About the job.

National Highways is currently recruiting a Head of Commercial Delivery to lead and support the Lower Thames Crossing (LTC) Commercial Delivery Team.

Reporting to the Commercial Director for the Lower Thames Crossing, the LTC Head of Commercial Delivery will focus on ensuring that we protect the commercial interests of LTC and supporting LTC as a balanced and intelligent client.

The key outputs from this role are to provide excellence in commercial delivery, budget management, commercial management, contract management, dispute avoidance and commercial performance management. The role needs to provide capable and thoughtful commercial leadership, progressive assurance, and delivery ownership for the LTC directorate.

The role has accountability to develop and lead the commercial support to Delivery Teams, focusing on the balance of commercial and contract risk to achieve value for money. To protect LTC's commercial interests and support the commercial delivery of the programme through cost and commercial management excellence, supply chain relationships and efficient contract administration for all LTC contracts and achieve successful outcomes for the programme, namely to budget and time supporting the outcomes of the programme. Th successful candidate will also deputise for the Commercial Director when required

Due to the location of the LTC programme, you will be required to attend the Pilgrims Lane site office 3-4 days per week.

What you'll be leading on.

• Be accountable for leading and achieving successful commercial outcomes for the LTC Directorate, ensuring commercial policy compliance.
• Provide the leadership with expert, consistent and timely strategic commercial advice, and support to the LTC Delivery Teams in identifying needs and objectives, understanding priorities and potential threats to success, defining mitigation to achieve its objectives and investment outcomes.
• Develop the continual improvement of supply chain performance using effective measurement in wellbeing, health, safety, time, cost, quality, and behavioural measures.
• Support the LTC Commercial Director as an integral Commercial & Procurement team member, delivering commercial guidance, identifying needs, understanding priorities, and mitigating potential commercial risks.
• Promote LTC's reputation as a commercial ambassador in building a visible presence and effective industry and professional partnerships.
• When requested either by the LTC Commercial Director or the LTC Executive Director, deputise for the LTC Commercial Director at Senior Leadership Team meetings and meetings with external stakeholders.

About you.

• Relevant professional qualification RICS, ICES, ICE or equivalent.
• Expert knowledge of NEC contracts and target cost options.
• Significant major programme experience; demonstrating an understanding within the environment.
• Capable of leading, building and motivating a diverse workforce to deliver strong and consistent commercial performance, with the ability to manage delivery through large project teams.
• Experience to make decisions effectively, selecting the option most likely to mitigate commercial threats and realise efficiency opportunities to achieve sustainable development.
• Able to establish and exemplify industry standard for integrity of commercial delivery in the use of public money.
• Demonstrable experience of delivering value for money outcomes in infrastructure supply chain relationships

About the team.

The Lower Thames Crossing is the largest road investment project since the construction of the M25. In 2020 due to its size, complexity and the risk associated with its construction a separate directorate was formed within National Highways accountable for its delivery.

The project due to its size is unique in National Highways and reports regularly direct to Secretary of State for Transport and Road Minister, as well as reporting through the NH Board. The Lower Thames Crossing directorate was established to create an organisation capable to deliver this project. Bringing together capability and processes from large mega-project best practice to supplement National Highways own process, to ensure a successful execution.

Lower Thames Crossing is the largest nature positive nationally significant infrastructure project in the UK. Our ambition is to plant 1 million trees and creating over 700 hectares of improved habitats, a scale that has not been seen in the UK before.

Lower Thames Crossing goal is to be the "greenest road ever", formally recognised as a Carbon pathfinder, the project is expected by government to deliver the value beyond the asset. Whether this be as a catalyst for low carbon construction or broader sustainability, and social value targets.

Want to know more?

To request a copy of the role profile, please contact quoting reference number #5582