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 To Apply Get in touch with me for a confidential conversation - caitlin.padayachi@arguilesearch.com

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