Contracts/Commercial Manager – Hospitality Projects (Middle East)

Supporting hospitality projects including hotels, stadiums, museums, and hospitals across the Middle East, ensuring a robust commercial strategy and contractual compliance. Leads contract administration, procurement, cost control, and management of variations and claims while safeguarding client interests throughout the project lifecycle. Provides commercial guidance, risk management, and dispute resolution support to ensure projects are delivered in line with contractual, financial, and performance objectives.

Key responsibilities include:

• Ensuring that the requirements of the contract documents are implemented and maintained throughout the contract period.
• Assisting in the review of contractual notices of claims and providing contractual advice to the engineering team in their administration of the construction contract.
• Interacting with client representatives, project management and supervision consultants, and relevant contractors regarding all contractual matters.
• Reviewing all contract documents to ensure congruity and minimize patent and latent ambiguities.
• Implementing, updating, and communicating the risk register pertaining to all ongoing commercial and contract matters with the client team and consultants.
• Managing commercial risks by advising the client of potential claims, rough order of magnitude, and necessary actions toward claim avoidance and dispute resolution.
• Assisting with administration of ongoing contracts, including monitoring contractor and commission compliance with contract documents.
• Preparing correspondence and maintaining records necessary to ensure effective administration of all contractual matters.
• Facilitating the preparation of contract changes and preparing relevant variation orders.
• Responsible for the change management process, initiating all credit change orders whenever applicable.
• Facilitating contract close-out procedures to ensure all terms and conditions of contracts have been complied with prior to final payment to the contractor.
• Ensuring all contractual procedures are implemented and maintained.
• Assisting in the review of contractor’s claims in accordance with the provisions of the conditions of contract and ensuring the client’s interests are protected.
• Ensuring all warranties, bonds, insurances, guarantees, and related documents are in place, maintained, and updated in accordance with the contract and client requirements.
• Managing contract closeout documentation, including items to be completed, amounts to be withheld for final completion, and review of taking over certificates.
• Preparing and maintaining engineer’s instructions, variation orders, and claim logs.
• Assisting in the preparation of monthly progress reports.
• Providing support on all contractual and commercial matters.
• Validating consultants’ and contractors’ interim and final payment applications from a commercial perspective, including any variations from guaranteed maximum price figures, contractor compliance with payment rules, retentions, back-charges, fees, and taxes.
• Assisting estimation and project control teams regarding contractual implications of change orders.
• Organizing, chairing, and recording commercial meetings and minutes.
• Ensuring compliance with relevant quality, environmental, safety, and occupational health policies, manuals, and procedures.
• Performing other duties as assigned by the line manager or client department head.

Qualifications and experience:

• Bachelor’s degree in civil engineering, quantity surveying, or equivalent.
• Minimum of 20 years’ experience with strong international exposure.
• Preferably a chartered member of the Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors (MRICS).
• Strong background and understanding of FIDIC forms of contract, particularly design and build.
• Knowledgeable in all contractual and legal matters relevant to the industry, including claim management.
• Excellent leadership and organizational skills.
• Excellent command of written and spoken English; Arabic language skills are desirable.
• Experience working internationally, preferably in the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) region.

Additional information:

This position is part of a global program, project, and construction management provider focused on protecting client interests and delivering tailored solutions throughout the construction project lifecycle. The employer is an equal opportunity employer committed to diversity and inclusion.

Note: This job description provides an indication of the nature and levels of work, knowledge, skills, abilities, and other essential functions required for the role. Various other duties may be assigned as needed.