The role of a Commercial Manager

The Government has increased its drive to expand the UK infrastructure sector. As they plan to increase the construction projects, this opens up the need for highly experienced Commercial Managers to potentially manage small to large scale projects across the country.

A Commercial Manager within the construction industry is a professional responsible for financial management of projects, recognising business opportunities and putting together bids to win new business.

They will negotiate and agree new contracts which can be worth millions of pounds to the company. Strategically expanding is a key role/maybe component for a commercial manager who works to expand, preserve or improve procedures, standards or policies whilst sticking to regulatory guidelines.

Experience

Commercial managers are generally Quantity Surveyors who have risen through the ranks and distinguished themselves as good leaders and extremely well organised workers. Typically having over 8-10 years construction industry experience, however, you can successfully move in to a Commercial Manager role from an engineering background.

Qualifications are not essential however they are highly desirable for a Commercial Manager role. These qualifications are a BSc (Hons) in Commercial Management and Quantity Surveying. This covers a mixture of construction aspects, together with specialist modules required for a career in Quantity Surveying and Commercial Management. Earning a chartered status allows you to receive universal recognition within your profession so it is also seen as desirable to becoming chartered. You can achieve this by completing the Royal Institute of Chartered Surveyors (RICs) Assessment of Professionals Competence (APC) while working as a Quantity Surveyor.

A typical day for a Commercial Manager

Every day is different for a Commercial Manager, here are just some of the daily tasks you would get up to:

• Resolving contractual and commercial problems
• Risk assessment
• Discovering areas that are not in-keeping with regulation practices
• Reviewing/developing operational process flows
• Overseeing financial KPIs
• Ensuring that all stakeholders understand and adhere to contractual obligations
• Ensuring that the financial aspects and impact of a contract are clear to all parties
• Management/mentoring/training of other Quantity Surveyors

Whats next?

A large range or businesses employ Commercial Managers across the UK construction industry and due to the growth the construction industry has experienced, the demand is high for skilled Commercial Managers.

Most Commercial Managers work for contractors or sub-contractors. Larger consultancy businesses also hire Commercial Managers however within the consultancy sector most Commercial Manager level professionals would be known as Senior, Managing Quantity Surveyors or Associate Quantity Surveyors.

Smaller companies will often give you more exposure and responsibility in a shorter space of time. Their smaller projects will generally have a Commercial Manager overseeing a geographical region and overseeing all projects. Compared to a larger company that tends to offer the opportunity to work on larger and higher profile projects which can aid a clearer route for career progression.

If you are looking for a Commercial Manager role or another role within Construction and Engineering we cover a variety of roles within the sector. Get in touch and let us discuss how we can help you take the next step in your career.