Director - Commercial

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Kent is recruiting for a Director of Commercial & Procurement to lead the commercial function for the Asia Pacific (APAC) region. This is a senior regional leadership role with primary accountability for commercial strategy, pre and post-contract management, contract administration, risk and claims management across APAC projects (EPC, EPCM, E&C and O&M), and functional leadership of procurement, sub-contracting and the preservation of company assets across the region.

The role works closely with the APAC SVP, VP’s and Project Directors to protect commercial performance and margin, ensure contractual discipline across all projects, and ensure procurement and subcontracting activity is delivered to the highest commercial standard as the business grows.

Your responsibilities

Pre-Contract Commercial Leadership

The Director is accountable for all commercial activity during the bid and pre-award phase, including:

• Member of the senior leadership team with functional responsibility for Commercial & Procurement across the Asia Pacific (APAC) region, working closely with the business SVP.

• Own commercial strategy and governance across APAC and champion the Kent culture and way of working across commercial and procurement teams.

• At tender stage, review enquiry documents, lead identification of commercial and contractual risk areas, and advise executive management accordingly.

• Lead the structuring of commercial and compensation models for bids, including EPC lump sum, reimbursable, target cost and collaborative frameworks, adapting contract models to allocate risk to the party best placed to manage it.

• Ensure all bid submissions are subject to appropriate Delegation of Authority (DOA) governance and commercial approvals before submission, including pricing sign-off, risk register review and executive endorsement.

• Lead contract negotiations with Clients from bid through to award, including negotiating key commercial terms, risk allocation and compensation structures.

• Oversee the development and delivery of a Commercial, Legal and Administrative Handbook for each project at award, providing the project team with a plain-English guide to contractual obligations, notice requirements, time bars and entitlement preservation strategies.

• Participate in project Kick Off meetings to ensure commercial staff placement and procedures are clearly understood and implemented from day one.

Post-Contract Commercial Leadership

The Director is accountable for the commercial performance and contractual integrity of all active projects across the APAC region, including:

• Provide end-to-end commercial leadership across all projects from award through delivery, close-out and final account, ensuring commercial outcomes are achieved and obligations are managed.

• Lead head/prime contract governance, ensuring project teams understand and comply with all contract requirements, and maintain registers covering notices, correspondence, variations and claims.

• Advise project management staff on the form and structure of interim and final certificates, payment claims and contractual notices, by reviewing the appropriate conditions of contract.

• Ensure close co-operation between commercial and planning staff on progress assessment, dayworks accounting, and identification and evaluation of variations, implementing procedures and paper flow to support timely and accurate reporting.

• Oversee contractual claims across the region, ensuring project staff maintain accurate contemporaneous records, and that claims and EOT submissions are prepared to a high standard and presented to clients in a timely manner.

• Lead negotiations with clients and subcontractors on claims, variations, procedures and other commercial matters, including settlement negotiations and, where required, dispute resolution and arbitration proceedings.

• Direct commercial performance management (margin, revenue, cost, cash, DSO and working capital) in partnership with Project Controls and Finance, including robust forecasting, governance reviews and clear executive reporting.

• Report in detail on the commercial status of all current APAC work to the EVP and global leadership on a monthly basis.

• Keep abreast of changes to commercial, contractual and regulatory matters across APAC jurisdictions, including Security of Payment legislation relevant to each project location.

• The Commercial Director provides commercial and contractual support to the procurement and supply chain function across APAC, with particular focus on ensuring appropriate alignment between head contract obligations and downstream procurement and subcontracting arrangements.

• Support procurement and project teams in developing procurement and subcontracting strategies that appropriately reflect the head contract commercial framework, risk allocation and project delivery model.

• Ensure appropriate flow-down of relevant head contract terms and commercial obligations into subcontracts, purchase orders and consultancy agreements, including liability, indemnity, insurance, IP, confidentiality, variations, claims and other key risk provisions.

• Provide commercial review, advice and negotiation support for key subcontracts, engineered packages, consultancy agreements and other strategically or commercially significant procurements.

• Advise procurement and project teams on contractual and commercial risks arising through the supply chain, including departures, qualifications, claims, variations and supplier/subcontractor performance matters.

• Support the development and application of appropriate commercial controls and contracting practices across procurement and subcontracting activities.

• Provide commercial input into the resolution of significant supplier and subcontractor claims, disputes, settlements and final accounts.

Insurance: Custodian of Project Insurance Certificates

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• Act as the regional custodian for all project insurance certificates across APAC, liaising with the Kent Group Insurance department to ensure certificates are current, adequate and aligned to each contract's insurance requirements.

• Review head contract insurance obligations at bid and award stage and confirm coverage is in place before project commencement.

• Provide project teams with the relevant certificates of currency as required under their respective contracts, ensuring timely provision to clients in accordance with contractual notice and compliance obligations.

• Monitor certificate expiry dates across all active projects and manage renewal and reissuance in coordination with the Group Insurance function.

Escalate any gaps in coverage or uninsurable risks to executive management and legal counsel promptly

Team & Staffing

• Ensure commercial and procurement staff are of the standard and calibre necessary to expedite Company requirements, building and mentoring functional teams across APAC as the business grows.

• Work with the SVP, Project Managers/Directors to verify and enhance the competency of commercial and supply chain staff through assessment and training programs.

• Assist with the structure and staffing of major commercial and procurement functions on projects in the appropriate location.

• Ensure the commercial and procurement functions have the capability and systems to support the proposals team in providing quotations for equipment, materials and sub- contract services for tenders.

Reporting & Governance

• Monitor internal and external stakeholder satisfaction with the services provided by the Commercial and Supply Chain functions.

• Prepare monthly Commercial and Supply Chain reports for APAC and global reporting.

• Identify areas of commercial and supply chain risk and recommend and drive implementation of corrective actions.

• Ensure all commercial activities are conducted within Kent's Delegation of Authority (DOA) framework, escalating decisions appropriately and maintaining a clear audit trail of approvals.

• Any other ad hoc duties as assigned from time to time.

Your knowledge/skills, education, and experience:

• Degree or Professional Qualification in Quantity Surveying, Commercial Management, Construction Management, Law, Business, Engineering or a related discipline.

• PMP/PMI desirable

• MBA desirable

• Negotiating skills

• Excellent organizational skills and ability to respect deadlines

• Demonstrated experience in both pre-contract (bid, negotiation, award) and post-contract (delivery, claims, close-out) commercial management at senior level.

• Proven track record in claims formulation, dispute resolution and negotiated settlements
• Agile and pragmatic and accustomed to delivering standardised outcomes in a highly dynamic environment

• Excellent interpersonal skills with proven ability to deliver successful outcomes through dispersed teams

• Strong commercial acumen, including operational and financial planning as well as contractual/risk management discipline

• PC Skills, MS Office specifically excel

• Analytical skills associated with developing and utilizing performance measures and cost savings

• Ideally experienced in Oil & Gas sector

As an Equal Opportunities Employer and a disability-friendly employer, we welcome applications from all backgrounds and are committed to making our recruitment process accessible and inclusive for everyone.