Location: Crawley, United Kingdom

Thales people architect solutions that are relied upon to deliver operational advantage at every decisive moment throughout the mission. Defence and armed forces customers rely on us to deliver the full range of defensive systems for land, sea, and air. From early warning, to threat neutralisation, our platforms cover all levels from very short-range systems, to extended protection across the entire battle-space including Airspace Mobility Solutions, Vehicles and Tactical Systems and Missile Defence, Optronics, and Radar.

Together we offer fantastic opportunities for committed employees to learn and develop their career with us. At Thales UK, we research, develop, and supply technology and services that impact the lives of millions of people each day to make life better, and keep us safer. We innovate across five major industries; Aerospace, Defence, Ground Transportation, Security and Space. Your health and well-being matters to us and that’s why we offer you the flexibility to do what’s important to you; whether that’s part time hours, job sharing, home working, or the ability to flex your start and finish times. Where possible, we support a working pattern that suits your lifestyle and helps you reach your ambitions.

Job title: Commercial Manager / Contracts Manager

Location: - Crawley or Reading (hybrid working arrangement average 2 days a week from the office vs. home)

An excellent opportunity has arisen for a Commercial Manager to join our world leading Air Mobility Services (AMS) domain and to join our collaborative and diverse team focussed within our Crawley, West Sussex or Reading, Berkshire sites.

What the role has to offer:

• Operating in an incremental role working across a wide array of internal stakeholders, this role combines both commercial and contractual aspects of both bids and projects throughout the full life cycle, with the key objective of minimising risk and maximising margin and cash.

• This role offers an excellent opportunity for individuals with aspirations to develop their skills in both legal and contracts as well as commercial, offering great exposure and learning opportunities within the team.

• Working on Thales UK’s largest and most high profile project, with a highly regarded team who will support your learning and development.

• Hybrid working (average of 2 days in the office / 3 days from home).

Core Benefits:

On offer is a competitive salary and benefits package, which includes;

• Performance-related bonus

• Half day every Friday, usually finishing around 13:00pm

• 28 days annual leave (plus bank holidays) plus opportunity to buy up to 40 hours/year (pro rata)

• 24 hours volunteering paid for

• Private healthcare (grade dependent)

• Pension scheme

• Life cover

• 24/7 Employee Assistance Program and access to mental wellbeing app

• Employee discount shopping schemes on major brands and retailers

• Gym membership discounts

Key responsibilities:

This role offers a significant amount of variety of both tasks as well as coverage across a diverse portfolio of projects. Key tasks include but are not limited to:

• Responsibility for the contractual aspects of bid and project contract negotiations with customers in order to minimise risk and maximise margin and cash.

• Responsibility for drafting and responding to commercial terms and conditions and for drafting agreements such as Teaming Agreements, License Agreements and Confidentiality Agreements.

• Responsibility for maintaining the commercial relationship with our Customers thought out the contract lifecycle.

• Responsibility for ensuring the correct application of the Thales Common Bid Process, the Intra-Group Trading Rules and the Win Bid Process throughout the bid preparation and contract negotiation process.

• Responsibility for liaising with Group specialists on matters such as bonds and guarantees, export finance, export credit, exchange rate fluctuation, offset, export control, competition law etc.

• Contribution to setting and maintaining company commercial policy.

About you:

Thales are looking for exceptional people with positive, can do attitudes, to join our challenging journey providing engineering and service solutions to a diverse range of customers. Here are some of the key skills, experience and attributes we are looking for in the Commercial Manager role:

• Proven defence sector experience, working as a Commercial Manager on complex post contract management – contract change, contract claims, T&C’s etc.

• Numerically astute, with strong negotiation skills.

• Ability to work with competing priorities and deadlines

• A good level of commercial and business acumen

• An ability to identify pragmatic solutions and take pragmatic decisions

• An understanding of cost and pricing techniques and contract finance issues would be beneficial

• Experience working with a variety of customers and internal teams, with excellent communication skills

This role will require SC Clearance. If not currently held it is expected that the post holder will undergo SC Clearance prior to starting in the role. Please visit the UKSV website for further guidance.

#LI-DNI

In line with Thales' Baseline Security requirements, candidates will be asked to provide evidence of identity, eligibility to work in the UK and employment and/or education history for up to three years. Some vacancies may require full Security Clearance which can require further evidence to be provided. For further details of the evidence required to apply for Baseline and Security Clearance please refer to the Defence Business Services National Security Vetting (DBS NSV) Agency.

At Thales we provide CAREERS and not only jobs. With Thales employing 80,000 employees in 68 countries our mobility policy enables thousands of employees each year to develop their careers at home and abroad, in their existing areas of expertise or by branching out into new fields. Together we believe that embracing flexibility is a smarter way of working.

Thales UK is committed to providing an inclusive and barrier-free recruitment process. We will provide reasonable adjustments and support to ensure neuro-diverse applicants or those with a disability or long-term condition can be their best during the recruitment process. To request an adjustment, if you need this job advert in an alternative format or if you have any questions about the recruitment process, please contact Resourcing Ops for mid to senior roles, or the Early Careers Team for graduate and apprentice roles.

Great journeys start here, apply now!