Group Commercial Director

Role: Group Commercial Director

Sector: Structural Steelwork / Construction

Location: UK-based. Travel to manufacturing sites, projects and international offices.

Reports to: Group CEO / Main Board

Package: Competitive. Full details at shortlist stage

WHY THIS ROLE EXISTS

The business is growing. The contracts are getting bigger. Risk profiles are becoming more complex. They need a Group Commercial Director who can own the commercial strategy across the entire group, not just react to what lands on the desk.

This is a new appointment at board level. It has been created because the business has reached a point where commercial leadership needs to sit at the top table as a strategic function, rather than being buried within operations.

If you have spent your career waiting for the commercial seat at the board to open up, this is it.

WHAT THE JOB ACTUALLY LOOKS LIKE

Day-to-day, this role covers the full commercial lifecycle. Strategy. Bids. Pricing. Contract negotiation. Risk. Margin protection. Governance. Reporting. Team leadership across multiple sites. Client relationships at the most senior level.

But the real substance of this role comes down to three things:

1. You own the commercial strategy. Not contribute to it. Not advise on it. Own it. This is a group-level appointment where you set the direction, build the framework, and make sure every division is pulling in the same direction commercially. If you have not operated at that level before, this will be a stretch.

2. You lead on the contracts that matter. EPC. NEC. JCT. High-value bids on landmark projects with serious risk profiles. The board needs someone who has been through the hard yards on complex contracts and can protect the margin without killing the relationship.

3. You sit at the board table. This is not a role where you present to the board once a quarter. You are on the board. That means influencing strategy, shaping investment decisions, and standing behind your commercial position when the room is divided. If that prospect does not excite you, this is not your role.

RESPONSIBILITIES IN FULL

Lead development and delivery of the group's commercial strategy aligned to corporate objectives and growth plans. Oversee commercial operations across all divisions, covering bids, tenders, pricing strategy, contract negotiation and lifecycle management. Provide commercial leadership on major bids and high-value projects, ensuring disciplined risk assessment, margin protection and appropriate contract terms.

Build and maintain strong relationships with clients, supply chain partners, insurers and legal advisors. Implement commercial controls, governance and reporting frameworks to drive consistency and board-level visibility. Drive improvement in estimating, procurement and commercial performance metrics.

Mentor and develop commercial teams across the group, promoting collaboration between regions and facilities. Represent the business at industry forums and support business development activity.

WHO THIS PERSON IS

You have significant senior commercial leadership experience in construction, structural steelwork, engineering or a closely related sector. You have run commercial functions, not just worked in them. You know what good looks like at group level because you have built it before, or you have operated close enough to it that stepping up is a natural move, not a leap of faith.

You have a track record of negotiating and managing complex construction contracts across EPC, NEC, JCT or similar frameworks. You have improved margins across a large portfolio, not just protected them. You understand risk at a commercial level, not just a contractual one.

You lead people well. You have developed commercial capability across multiple sites, and you know that embedding good practice takes patience, not just policy. You are financially literate, comfortable with P&L, KPIs and board-level reporting. You present with confidence and substance, not slide decks full of padding.

You have integrity. You are pragmatic. You work well with people who have strong opinions because you have strong opinions of your own, held with enough confidence to defend them and enough humility to change them when the evidence says otherwise.

SKILLS AT A GLANCE

Group-level commercial strategy development and execution. Complex contract negotiation and risk management across EPC, NEC and JCT frameworks. Multi-site team leadership and commercial capability building. Bid leadership on high-value projects with margin protection discipline. Board-level reporting, governance and stakeholder management. Estimating, procurement and commercial performance improvement. Financial literacy, including P&L influence and KPI ownership.

REMUNERATION

Competitive senior management package commensurate with the scale and complexity of the role. Full details will be discussed with shortlisted candidates during the recruitment process.

LOCATION

UK-based with regular travel to manufacturing sites, project locations and international offices as required.