsea cable projects
  • Cross-border infrastructure developments

Distinctive Advantages

• Experience managing Chinese EPC contractors, suppliers, and OEMs.
• Familiarity with organizations such as PowerChina, Energy China, SEPCOIII, CEEC, Sungrow, Huawei Digital Power, ZTT, Hengtong, Orient Cable, TBEA, or similar.
• Experience delivering projects in Indonesia and Singapore.
• Experience on project-financed, lender-funded, or PPP developments.
• Experience supporting arbitration, adjudication, mediation, or major dispute resolution proceedings.

Professional Qualifications

One or more of the following are preferred:

• MRICS / FRICS
• MCIArb / FCIArb
• PMP
• MSc in Construction Law, Commercial Management, or related discipline
• Professional Quantity Surveying accreditation
• Legal qualification (desirable)

Our inspired people share our vision and mission. We provide a great place to work, where each person has the opportunity and voice to affect change.

We want our people to succeed both in work and life. To support this we promote a healthy, productive and flexible working environment that respects work-life balance. 

Turner & Townsend is an equal opportunity employer. We celebrate diversity and are committed to creating an inclusive environment for all employees and actively encourage applications from all sectors of the community.

Please find out more about us at www.turnerandtownsend.com/

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