Senior Contracts Manager

Department: Commercial / Contracts
Direct report: Contract Manager/Contract Assistant
Key interfaces: Senior leadership, Project Directors, Business Development, Finance, & Bid Management Reporting), Legal advisers, Insurers, Clients, Sub-Consultants
ROLE PURPOSE
The Senior Contracts Manager leads the company's contracts function and is accountable for how it manages contractual and commercial risk. The role sets the contract strategy, standards and governance for the team, negotiates and approves key contract terms, leads on variations, claims and disputes, and makes sure management receives accurate, timely contract information to support decisions.
The Senior Contracts Manager line-manages the Contract Manager/Assistant. Day-to-day contract administration is delegated to the Contract Manager, while the Senior Contracts Manager provides oversight, assistance with Contractual Agreements, approval, escalation and development of the team.
KEY RESPONSIBILITIES
Contract Strategy and Commercial Risk
Review and advise on the contract terms of major bids and awards before signature, including scope, fees, payment terms, liability caps, indemnities, insurance, intellectual property and termination provisions.
Lead negotiations with clients on high-value, high-risk or non-standard contracts, and recommend acceptance, qualification or rejection of terms to senior leadership.
Establish and maintain the company's risk appetite for contract terms, including approval thresholds and escalation routes.
Governance, Standards and Approvals
Own the company's standard contract templates, including SCAs, LOAs, PO terms and standard qualifications for proposals.
Approve contracts, sub-consultant agreements and variations above the Contract Manager's delegated authority.
Set and enforce contract procedures, record-keeping standards and data quality rules across the contract, award, bid and finance trackers, Cleverflow and Metabase.
Carry out periodic audits of contract records and trackers to confirm accuracy and compliance.
Variations, Claims and Disputes
Lead the company's position on significant variation orders (VOs), fee adjustments, extensions of time and claims, making sure entitlement is protected and properly documented.
Manage contractual disputes with clients and sub-consultants, working with legal advisers where needed, and aim for negotiated resolution.
Ensure lessons learned from disputes and claims feed back into contract templates and bid qualifications.
Management Reporting and Decision Support
Sign off the contract and award data prepared for the weekly Wednesday management meeting, and present key issues, risks and recommendations to senior leadership.
Give senior leadership oversight of the award pipeline, contract status, outstanding contracts and commercial exposure.
Work with Finance leadership so that contract status and VO information support accurate WIP, revenue forecasting and cash-flow planning.
Stakeholder Management
Act as the senior contractual point of contact for key clients, and the escalation point for long-outstanding contracts or disputed matters.
Manage relationships with legal advisers and insurers, including professional indemnity insurance requirements under client contracts.
Support the Head of Bids and Business Development on the contractual aspects of bids, frameworks and joint ventures.
Team Leadership and Development
Line-manage the Contract Manager, setting objectives, reviewing performance and supporting professional development.
Oversee workload across the contracts team so that recurring deadlines (Friday bid tracker, Wednesday management pack) are consistently met.
Build contract awareness across project teams through guidance and training on key contract obligations.
Plan for resourcing and succession in the contracts function as the business grows.
KEY PERFORMANCE INDICATORS
Contract execution - Percentage of awarded projects with fully executed contracts within the target period
Commercial risk - Contracts signed within approved risk parameters; number of exceptions approved
Data accuracy - Reconciliation discrepancies between, Cleverflow Metabase, trackers and finance records
Reporting - Management pack and bid tracker delivered on time every week
Variations and claims - Value and timeliness of VOs agreed; claims recovered
Disputes - Number, duration and outcome of contractual disputes
Team - Team performance, development and retention
REQUIREMENTS
Education and Experience
Bachelor's degree in Quantity Surveying, Engineering, Construction Management, Law or a related field. A postgraduate qualification in construction law or contract management is an advantage.
10–15 years of experience in contract or commercial management, including at least 5 years in a senior or team-leading role, ideally within an engineering, design or construction consultancy.
Proven track record of negotiating consultancy agreements and managing variations, claims and disputes.
Substantial GCC/UAE experience, including work with government and major developer clients.
Professional Membership (Desirable)
MRICS, MCIArb, FIDIC certification, or equivalent professional recognition.
Knowledge and Skills
Expert knowledge of consultancy and construction contract forms, including the FIDIC suite (particularly the White Book for consultancy services) and bespoke client agreements.
Good understanding of UAE/KSA contract and commercial law principles, professional indemnity insurance and liability management.
Strong negotiation, influencing and stakeholder management skills at senior level.
Ability to interpret financial and commercial data and link it to contract positions.
Strong leadership and coaching skills.
Excellent written and verbal communication, including preparation of board-level reports.
Personal Attributes
Commercially astute, with sound judgement on risk.
Calm and decisive under pressure, particularly in negotiations and disputes.
Sets high standards for accuracy and governance,and leads by example.

Work arrangement
No