Senior Commercial Manager - Contracts

commercial function across complex project environments where contract discipline, cost visibility, claims management, and stakeholder alignment are critical to successful delivery. This position supports executive decision-making by providing reliable commercial analysis, clear risk advice, strong contract governance, and accurate cost reporting. The role also helps project teams manage change, negotiate settlements, administer FIDIC-based contracts, control financial exposure, and maintain professional relationships with clients, partners, subcontractors, consultants, and supply chain stakeholders.

Key Responsibilities

* Develop and implement commercial strategies that support project objectives, margin targets, cash flow requirements, and long-term business goals.
* Provide commercial leadership to project teams and ensure consistent application of company procedures, governance standards, and commercial best practices.
* Support business planning, budgeting, tender reviews, bid decisions, and strategic project decisions with clear commercial insight.
* Lead or support negotiations for major contracts, variations, claims, settlements, procurement packages, and commercial agreements.
* Review, negotiate, and finalize prime contracts, subcontracts, consultancy agreements, and FIDIC-based contract documents.
* Ensure strong contract administration covering notice provisions, change management, claims procedures, correspondence, approvals, and contractual compliance.
* Draft and review contractual correspondence to protect the company’s position and manage disputes before they escalate.
* Advise project managers, procurement teams, commercial staff, and senior leadership on contractual rights, obligations, risks, and required actions.
* Oversee project budgets, cost plans, cash flow forecasts, cost reporting, cost-value reconciliations, earned value analysis, and margin reviews.
* Monitor financial performance across projects, identify cost variances, and recommend corrective actions to protect profitability and cash position.
* Validate major cost commitments, payment applications, variations, final accounts, and commercial settlement documentation.
* Establish and manage change control processes across projects, ensuring variations and scope changes are properly recorded, valued, and negotiated.
* Review, prepare, and negotiate variations, extensions of time, loss and expense claims, and other commercial claims.
* Coordinate with planning, legal, technical, procurement, and project controls teams to substantiate, defend, and resolve claims.
* Manage dispute resolution processes including negotiation, mediation, adjudication, or arbitration support where required.
* Support procurement strategies for key work packages, including tendering, commercial evaluation, negotiation, recommendation, and contract award.
* Negotiate subcontractor and supplier terms to optimize cost, performance obligations, risk allocation, and delivery certainty.
* Monitor subcontractor commercial performance, including payment applications, variations, claims, and final account progress.
* Identify commercial risks and opportunities across the project lifecycle and maintain accurate risk registers and action plans.
* Ensure compliance with corporate governance, delegation of authority, internal controls, audit requirements, and commercial reporting standards.
* Act as a primary commercial interface with clients, partners, joint venture entities, project directors, and senior internal stakeholders.
* Present commercial performance, risks, recovery strategies, claims status, and key financial matters in management and client meetings.
* Lead, mentor, and develop commercial managers, quantity surveyors, contract administrators, and related commercial team members.
* Allocate resources effectively across projects and promote a culture of integrity, accountability, continuous improvement, and high commercial performance.

Ideal Profile

* Bachelor’s degree in Quantity Surveying, Commercial Management, Construction Management, Law, Finance, or a related field.
* Around 15 years of progressive commercial, contracts, quantity surveying, or cost management experience.
* Strong experience on large-scale construction, infrastructure, utilities, industrial, or major programme delivery environments.
* Proven ability to lead commercial strategy and contract management across complex projects or portfolios.
* Strong knowledge of FIDIC contracts, standard contract forms, commercial principles, change control, claims management, and contract administration.
* Experience working in a client, consultant, or Tier 1 contractor environment on complex multi-stakeholder projects is preferred.
* Exposure to joint ventures, PPP, P3, alliance contracting, or major partnership delivery models is desirable.
* Familiarity with project controls, planning, earned value management, cost forecasting, and commercial reporting systems.
* Professional membership or relevant commercial, contract, quantity surveying, or construction management certification is preferred.
* Strong commercial and financial acumen with advanced analytical, negotiation, and problem-solving capability.
* Excellent understanding of contract law, risk allocation, dispute resolution mechanisms, governance, and internal control requirements.
* Confident communicator with the ability to influence senior stakeholders, manage difficult conversations, and present commercial positions clearly.
* Proven leadership and people management skills with experience developing high-performing commercial teams.
* High proficiency in Microsoft Excel and commercial or contract management tools.
* Strong organizational skills with the ability to manage multiple priorities, deadlines, stakeholders, and commercial risks in a fast-moving project environment.

Skills Set

* Commercial management
* Contract administration
* FIDIC contracts
* Construction contracts
* Cost management
* Cost forecasting
* Cash flow forecasting
* Cost-value reconciliation
* Earned value analysis
* Margin analysis
* Budget management
* Commercial strategy
* Contract negotiation
* Contractual correspondence
* Change management
* Variation management
* Claims preparation
* Claims negotiation
* Extension of time claims
* Loss and expense claims
* Dispute resolution
* Risk management
* Risk registers
* Procurement strategy
* Tender evaluation
* Subcontract administration
* Supplier negotiation
* Final accounts
* Payment applications
* Commercial reporting
* Project controls
* Financial analysis
* Stakeholder management
* Team leadership
* Microsoft Excel
* Contract management tools

Why Join Us

This role gives a Senior Commercial Manager the opportunity to lead high-value commercial and contractual activities across major construction and infrastructure programmes in Riyadh. The position offers strong exposure to complex contracts, senior stakeholder engagement, claims strategy, cost control, procurement leadership, and commercial governance within a global infrastructure organization. It is well suited for a commercially sharp leader who wants to protect project value, strengthen delivery outcomes, and build long-term impact across Saudi Arabia’s growing development sector.

About the Company

Parsons Corporation is a global engineering, construction management, infrastructure, and project delivery company supporting major transportation, utilities, urban development, public realm, and construction programmes. In Saudi Arabia, Parsons contributes to large-scale development through technical expertise, commercial leadership, project controls, contract administration, safety management, and practical delivery knowledge that help create reliable and future-ready infrastructure.