1. JOB PURPOSE

The Branch Commercial Manager is the primary custodian of each contract’s financial health and contractual integrity. The purpose of this role is to maximise profit margins and safeguard the company against commercial risk through the meticulous administration of construction contracts (primarily FIDIC) and the rigorous management of project costs.

This role requires a “zero-defect” mindset. The incumbent is expected to provide an uncompromising level of detail in reporting, ensure 100% contractual compliance to prevent “time-barring” of claims, and manage cash flow with extreme precision. You are the “Commercial Shield” of the branch, ensuring that every variation is captured, every certificate is paid, and every sub-contractor is managed with absolute discipline.

2. KEY JOB OUTPUTS AND ELEMENTS

Output 1: Meticulous Contractual Administration & Claim Management

Protect the firm’s entitlement through aggressive and precise application of contract conditions.

  • Notice Compliance: Ensure every contractual notice (Delay, Variation, Force Majeure) is issued within the strict timeframes dictated by FIDIC or bespoke DFI contracts—zero tolerance for “time-barred” claims.
  • Claim Formulation: Lead the preparation of complex extension of time (EOT) and disruption claims, ensuring they are backed by incontrovertible contemporary records and forensic delay analysis.
  • Dispute Resolution: Act as the lead negotiator in commercial disputes with clients and consultants, utilizing a deep understanding of contract law to defend the firm’s position.
  • Document Control: Oversight of a commercial filing system where every instruction, email, and site diary is archived for potential adjudication or arbitration.

Output 2: Contract Reconciliation (CR)

Provide the “single version of the truth” regarding project profitability through rigorous data analysis.

  • Monthly CRs: Produce highly detailed monthly Cost Reconciliations, ensuring that “Actual Cost” vs. “Value Earned” is scrutinized at the component level.
  • Margin Protection: Identify “margin erosion” early and implement immediate commercial strategies to recover costs.
  • Budgetary Control: Oversight of project budgets within Buildsmart, ensuring that no procurement occurs without a valid budget and that over-expenditure is blocked before it happens.
  • Final Accounts: Drive the timeous settlement of project final accounts, ensuring no “tail” of unresolved commercial issues remains after practical completion.

Output 3: Cash Flow Optimization & Payment Lifecycle

Ensure the branch remains liquid through aggressive management of the payment cycle.

  • Payment Certificates: Oversee the submission of high-quality, error-free monthly payment applications to ensure immediate approval by the Engineer.
  • Collection Strategy: Manage overdue payments from government departments and DFIs.
  • Sub-contractor Control: Implement “Back-to-Back” payment terms with sub-contractors, ensuring the firm’s cash flow is never compromised by sub-contractor over-payment.
  • Retention Management: Track and secure the timely release of retention monies and performance bonds.

Output 4: Procurement & Sub-contract Management

Negotiate and manage external costs with the same level of scrutiny applied to internal costs.

  • Vetting & Onboarding: Conduct rigorous commercial due diligence on all major sub-contractors and suppliers.
  • Water-tight Agreements: Ensure all sub-contracts are drafted with clear scopes of work, rigid penalty clauses (LDs), and strictly defined measurement criteria.
  • Variation Control: Strictly manage sub-contractor variation orders, ensuring no additional work is paid for without a signed-off Site Instruction (SI).

3. MINIMUM REQUIREMENTS (EDUCATION & EXPERIENCE)

Education

  • Primary Degree: B.Sc. or B.Tech in Quantity Surveying or Construction Management.
  • Post-Graduate: A Diploma in Construction Law.
  • Professional Registration: Pr.QS (South African Council for the Quantity Surveying Profession).

Experience

  • Total Career: Minimum of 15 years in the civil engineering construction sector.
  • Seniority: At least 7 years in a Commercial Manager role for a large-scale contractor.
  • DFI / Government Focus: Proven experience managing multi-million dollar projects funded by the AfDB, World Bank, or EIB.
  • Contractual Expertise: Expert-level knowledge of the FIDIC Suite (Red, Yellow, and Silver books) and the NEC3/4 framework.

4. CORE COMPETENCIES & TECHNICAL SKILLS

Technical Skills

  • Software Mastery: Expert-level proficiency in RIB CCS (Candy) and Buildsmart is non-negotiable.
  • Forensic Auditing: The ability to audit a Bill of Quantities (BoQ) to find hidden risks or opportunities for value engineering.
  • Financial Modelling: High proficiency in Excel for complex cash flow forecasting and “what-if” margin analysis.
  • Reporting: Ability to produce reports that are concise, accurate, and visually professional.

Behavioural Competencies

  • Extreme Attention to Detail: A “pedantic” focus on the fine print.
  • Unshakeable Integrity: Total transparency in reporting, even when the news is bad.
  • Aggressive Negotiation: A “firm but fair” approach that ensures the company’s interests are always prioritized.
  • Resilience: The mental stamina to work the hours required by a demanding, high-growth environment and a demanding leadership team.

5. KEY PERFORMANCE INDICATORS (KPIs)

  1. Claim Recovery Rate: Percentage of submitted claims vs. successfully settled claims (Target: >85%).
  2. Budget Variance: Ensuring final project margins do not deviate negatively from the original “Tender Margin” by more than 1%.
  3. Cash Flow Neutrality: Ensuring projects remain cash-flow positive or neutral through the duration of the works.
  4. Reporting Accuracy: Zero errors in monthly CR reporting.
  5. Notice Compliance: 100% of all contractual notices issued within the mandated time-bars.