Commercial Director (Major Projects)

Job description

The Commercial Director (Major Projects) is a senior commercial leadership appointment responsible for strengthening commercial governance, protecting project margin, and enabling the successful delivery of major, complex and high-risk projects across the full project lifecycle. The role provides senior commercial direction from bid positioning and negotiation through to project mobilisation, delivery, intervention, recovery and close-out. The position may operate as a dedicated commercial directorship role on a major multidisciplinary project in Singapore, or as a senior portfolio oversight role across a number of medium to large, complex or high-risk projects. It also carries broader regional and Buildings & Cities business line responsibilities, including steering committee participation, targeted project intervention, commercial reviews, mentoring, training, reporting and continuous improvement of commercial systems and governance. Key Responsibilities Bid, Positioning and Negotiation Phase Provide senior commercial leadership on large or complex bids once the opportunity has reached preferred status, or where there is a high probability of conversion and material commercial exposure. Partner with regional leadership, bid teams, legal, finance and technical leads to shape commercially robust, risk-balanced and best-for-business outcomes. Review and challenge proposed commercial models, pricing assumptions, payment mechanisms, risk allocation, liability positions, insurance requirements, programme obligations and key delivery dependencies. Lead or support client-facing negotiation of commercial terms, scope boundaries, exclusions, assumptions, payment milestones, variation mechanisms, programme relief and risk-sharing arrangements. Identify material commercial red flags before commitment, including low-margin work, onerous liability positions, ambiguous scope, aggressive programme requirements, unpriced deliverables and weak variation entitlement. Define the commercial strategy for the bid-to-award transition, including risk contingency, governance approvals, negotiation parameters and project handover requirements. Project Launch and Commercial Mobilisation Lead or oversee the commercial mobilisation process following award, ensuring that bid commitments, contractual obligations, commercial risks and delivery assumptions are converted into clear project controls. Develop, or provide senior review of, the project Commercial Management Plan, including contract administration protocols, change control procedures, billing requirements, delegations, project controls interfaces, risk registers and reporting cadence. Ensure a disciplined handover from bid to delivery, with clear documentation of scope, exclusions, assumptions, pricing basis, negotiated positions, key risks and client commitments. Establish the project’s commercial governance rhythm, including monthly reviews, cash and WIP monitoring, variation registers, risk escalation, project controls interfaces and senior leadership reporting. Set expectations with the Project Director, Project Manager and commercial team on contract discipline, escalation triggers, commercial behaviours and the controls required from day one. Delivery Phase: Commercial Management and Project Controls Interface Provide senior oversight of commercial performance, including revenue recognition, cost-to-complete, margin protection, cash collection, Net WIP, invoicing, aged debt, time-sheeting accuracy and staff cost allocation. Ensure commercial reporting is aligned with project controls, finance and delivery leadership, including programme progress, resourcing, earned value, forecast cost, change control and project health indicators. Maintain contract administration discipline, ensuring notices, correspondence, deliverable acceptance, payment applications, extensions of time, claims and variations are prepared and issued in accordance with contract requirements. Ensure variations are identified early, evidenced properly, pursued where entitlement exists and escalated where client behaviours or internal delivery issues threaten recovery. Work with programme management leads to ensure delay, disruption, acceleration, resequencing, access constraints and client dependency impacts are recorded, assessed and commercially managed. Lead commercial risk reviews and ensure project risk registers are current, financially quantified, actively mitigated and aligned with legal, finance and executive reporting requirements. Challenge project teams constructively on under-recovery, weak forecasting, scope creep, unresolved claims, billing discipline, documentation quality and accountability. Intervention, Recovery and "When Things Go Wrong" Provide experienced senior intervention where commercial, legal, programme or delivery risk has materialised, including margin erosion, unmanaged scope growth, disputed variations, delayed payment, adverse client positions or project distress. Lead rapid diagnostic reviews of project records, contractual entitlement, programme evidence, commercial position, cost exposure, recovery options and escalation pathways. Develop recovery plans with project leadership, legal, finance and regional management, including negotiation strategy, claim substantiation, settlement options, governance approvals and communication protocols. Represent the business in difficult client discussions, steering committees, executive escalations and commercial negotiations requiring senior judgement and calm issue management. Convert lessons from distressed projects into improved bid governance, contract negotiation positions, project launch controls, training material and commercial assurance processes. Project Close-Out Oversee commercial close-out planning to ensure final accounts, outstanding variations, claims, deliverables, payment milestones, warranties, lessons learned and contractual obligations are closed in a structured and timely manner. Drive final billing, cash collection, WIP reconciliation, settlement of commercial issues and confirmation of residual liabilities. Lead or support post-project reviews to assess margin performance, variation recovery, forecasting accuracy, contract lessons, client behaviours and governance effectiveness. Ensure close-out insights inform future bids, pricing strategy, negotiation playbooks, project launch processes and commercial training. Porfolio, Governance and Regional Responsibilities Act as Commercial Director on a major multidisciplinary project in Singapore or provide part-time senior commercial oversight across a portfolio of complex, medium to large, or high-risk projects. Serve on project steering committees for major or high-risk projects, providing senior commercial challenge, escalation support and governance oversight. Establish and maintain a disciplined monthly cycle of project commercial review meetings with Regional Sector and Sub-Sector Operations Directors and key project leaders. Ensure projects are monitored consistently for time-sheeting accuracy, staff cost allocation, invoicing discipline, cash collection, WIP management, variation entitlement, risk movement and forecast margin. Where direct attendance across the full regional portfolio is impractical, cascade review requirements to sub-regional or sub-sector operations teams and require consistent reporting through agreed templates. Consolidate monthly commercial information from regions, sub-regions, sectors and sub-sectors into a clear summary for B+C Commercial Finance and the Global Head, Commercial Operations. Remain responsive to ad-hoc requests from B+C Commercial Finance and Commercial Operations on project red flags, cash collection, Net WIP, aged debt, commercial exposures and other performance indicators. Support the development of unified reporting templates, project performance dashboards, PowerBI-style outputs, automated commercial workflows, AI-enabled review tools and data-led early warning indicators for Buildings & Cities executive visibility. Leadership, Mentorship and Capability Building Mentor project commercial managers, project managers, project directors and emerging commercial leaders on major project commercial discipline, contract awareness, negotiation strategy and recovery practice. Build commercial capability across the region by developing and delivering practical training modules on commercial management, variation management, WIP control, project launch discipline, risk escalation and close-out. Promote a commercially mature culture that balances client service, delivery excellence and disciplined protection of business interests. About you Significant senior commercial leadership experience on major projects, preferably within professional services, engineering consultancy, infrastructure, buildings, cities, transport, water, environment or multidisciplinary delivery environments. Minimum 15+ years’ experience preferred. Demonstrated experience across the full project lifecycle, including bid strategy, preferred-bidder negotiation, project launch, delivery, change management, risk management, project recovery and close-out. Strong working knowledge of commercial project governance, contract administration, project controls interfaces, programme-related commercial issues, claims, variations, WIP and cash management. Experience operating with senior clients, joint venture partners, legal teams, finance teams, regional operations leadership and executive stakeholders. Track record of mentoring commercial and project teams and improving commercial governance across a portfolio, region or business line. Singapore or Asia regional project experience is preferred, particularly on complex, high-value or high-risk consulting, design, programme management or advisory projects. We value equity, diversity and inclusion and are committed to creating a work environment where everyone feels a sense of belonging and is empowered to do their best. We recognise the importance of a diverse and inclusive workplace to drive innovation and shared learning across our growing global network. Join us and be part of a culture where we rise together, deliver excellence, and expand what’s possible. At Surbana Jurong, we put talent, hard work, teamwork and a fun workplace together to approach problems and solve them creatively and collaboratively. Join us in making a positive impact on the world!