Title:  Senior Commercial Manager

About John Holland

At John Holland, our purpose is simple – we transform lives with everything we do.

We’ve always known that infrastructure is about people — our customers, our employees, and the communities in which we work every day.

That’s our difference. Deep experience and capability with genuine care about creating better lives for people along the way.

Be part of the team that’s up for the challenge of transforming lives for good.

About North Western Program Alliance

North Western Program Alliance (NWPA) consists of five Alliance partners – John Holland, KBR, MTM, V/Line and the client (VIDA Rail), working together as one team to achieve shared goals.  

Since 2017, the Victorian Government has entrusted North Western Program Alliance (NWPA) and our Alliance partners to remove dangerous and congested level crossings, deliver new rail stations and infrastructure, and create more community open spaces.

Our Alliance currently has four projects in delivery and two in development phase, along with the successful delivery of ten level crossing removal projects (17LX) and several premium stations and a Tram Maintenance Facility. 

We’re proud to make a real difference to the lives of people on our program of works and in the communities in which we operate. Our values are Care, Excellence, Creativity and Empowerment.  

We are looking for a Senior Commercial Manager to join our team based at Sunshine on a full-time permanent basis.

Role responsibilities

The Senior Commercial Manager is responsible for promoting, encouraging, and supporting senior management and project teams in the implementation of effective commercial practices, ensuring sound contractual management, strong financial discipline, and informed decision‑making that protects value and drives successful project outcomes.

• Lead end‑to‑end commercial management for allocated downstream packages, from contract award through to final account and close‑out.
• Ensure project teams comply with commercial requirements under customer contracts and major/high‑risk subcontracts in accordance with company policies and procedures.
• Interpret tender documentation and apply contractual and commercial principles at both Head Contract and Subcontract levels throughout the project lifecycle.
• Provide expert commercial advice to project commercial teams and project management, including the proactive management of commercial risks, contract issues, disputes, and claims, escalating and reporting matters to senior management as required.
• Manage all subcontract commercial matters, including the review, approval, and acceptance of proposed major/high‑risk subcontracts and other subcontract arrangements in accordance with delegated authorities and company procedures.
• Lead the identification and quantification of Head Contract scope changes, including the preparation, submission, and negotiation of variations and claims with the Client.
• Negotiate contract terms and conditions with clients and subcontractors, as authorised by senior management.
• Build and lead a high‑performing team while actively engaging stakeholders to maintain strong, productive relationships with clients, subcontractors, communities, and external partners.
• Drive healthy commercial and financial risk management, ensuring accurate forecasting, effective project controls, and full compliance with Alliance policies, procedures, systems, and Charter behaviours.

About you

• Bachelor’s degree or equivalent in a relevant discipline (e.g. Law, Commerce, Accounting, Quantity Surveying, Business).
• Extensive commercial and contract administration experience (15+ years) across construction and engineering projects, including 2–5 years in a commercial management capacity.
• Advanced expertise in project contract administration, business administration, and project management procedures.
• Strong capability in commercial performance reporting and legislative compliance to mitigate business risk.

As part of the team, you can help us transform lives.

Your success is reflected in ours, so we’re committed to being an employer of choice. We pride ourselves on having a diverse and inclusive workplace, as we understand that different perspectives and ideas are critical to our long-term success.

We want you to be with us for the long term, so providing you with rich career experiences and ongoing development is our priority.

What’s in it for you

We’re about connecting your sense of purpose to ours. We understand that your career is one of the biggest ways to have an impact on the world. We also believe in supporting you as a whole person, not just an employee.

We reward and support our people in so many ways. This starts with being flexible about how different people like to work. From generous leave policies to wellbeing and relationship support, your needs sit at the heart of our employee benefits.

We offer

• Competitive remuneration with salary continuance, and salary sacrifice options.
• Great leave benefits including 18 weeks paid parental leave with super and up to an extra 18 weeks of super paid on further periods of unpaid parental leave, multicultural leave exchange and two extra days to prioritise your wellbeing.
• Career progression underpinned by our exciting pipeline of work means you’ll have the opportunity to work on iconic projects that are shaping cities and communities.

• Learning and development opportunities where you’ll have access to emerging talent programs, building your career through clear career pathways, plus technical and leadership training and development opportunities.
• Inclusion, diversity and equity is part of how we work. We want everyone at John Holland to feel that they belong – that’s why we’re working hard every day to foster a more inclusive culture, backed by a business-wide inclusion strategy to bring about meaningful change. We’ve also got active employee resource groups that support our commitments including those around gender equality and reconciliation.
• Flexible working that works for you as we know flexibility means different things to different people. Whether it’s flexi-hours, flexi-parenting, flexi-leave, flexi-shifts or flexi-work, we’re committed to helping our people work flexibly.