Commercial Director

Job Description

Overview

The Commercial Director leads all commercial, contractual, and cost management functions across a major capital works programme on behalf of the PMC. The role provides strategic commercial leadership, ensuring robust contract administration, effective cost control, commercial governance, risk management, and successful commercial outcomes throughout the project lifecycle.The position acts as the client's trusted commercial advisor, administering contracts under FIDIC conditions and managing the commercial interface between clients, contractors, consultants, and key stakeholders.

The Commercial Director is accountable for the establishment of commercial policies, claims management strategies, cost assurance processes, procurement oversight, contract compliance, and the commercial performance of the programme.

Your role

Commercial Leadership

• Provide strategic commercial leadership across large-scale mixed-use developments.
• Develop and implement commercial management frameworks, controls, and governance procedures.
• Advise client executives and project leadership teams on commercial risks and opportunities.
• Lead commercial negotiations with contractors, suppliers, and stakeholders.
• Establish and maintain project commercial reporting and performance measurement systems.
• Drive commercial best practice and continuous improvement initiatives.

Contract Administration (FIDIC)

• Lead administration of contracts under FIDIC Red Book, Yellow Book, Silver Book, and bespoke conditions.
• Provide authoritative interpretation of contractual provisions and obligations.
• Manage contractual correspondence and notices.
• Oversee Variations, Change Orders, Extensions of Time (EOT), and compensation events.
• Ensure compliance with contract conditions and project governance requirements.
• Assess contractor submissions, claims, and entitlement positions.
• Support Dispute Avoidance Boards (DAB) and dispute resolution processes.
• Prepare commercial strategies to mitigate contractual exposure.
• Manage contractual interfaces between multiple project packages.

Cost Management

• Direct all cost planning, estimating, budgeting, forecasting, and reporting activities.
• Establish and maintain programme-wide cost control systems.
• Monitor cost performance against approved budgets.
• Lead value engineering and cost optimization initiatives.
• Review contractor applications for payment and certify payment recommendations.
• Ensure robust change management controls are implemented.
• Lead cash flow forecasting and cost risk assessments.
• Develop executive-level cost reports for client leadership.

Claims and Disputes Management

• Lead assessment and defence of contractor claims.
• Prepare detailed entitlement reviews and commercial recommendations.
• Support forensic delay and quantum assessments.
• Lead resolution of commercial disputes through negotiation and settlement.
• Interface with claims consultants, legal counsel, and external specialists.
• Develop strategies for dispute avoidance and early intervention.

Procurement and Supply Chain

• Support procurement strategy development and contract packaging.
• Lead commercial evaluations and tender assessments.
• Participate in contractor selection and award recommendations.
• Ensure procurement activities align with programme commercial objectives.
• Manage post-award commercial administration.

Risk Management

• Identify, quantify, and mitigate commercial risks.
• Maintain commercial risk registers.
• Evaluate contractual and financial impacts of project decisions.
• Advise senior leadership on risk exposure and mitigation strategies.
• Ensure compliance with corporate governance and client requirements.

Leadership & Team Management

• Lead multidisciplinary commercial and quantity surveying teams.
• Mentor and develop commercial managers, contracts managers, and cost consultants.
• Establish high-performance commercial management culture.
• Manage resource planning and capability development.
• Support recruitment and succession planning activities.

Key Stakeholder Interfaces

• Client Executive Management
• Programme Director
• Project Directors
• Engineering and Design Teams
• Construction Managers
• Contractors and Joint Ventures
• Legal Counsel
• Government Authorities
• Financial Controllers
• External Consultants

About you

Education

• Bachelor’s Degree in Quantity Surveying, Commercial Management, Construction Management, Engineering, or related discipline.
• Master’s Degree preferred.

Professional Memberships

One or more of:

• MRICS / FRICS
• MCIOB / FCIOB
• AACE International
• RIBA (where applicable)
• Chartered Quantity Surveyor

Experience

• 20+ years of commercial management experience.
• Significant experience delivering major capital projects exceeding USD 500M.
• Previous Commercial Director or Head of Commercial roles within PMC or client organizations.
• Extensive Middle East experience preferred.
• Demonstrated expertise in FIDIC contract administration.
• Proven record managing claims, disputes, and change management on complex programmes.
• Experience leading large commercial teams across multiple project packages.

Technical Competencies

Contractual

• FIDIC Contract Administration
• Variations & Change Management
• Extensions of Time (EOT)
• Claims & Dispute Resolution
• Commercial Risk Management
• Contract Negotiation
• Procurement Strategy

Cost Management

• Cost Planning
• Cost Control
• Budget Management
• Forecasting
• Cash Flow Analysis
• Value Engineering
• Earned Value Management
• Cost Assurance

Commercial Systems

• Oracle Primavera Unifier
• Oracle P6
• SAP
• Power BI
• CostX
• CEMAR
• Aconex

Leadership Competencies

• Executive Stakeholder Management
• Commercial Acumen
• Strategic Thinking
• Negotiation & Influence
• Decision Making
• Team Leadership
• Conflict Resolution
• Client Relationship Management

Typical KPIs

• Cost performance against approved budget
• Commercial risk reduction metrics
• Value of claims successfully resolved
• Accuracy of cost forecasting
• Contract compliance performance
• Change order cycle times
• Cash flow predictability
• Commercial audit outcomes
• Client satisfaction scores
• Team utilization and development metrics

Rewards & benefits

Explore the rewards and benefits that help you thrive - at every stage of your life and your career.

This includes:

• Tax-free salary.
• Life insurance coverage.
• Medical insurance.
• Annual leave balance.
• Company gratuity scheme.
• Discretionary bonus program.
• Annual flight contribution.
• Transportation & housing allowances.
• Employee Wellbeing Program: 24/7 access to specialists in finance, legal matters, family care, personal health, fitness, and nutrition.

Seize every opportunity to sharpen your skills, expand your expertise, and be recognized for the impact you make.

About AtkinsRéalis

We're AtkinsRéalis, a world-class engineering services and nuclear organization. We connect people, data and technology to transform the world's infrastructure and energy systems. Together, with our industry partners and clients, and our global team of consultants, designers, engineers and project managers, we can change the world. We're committed to leading our clients across our various end markets to engineer a better future for our planet and its people.

Find out more.

Worker Type

Job Type

At AtkinsRéalis, we seek to hire individuals with diverse characteristics, backgrounds and perspectives. We strongly believe that world-class talent makes no distinctions based on gender, ethnic or national origin, sexual identity and orientation, age, religion or disability, but enriches itself through these differences.