Senior Commercial Manager

Thales
Location: Bristol, United Kingdom

A Joint Venture between Thales (67%) and Leonardo (33%), Thales Alenia Space is a global space manufacturer delivering, for more than 40 years, high-tech solutions for telecommunications, navigation, Earth Observation, environmental management, exploration, science and orbital infrastructures. Thanks to our diversity of skills, talents and cultures, our customers (governments, institutions, space agencies, telecommunications operators), therefore have Space to Connect, Secure & Defend, Observe & Protect, Explore, Travel & Navigate.

Together we offer fantastic opportunities for committed employees to learn and develop their career with us. At Thales UK, we research, develop, and supply technology and services that impact the lives of millions of people each day to make life better, and keep us safer. We innovate across five major industries; Aerospace, Defence, Ground Transportation, Security and Space. Your health and well-being matters to us and that’s why we offer you the flexibility to do what’s important to you; whether that’s part time hours, job sharing, home working, or the ability to flex your start and finish times. Where possible, we support a working pattern that suits your lifestyle and helps you reach your ambitions.

Perimeter

Thales Alenia Space is a key player in space activities, in particular in the domain of telecommunication, navigation, Earth Observation, radar, orbital infrastructures for both civil and military applications as well as for institutional or commercial customers and proposes a wide range of equipment and solutions in relation thereof.

Thales Alenia Space UK Ltd is looking for a Senior Commercial and Contracts Manager.

Localisation

The position is based in Bristol (UK).

Reporting

The Senior Commercial and Contracts Manager reports to the Head of Legal and Contracts/Chief Compliance Officer of Thales Alenia Space.

Mission

The Senior Commercial and Contracts Manager manages legal, contract management and compliance activities across projects while ensuring the commercial health of Thales Alenia Space UK Limited business is safeguarded by securing agreements that minimize commercial risk, maximize financial outturn and optimize commercial opportunities.

The Senior Commercial and Contracts Manager is responsible for all contractual/commercial aspects and associated issues for the projects/programs they are assigned to. He or She is responsible for safeguarding and ensuring the efficiency of risk management and legal compliance of the company.

Main Responsibilities

The general mission is to ensure that all commitments taken by Thales Alenia Space UK are secured from a commercial standpoint, in particular:

• Provide to key stakeholders and customers a high quality, cost effective and user-friendly contractual and commercial services in a timely, proactive and solution-oriented manner, taking into account the business objectives, legal and compliance issues and the contractual risk and associated liabilities.
• Practice enhance contract management culture and awareness within Thales Alenia Space UK through the effective deployment of skills, advice and where appropriate training
• Ensure that the company’s Compliance programme is adhered to by actively deploying process and being a point of contact for issues and questions as they arise

• Liaise and cooperate in a pro-active, timely and transparent matter with key project and business stakeholders across Thales Alenia Space.

• To provide expertise in dispute management and claim resolution.
• Providing a customer interface on contractual and commercial matters

And more precisely:

• Understand and manage complex supply chains from a contractual perspective – upstream and downstream.
• Ensure that contractual, commercial, legislative and technical risks, liabilities and opportunities (ability to understand technical and commercial aspects of contracts) to the business are identified and minimized/optimized and the company’s operating needs are met all along a project (from bid phase to contract performance and close out).
• Produce, review, amend and approve all legal and contractual documents for the company.
• Conduct responsibilities in line with their delegated authority/signature for the company/companies included their defined perimeter of responsibility.
• Participate in drafting and negotiations of contracts and agreements (with clients, partners, suppliers etc.) and support/avoid legal conflict and optimise the flowdown and allocation of business risk.
• As required and where necessary on an ad-hoc basis provide contractual support in the participation in bidding and tendering procedures, including award review procedures and teaming agreements and the construct of commercial proposals and offerings in line with business approvals, processes and procedures.
• Manage in coordination with the litigation Department of Thales and all claims, disputes and litigations in its perimeter.
• Attend to Group L&C trainings, events and conventions on a case by case and need-to-know basis.
• Interface with appointed outside legal counsel as necessary

Education and experience

• Degree educated in Business or Law, preferably in UK Law
• Significant professional experience (minimum of 5 years) as an in-house Commercial/Contract Manager with broad involvement in an international commercial and operational environment
• Expertise and working knowledge in Contract and Corporate law and compliance matters (antitrust, prevention of corruption, Personal Data protection and Trade Compliance)
• Professional proficiency in English (Mandatory). French would be a plus.

Personal skills

• Strong organizational and analytical skills
• Good negotiator and strong interpersonal skills
• High level of commitment to service delivery and ability to work under pressure
• Operational and proactive with good management of priorities and workload ;
• Strong team player and willing to share knowledge ;
• Good and effective communication skills as well as good interpersonal and intercultural awareness to work in diverse teams.
• Willingness to travel when required to fulfill the requirements of the role

In line with Thales’ Baseline Security requirements, candidates will be asked to provide evidence of identity, eligibility to work in the UK and employment and/or education history for up to three years. Some vacancies may require full Security Clearance which can require further evidence to be provided. For further details of the evidence required to apply for Baseline and Security Clearance please refer to the Defence Business Services National Security Vetting (DBS NSV) Agency.

At Thales we provide CAREERS and not only jobs. With Thales employing 80,000 employees in 68 countries our mobility policy enables thousands of employees each year to develop their careers at home and abroad, in their existing areas of expertise or by branching out into new fields. Together we believe that embracing flexibility is a smarter way of working.

Thales UK is committed to providing an inclusive and barrier-free recruitment process. We will provide reasonable adjustments and support to ensure neuro-diverse applicants or those with a disability or long-term condition can be their best during the recruitment process. To request an adjustment, if you need this job advert in an alternative format or if you have any questions about the recruitment process, please contact Resourcing Ops for mid to senior roles, or the Early Careers Team for graduate and apprentice roles.

Great journeys start here, apply now!