Position Available: Principal Commercial Officer

Location: Hertfordshire

Salary: Up to £52,000 (DoE) + Bonus

Experience needed: We're seeking a seasoned Commercial Contracts professional with a proven record of leading high-value bids, contract negotiations, and complex agreement management within a regulated or engineering-focused environment.

About the role:

You'll join a high-performing Commercial team working across early-phase innovation and established programmes, supporting the full contract lifecycle from bid through delivery. The role requires confident ownership of commercial strategy, risk, and customer engagement. You'll take the lead in negotiations, advise senior stakeholders, and ensure that all contractual and commercial activity aligns with business objectives and governance standards.

Key Responsibilities:

• Lead or support the end-to-end commercial management of bids and contracts - from proposal through negotiation, execution, and delivery
• Draft, review, and negotiate complex contractual documents, including NDAs, teaming agreements, and MoUs
• Advise senior stakeholders on commercial risk, IP, liabilities, export controls, and contract law considerations
• Act as the primary commercial interface for internal and external stakeholders, presenting commercial positions clearly and persuasively
• Ensure adherence to governance and compliance processes, maintaining accurate data within SAP and other commercial systems
• Support continuous improvement across commercial processes and contribute to mentoring less experienced team members

What we need from you:

• Extensive experience managing complex, high-value contracts in defence, aerospace, engineering, or a similarly regulated industry
• Proven track record of leading commercial negotiations and delivering successful contract outcomes
• Strong understanding of contract law, IP, DEFCONs (or equivalent frameworks), and industry-standard terms and conditions
• Demonstrated experience in bidding and proposal development, including commercial strategy and pricing
• Excellent communication and stakeholder management skills ~ confident, collaborative, and commercially astute
• Ideally degree-qualified in Law, Business, or a related discipline, and/or membership of a professional body such as the IACCM or CIPS

If you would like to know more details about the position or want to register your interest, hit apply below. We'd love to hear from you!