Location: Bournemouth
Hours: Full-time 37 hours | Permanent
Draken believes in fair reward and recognition for our employees. As such, we offer competitive salaries and a comprehensive benefits package including up to 12% matching pension contributions, bonus incentives, discounted PMI, electric car scheme, tech vouchers, wellbeing programmes and much more.
About the Role
As Senior Commercial Manager, you will play a key role in supporting and, where appropriate, leading commercial activity across existing programmes and new business opportunities. Working within cross‑functional teams, you will act as a commercial expert—helping to shape and deliver commercial strategies that support Draken’s business objectives.
This role requires the ability to interpret complex commercial, financial and technical data and translate it into pragmatic commercial solutions that drive performance, manage risk and maximise value.
Key Responsibilities
- Monitor, manage and report on the commercial performance of programmes to ensure business objectives are achieved
- Draft contracts, agreements and bespoke clauses for new and existing business
- Identify and manage contractual change throughout the contract lifecycle, maximising opportunity while mitigating risk
- Support the preparation of business cases and briefing materials for Senior Management and Board reviews
- Support programme delivery and bid financial performance within multi‑functional teams
- Work closely with Finance to support invoicing and cash collection processes
- Produce contractual performance reports for customers
- Develop and deliver innovative commercial solutions to support bids, proposals and customer requirements, including complex due diligence activities
- Negotiate a wide range of commercial agreements and manage non‑routine contractual issues through senior stakeholders
- Own key commercial aspects of programmes, including customer relationships, dispute resolution, risk analysis and mitigation
- Contribute to cross‑functional continuous improvement initiatives
- Ensure robust contract administration and governance throughout programme delivery
Essential Skills & Experience
- Proven experience managing large, complex contracts, ideally with UK MOD customers
- Must be capable of drafting contracts, agreements and bespoke clauses for new and existing business
- Degree‑level qualification (or equivalent professional experience). Legal qualification desired.
- Experience negotiating commercial agreements within the Defence sector (aerospace industry experience is desirable)
- Strong experience in programme financial management, including risk and opportunity management
- Demonstrable customer relationship management experience
- Excellent communication skills with a positive, flexible and collaborative approach
- A strong track record of problem‑solving and driving performance through others
- Willingness and ability to travel occasionally within the UK
- Experience negotiating and managing UK Defence contractual frameworks
Our employee values
Draken is committed to eliminating unlawful and unfair discrimination and we celebrate the differences that a diverse workforce brings. A range of perspective and talent supports our values and drives our success, with a mix of voices generating better discussions, business decisions and outcomes for all.
At all our sites internationally, every member of the Draken team is accountable to ensure that we are all treated fairly and with respect.
We are also an Armed Forces friendly organisation, and as part of our commitment to the Armed Forces Covenant, welcome applications from veterans and services spouses and partners who met the criteria in our job specifications.
In line with our Disability Confident Commitments, we provide reasonable adjustments to facilitate our interview process, please liaise with us if any reasonable adjustments are required.
