Contract Manager

Contract Manager - Critical National Infrastructure (Energy Sector)

Manchester - Hybrid, 8 days/month in office | Competitive salary + 10% car allowance + up to 20% bonus | Defined career progression path

About the Role

We're recruiting on behalf of a major organisation delivering critical national infrastructure in the energy sector - underpinning services relied on by millions of people across the country. This role sits within their Contract & Supplier Management function, which owns every third-party contract relationship from award through to end of life.

This is a genuinely high-scale, high-impact opportunity: you'll take ownership of the organisation's most critical supplier contracts - each valued at £20m+ with an average lifecycle of around 10 years and there's a clearly defined path for career progression from here.

Important: this is a post-signature role.

The contracts you'll manage are already awarded, your focus is on leading changes, negotiations, disputes, and financial/risk governance throughout their life, not original tendering or procurement.

What You'll Be Doing

• Owning complex, high-value supplier contracts critical to the organisation's operations and security standards
• Managing end-to-end financial forecasting and governance across your contracts
• Leading and negotiating contract change and project requests, including extensions valued at £10m+
• Leading contract negotiations and dispute resolution throughout the contract lifecycle
• Building and maintaining strong, long-term relationships with suppliers and internal stakeholders, this is a relationship-driven role, not just a transactional one
• Driving continuous efficiencies and value-for-money improvements
• Maintaining rigorous contract documentation and audit trails, including detailed obligation tracking
• Identifying, logging, and mitigating risk across your contract portfolio

What We're Looking For

• Proven experience managing multiple contracts concurrently, each valued at £1m or more
• Genuine post-signature contract management experience - change control, amendments, extensions, and dispute resolution
• Excellent stakeholder management skills - you'll be building relationships that last, not just closing out actions
• A proactive, self-starting approach - someone who spots opportunities and takes ownership rather than waiting to be asked
• Genuine personality and presence - this client wants someone with real energy and character, not just a strong CV
• Strong financial forecasting and governance experience across contracts
• Confident negotiation skills, particularly around contract changes and disputes
• Rigorous attention to documentation, compliance, and audit-trail detail
• Experience in a regulated sector (energy, utilities, telecoms, defense ect)

Why Apply

• Genuinely critical, large-scale infrastructure work with real national impact
• Career-defining contract scale - not small or peripheral agreements
• A clear, defined progression path from this role
• Strong package including a 10% car allowance and a bonus of up to 20%
• Hybrid pattern based in Manchester