Commercial Technical Lead

The Commercial Function within the Infrastructure Delivery Directorate is responsible for providing the Directorate with the expert commercial and contract management knowledge that is required to deliver the Capital Investment Plan. As the commercial center of excellence driving consistency in the commercial management of contractual arrangements, this team works to minimise risk and increase efficiency in the delivery of the CIP. They are responsible for building commercial competence and capability within the directorate, increasing and evidencing value, whilst reducing commercial, quality and supervisory risk from the way in which the portfolio is delivered. There are three core departments within the Commercial Function, namely Commercial & Contract Management, Estimation and Cost Intelligence and Construction Services.

The Commercial and Contract Management Team are responsible for all aspects of contract and commercial management, including managing, monitoring and reporting on commercial performance, which encompasses cost control, forecasting accuracy, risk and contingency management, change control processes and commercial disputes. This team will work closely with Infrastructure Portfolio Delivery teams, providing the expertise required to make accurate and appropriate commercial decisions on projects or programmes. 

Reporting to the Commercial & Contract Manager, the Commercial Technical Lead will be responsible for ongoing commercial evaluation, cost management, claims identification and dispute avoidance on projects and programmes across the Infrastructure Delivery Directorate. The Commercial Technical Lead will work closely with counterparts across the wider commercial function, and the delivery portfolios, ensuring the delivery of projects and programmes in accordance with the terms of the applicable contracts, while maintaining and overview on cost, schedule and risk on an ongoing basis. 

Main Duties and Responsibilities

• Commercial and contractual support in the management of projects and programmes across the Infrastructure Delivery Directorate.
• Acting as the subject matter expert in the contractual provisions of particular projects and programmes as required.
• Review applications for payments from contractors to ensure adherence to the contractual provisions, and calculating amounts due in respect of claims or non-standard items.
• Where required, support Supply Chain in the commercial evaluation and analysis of tenders for Infrastructure Delivery contracts to ensure best practice.
• Conduct commercial analysis to support value engineering proposals as they arise.
• Carry out regular reviews of projects and programmes to assess value for money by benchmarking and assessment of programme/project costs across the portfolios. 
• Build and develop claims settlement risk models and input into dispute resolution strategies.
• Input into risk management strategies, workshops, etc. to identify and manage programme and project risks.
• Manage and maintain a database of costs and rates to enable analysis and benchmarking of construction and service provider costs to ensure costs are appropriate. 
• Support the Commercial Lead in monitoring the operation of applicable KPIs and input into further development of same. 
• Liaise and consult with the Programme/Project Managers and Portfolio & Governance team on the relevant commercial aspects of Infrastructure Delivery contracts. 
• Support the Delivery teams on effective contractual dispute resolution processes including conciliation and arbitration as required, ensuring timely resolution of issues. Where necessary manage complex cases on behalf of Project Manager. 
• Monitor the closeout of final accounts supporting the Project Managers and Commercial Lead on any significant contractual issues.
• Provide input and support to the management of contractual legacy issues.
• Raise and escalate issues relating to commercial contracts affecting portfolio delivery, as appropriate.
• Drive for high performance, setting the standard for continuous improvement. 
• Ensure compliance with standards and processes. 

General Duties and Responsibilities

• Collaboration with key internal stakeholders across the UÉ business, including but not limited to:-
• Responsible for promoting and delivering health and safety commitments across UÉ and its supply chain, reinforcing positive behaviours and delivering health and safety objectives and requirements to the highest industry standards. 
• Support the delivery of the Uisce Éireann Transformation Programme, driving results required within the Directorate and supporting organisation-wide objectives.
• Provide visible leadership for your team, coaching and developing them to achieve their full potential and deliver business objectives, promoting collaboration and highlighting the behaviours that are expected from everyone in the team.
• Other duties as required.

Knowledge, Skills and Experience

• Relevant third level qualification in Engineering, Construction Management or Quantity Surveying and or accreditation is desirable 
• A minimum of 5 years’ experience in contract/commercial management of projects in the water, utilities or similar industries is desirable and or relevant experience 
• Ability to develop and maintain effective strategic partnerships with key stakeholders internally and externally 
• Proven track record with dealing with complex issues, proactively and in a timely fashion along with the ability to communicate complex information to others
• Highly motivated individual, working to the highest professional standards and with proven ability to deliver results
• Strong analytical skills and ability to identify and analyse problems and potential improvements, and propose and implement solutions
• Demonstrate adaptability and the ability to change focus and direction in line with business strategy and requirements
• Proactively identifying new areas of improvement and using newly gained knowledge and skill on the job

Grade and Salary: €59,898 - €89,848 per year

*Please be advised that if successful you will be placed on the salary range based on your skills and experience. Please note the Market reference point (midpoint) of the range is generally the upper end of the offer where someone is deemed to be fully competent to take on the duties of the role, and leaves room for the employee to progress through the pay range as their experience develops further

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