Commercial Manager

Job Description

Salary starting from £62k, salary depending on skills and experience

Permanent

Peterborough, Lincoln or Norwich Office / Hybrid working

Full time, with the flexibility for part-time

Anglian Water offers a flexible approach; this role offers you the flexibility to work from home and from an Anglian Water office. Your based location could be in Peterborough, Lincoln or Norwich – depending on your location.

Driving commercial excellence, value, and performance across Central Services.

As a Commercial Manager, you will play a fundamental role in refining the commercial function across specific delivery routes within Central Services, ensuring robust processes, clear financial oversight, and strong contractual governance is in place. You will manage day-to-day commercial activities, providing direction and expertise to ensure that the financial implications of contracts are well understood and effectively managed by all stakeholders. With a focus on maximising value and minimising cost, you will implement and maintain appropriate controls to monitor performance and optimise the operating cost base.

Working closely with operational teams, you will support the delivery of commercial targets while fostering a culture of collaboration, continuous improvement, and best practice. You will lead on final account reviews and audits, negotiate with key strategic supply chain partners, and ensure the integrity and validation of sensitive commercial information. In addition, you will provide assurance across delivery teams, ensuring full compliance with contractual, legal, and strategic obligations.

The role will also see you developing and implementing assurance strategies tailored to business needs, identifying areas of non-compliance, and driving timely, effective improvements. You will take ownership of risk management activities, maintaining risk registers, facilitating reviews, and coordinating mitigation plans with key stakeholders. Alongside this, you will develop and maintain performance dashboards, reports, and registers to provide clear insight and support informed decision-making.

With accountability for delivering against Central Services SLT targets, you will track and report on efficiencies and cost savings, working in partnership with finance and business stakeholders to define and manage overheads across delivery routes. Ultimately, you will ensure that the Central Services commercial strategy is fully aligned with wider Commercial Operations goals, enabling sustainable performance and long-term value.

What will you be doing?

You’ll take ownership of the end-to-end commercial management of specific delivery routes within Central Services, ensuring that robust processes, policies, and controls are in place to effectively manage contracts and financial performance. A significant part of the role involves overseeing daily commercial activities, including contract financials, final accounts, and audits, while embedding consistent processes and supporting delivery teams to manage budgets and respond to variances.

You will work closely with operational teams to drive performance against commercial targets, maximising cash flow, negotiating with key suppliers, and ensuring the accuracy and integrity of commercial data. The role also includes producing insightful reporting, maintaining financial profiles, and leading regular performance reviews to track progress and inform decision-making.

In addition, they’ll lead on commercial assurance and risk management, identifying and evaluating risks that could impact delivery, maintaining risk registers, and implementing effective mitigation strategies. By partnering with stakeholders, they will promote strong risk ownership, compliance, and continuous improvement across all commercial activities.

As a valued employee, you’ll be entitled to:

• Personal private health care

• 26 days annual leave – rising with length of service

• Flexible working

• Competitive pension scheme – Anglian Water double-matches your contributions up to 6%

• Bonus scheme

• Flexible benefits to support your wellbeing and lifestyle.

What does it take to be a Commercial Manager?

We’re looking for a highly organised and proactive Commercial Manager who can balance strategic thinking with practical delivery. You’ll bring strong commercial and contractual expertise, ideally with experience across NEC contract options, and a proven track record of delivering successful outcomes in complex environments.

An excellent communicator, you’ll be confident engaging with stakeholders at all levels, able to convey complex information clearly and influence decisions with credibility and diplomacy. You’ll also be someone who can inspire and support others, fostering collaboration while driving high performance across teams.

With a self-motivated, “can do” attitude, you’ll be comfortable managing your own workload as well as coordinating others, anticipating challenges early and taking decisive action. Alongside this, you’ll be detail-focused, customer-oriented, and confident using Microsoft tools to support analysis and reporting, underpinned by a degree-level qualification or equivalent experience.

To be successful in this role, you’ll have:

• Educated to degree level in Construction Management, Quantity Surveying or equivalent- desirable

• MRICS qualified - desirable

• Evidence of on-going leadership development and relevant personal development (Required)

• Experience similar role at a strategic or senior level

• Working across complex matrix teams

• Success at creating an aligned culture focussed on high performance

• Adept in use of standard forms of contract and developing commercial strategies

Why Apply?

This is an opportunity to play a key role in shaping and driving commercial performance across Central Services, where your work will have a direct impact on business outcomes and long-term value. You’ll be trusted to lead on high-profile commercial activities, influence strategic decisions, and work closely with a wide range of stakeholders across the organisation.

The role offers real variety and challenge, from managing complex contracts and negotiations to driving efficiencies, improving processes, and strengthening commercial controls. You’ll also have the chance to build strong relationships across operational and leadership teams, positioning yourself as a valued commercial partner.

Alongside this, you’ll be part of a forward-thinking environment that encourages continuous improvement, giving you the platform to develop your skills, expand your experience, and progress your career within a supportive and collaborative team.

Closing date: 14th April 2026

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