Commercial Officer

About the Role

We are seeking a Commercial Officer to join our team at our Advanced Manufacturing Facility in Ampthill, Bedfordshire. This position offers a 4xFlex working pattern, comprising a 4-day working week (Monday - Thursday) and hybrid working, with onsite days on Monday and Tuesday, and remote working on Wednesday and Thursday, subject to business needs.

This is an exciting opportunity within a high-performing commercial team to support complex and mission-critical programmes. You will have the chance to engage with the full contract lifecycle, develop valuable stakeholder relationships, and contribute to programmes that deliver significant regional and national impact.

The successful candidate will manage contract delivery activities, encompassing the full spectrum of commercial actions for the provision of supplies and services. This includes involvement from capture and proposal development through contract award and all phases of contract administration.

Close collaboration with programme management, finance, legal, engineering, business development, and compliance teams is essential. You will provide trusted support to Programmes, ensuring contracts are managed appropriately to meet customer outcomes and business objectives.

The commercial team serves as the primary interface with customer representatives, fostering strong professional relationships and supporting negotiations. Success relies on navigating complex contractual challenges, resolving issues effectively, and delivering practical, commercially sound solutions.

As an authorized representative, you will ensure all contractual activities adhere to applicable laws, regulations, and internal governance requirements. The role also involves supporting audits and contributing to the continuous improvement of contract practices and the embedding of best-in-class approaches.

Required Skills, Qualifications, and Experience

• Demonstrable experience as a Commercial Officer or in a similar Contracts Management role.
• Involvement in complex bids and high-value programmes.
• Ability to work with supervision and manage your own workload to meet priority tasks.
• Strong knowledge and analytical skills in the commercial domain.
• Collaborative issue resolution and proactive problem-solving.
• Desire to understand technical and detailed issues, with an appetite for resolving complex problems.
• Comfortable operating in a fast-paced, deadline-driven environment.
• Ability to produce quality output, meet deadlines, and de-conflict workload issues with management.
• Proactive fact-finding and construction of positions on contractual issues.
• Confidence to review, interpret, and negotiate contractual terms with support.
• Ability to present the commercial position internally and, where appropriate, to internal programme management teams.
• Skills in clear and confident communication, with opportunities to develop presentation skills.
• Value building and maintaining internal and external relationships through regular communication.
• Receptive to taking on additional tasks for career development and/or stretch targets.
• Good time management, ability to produce accurate work, and obtain requisite approvals.
• Understanding of programme/business area objectives and ability to articulate and support these goals.
• Flexibility to travel within the UK and internationally as required.

Desirable Skills

• Defence / MOD Contracts Management experience.
• Working knowledge of DEFCONs/DFARs and their practical application.
• Ability to identify, assess, and mitigate contractual risks with a solutions-focused approach.
• Experience in bid writing and proposal development.
• Familiarity with framework agreements.
• Professional accreditation (e.g., World Commerce & Contracting, CIPS qualification, or similar).