Head of Commercial Management (Operations)

Job Description

Role details

Head of Commercial Management (Operations)

Location: Lingley Mere, Warrington (Hybrid)
Salary: Competitive + bonus + £7,500 car allowance

United Utilities is responsible for delivering one of the UK’s most critical public services — water and wastewater for seven million people across the North West. As we enter a period of unprecedented investment and transformation, we are seeking a senior commercial leader to take accountability for the commercial performance of our operational supply chain at scale.

This is a high‑impact leadership role, accountable for the commercial management of framework contracts supporting c. £2.5bn of capital expenditure across AMP8. You will operate at the heart of Operations, shaping commercial strategy, protecting value, and driving transformation across a complex, regulated environment

The Role

As Head of Commercial Management (Operations), you will provide strategic and operational leadership for the commercial management of a diverse portfolio of field‑based and desk‑based engineering and technology services.

You will:

• Protect and enhance United Utilities’ commercial and financial position

• Drive value creation across the supply chain — beyond cost alone

• Influence senior operational and supply chain leaders up to Executive level
• Lead, develop and inspire a team of senior commercial professionals, fostering a high‑performance culture built on accountability, curiosity and continuous improvement
• Champion a progressive commercial mindset across Operations, reframing “value” beyond cost to include outcomes, resilience and long‑term performance
• Establish clear commercial plans, KPIs and governance to support operational leadership and “client of choice” status with the supply chain

This role combines commercial rigour, senior stakeholder influence, and people leadership, and will suit a leader comfortable operating in complexity, ambiguity, and scale.

What you'll be doing

In‑Life Contract & Commercial Management

• Provide rigorous oversight of claims, entitlements, audits, disputes and obligations, protecting UU’s commercial interests
• Act as custodian of commercial governance and compliance, ensuring alignment with legal, regulatory and internal standards
• Oversee forecasting, budgeting, accruals and revenue planning across the operational portfolio
• Support operational leaders in fulfilling contractual obligations and managing supplier performance

Value Creation & Sourcing Interface

• Identify and deliver opportunities for value creation through aggregation, batching, pricing strategy and contract optimisation
• Lead early‑stage commercial input into the sourcing lifecycle, bridging Operations and Procurement
• Drive continuous improvement of commercial policies, processes and tools in partnership with Procurement Transformation & Strategic Impact
• Play a key leadership role in Operations’ cost and commercial transformation agenda
• Bring external insight and industry best practice to evolve commercial capability
• Drive behavioural change across internal teams and the supply chain through clear standards, governance and contract mechanisms
• Shape and deliver a long‑term commercial strategy aligned to United Utilities’ wider business objectives

What you'll Bring

• Professional qualification as a Quantity Surveyor, with significant experience leading commercial teams
• Deep technical expertise across NEC frameworks and complex, non‑standard contracts
• Proven experience managing large‑scale outsourced labour and framework contracts
• Strong commercial judgement across claims, disputes, negotiation and governance
• Confidence engaging with senior stakeholders up to Executive / C‑suite level
• Experience within utilities or other asset‑intensive, regulated sectors (desirable)
• Strong working knowledge of programme management, FP&A and Accounts Payable processes

Why United Utilties

• Competitive salary and senior level performance‑related bonus
• £7,500 car allowance
• Pension with up to 14% employer contribution
• 26 days annual leave, rising to 30 days, plus bank holidays
• Comprehensive healthcare and wellbeing support
• Hybrid working and a values‑led, inclusive culture
• The opportunity to shape commercial outcomes for one of the UK’s largest infrastructure investors

Make your Impact

• This is a rare opportunity to define commercial leadership at scale, influence multi‑billion‑pound investment decisions, and leave a lasting legacy across essential national infrastructure.

• If you are motivated by complexity, scale, and the opportunity to drive real value — we’d like to hear from you.