Commercial Director, Infrastructure | General Contractor | Vancouver / Toronto – Outpost Recruitment

Our client, a leading infrastructure contractor is seeking a Commercial Director to join their Major Projects team. Salary $180,000 – $250,000 plus benefits. Outpost Recruitment is excited to work with our client on this full-time permanent role.

Client focus – Deliver on our promise: 

• You will lead the delivery of key assignments and defined business areas, providing strategic direction and monitoring delivery aligned with overall vision and objectives.
• As Commercial Director you will maintain pipelines of projects and leads, through business development, client relationship management, negotiation and bidding.
• You will be responsible for business growth and market positioning through sales and/or growth of accounts or relationships.
• Direct and lead the project throughout the lifecycle of all contracts/projects, and ensure that there are effective and efficient commercial policies, procedures, and best practices in place to establish and maintain that function.
• Provide guidance and leadership in the development of procurement documents and contracting structures and oversee and develop strategies for contract negotiations and governance and to minimize corporate liability and risk throughout the contract lifecycle.
• Lead the development and implementation of appropriate commercial management plans and strategies to maximize funding opportunities and related value, while minimizing risk to client.
• Commercial Director will lead a commercial team and interface with technical team members and other stakeholders for the development and successful implementation of commercial strategies.
• Identify emerging commercial hot topics, issues, and risks, report contractual claims, and lead the management and resolution of legal and/or commercial disputes.
• Responsible for the development and implementation of comprehensive strategies, methodologies, tools and techniques for commercial management excellence, lessons learned and continuous improvement.
• Undertake commercial activities as required to support the project with respect to commercial management of advanced works, target price, actual costs management, and mobilization and integration. Set up and manage target cost contracts.
• Undertake an assessment of the development phase and early works and recommend appropriate changes to processes and resources with the aim of controlling costs and delivering value for money.
• Together with the development phase lead and, with assigned individuals, undertake an assessment of spend to-date and review outturn of development phase and implement controls to provide certainty of cost.
• Assess the status of the current cost plans and implement changes to provide a more robust cost plan that provides a clear understanding of the total cost. This will be a progressive refinement and will be done with the contractor and utilization of internal information.
• Initiate dialogue to create a collaborative, transparent and constructive relationship with the contractors to enable a more mutually beneficial environment with aims to challenge target cost for the contractor and drive value for money for client.
• Review existing processes and procedures and assess their viability to provide controls and information during the life of the target cost implementation period. This includes taking a lifecycle view of the target price process, identifying gaps, and providing ideas and documentation to ensure a robust end-to-end process.
• Building capability within team by sharing skills, knowledge and experience, and embedding within group the tools developed to leave a legacy of best practice, including process documents, guidance material and outputs from lessons learned exercises.
• Lead the resolution of issues of corporate significance, as required to recover or protect groups commercial reputation, and ensure value for money and sound commercial decision-making.

Integrity – Always do the right thing: 

• As Commercial Director , you will ensure that operations are fiscally and ethically viable, influencing the achievement of business objectives that align with business and legislative compliance obligations.
• You will commit to making a positive impact for our people, our clients, and our planet, and take ownership for holding others to account who do not uphold the company values.

Create opportunity – For our people to excel: 

• You will mentor, coach, and develop large teams with senior direct reports, demonstrating effective leadership to ensure excellence in delivery against plans, championing a continuous improvement culture throughout all activities.
• You will actively network, innovate, and seek understanding of best practice, utilising the full depth of knowledge
• You will use your network to identify talent, lead recruitment, and manage the development, retention and mobility of people, and support our people to achieve their highest potential.

As Commercial Director, you need to have: 

• Completion of a degree in Engineering, Architecture, Contract/Construction Law, Business Administration, or a related discipline or a combination of education, training and experience deemed equivalent. Graduate level degree is an asset.
• Demonstrated experience in a public transportation development, construction environment with experience and measured success in the application of commercial management methodology. Construction experience in the transportation industry and/or public sector is an asset.
• Experience having developed / structured, procured, negotiated and/or administered complex contracts is required.
• Detailed understanding of different procurement strategies and project delivery models (traditional, NEC, Alliance, P3, and collaborative)
• International Transit experience and particularly UK transit experience is preferred. Expert knowledge of transit-related risks across construction, design, engineering and/or commercial management.
• Knowledge of relevant legislation, policies, procedures, professional or technical practices and precedents
• Knowledge of regulatory, legislation, building codes, legal, and financial issues involved in developing public transportation systems. Knowledge of construction engineering principles and best practices.

As Commercial Director, you’ll also have:

• Degree in quantity surveying/cost management (or equivalent).
• Professional membership i.e. MRICS/RICS (or equivalent) and moving towards fellowship, or equivalent demonstrable professional or personal development.
• Comprehensive Bidding and business development experience.
• Strong commercial and financial acumen.
• Sound knowledge of value engineering, life cycle costing, contract law and contractual frameworks relating to construction.
• Leadership and management experience of large, diverse teams.
• Experience of managing relationships with key senior stakeholders.
• Knowledge of how carbon and sustainability considerations will shape the outlook of the projects you are working on

Ideal Candidate:

• Only candidates with authorisation to work in Canada will be considered

Please clearly highlight relevant work experience, project overviews and project scale ($) in your resume.