Commercial Manager

Lead commercial outcomes across complex Health and Education PPP contracts, strengthening contractual discipline, managing risk and supporting sustainable performance

At Downer we plan, create and sustain. Downer is the leading provider of integrated services in Australia and New Zealand. Through trusted relationships and world leading insight we work closely with our customers to design, build and sustain assets, infrastructure, and facilities.

We currently have an opportunity for a Commercial Manager with our Health and Education team and play a key role in leading commercial performance across allocated contracts. Reporting to the Head of Commercial, you will help embed strong contractual discipline into day-to-day operations and deliver high-quality outcomes that support our essential services.

This is a contract opportunity for 12+ months to cover paternity leave; commencing January 2027.

What You'll Do

This role offers a broad scope, with key responsibilities including:

• Lead commercial and contractual matters across allocated contracts, including obligations, entitlements, variations, claims and disputes.
• Partner with operational leaders to identify, record, escalate and resolve commercial issues in line with contract requirements.
• Drive risk and opportunity management, including commercial and financial risk assessments, governance and risk register ownership.
• Lead negotiations and commercial management of upstream contracts, subcontracts and supply arrangements.
• Analyse project valuations and contract performance, identify underperformance or opportunity, and implement approved recovery strategies.

What You'll Bring

• Tertiary qualifications in law, commerce, finance, engineering or another relevant discipline.
• Extensive commercial or contract management experience in PPP facilities or asset management environments.
• Experience managing scope expansion, variations, KPI and abatement regimes, contractual disputes and claims.
• Advanced commercial, financial and negotiation capability, including project or contract valuation analysis and governance approvals.
• Strong stakeholder management, communication and decision-making skills, with the ability to perform under tight deadlines and pressure

More than anything, you'll bring a strong work ethic, a positive attitude, and a commitment to delivering high-quality outcomes for our clients.

Why Downer?

At Downer, we plan, create, and sustain essential public services across Australia and New Zealand. From hospitals to data centres and defence partnerships, we manage critical infrastructure that keeps communities thriving.

What It Means to Belong at Downer

We're proud of our high-performance culture and commitment to diversity, offering:

• Training and development to support and diversify your career.
• With 30% of vacancies filled internally you'll find real opportunities to advance your career.
• Perks@Downer: healthcare discounts, great savings on retail purchases, car purchases and much more.
• Employee Assistance Program: professional support for you and your family when you need it most.

You want your work to matter and so do we. With over 26,000 people across Australia, New Zealand and the Pacific, our team is made up of individuals with unique perspectives, backgrounds, and ideas.

We know that diversity makes us stronger and we actively celebrate it through our commitment to inclusion and belonging.

We're committed to building a team that reflects the diverse communities we serve and we welcome people of all ages, genders, sexual orientations, cultures, abilities, and lived experiences. We especially encourage applications from those whose voices have traditionally been underrepresented in our industry, including women, Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Peoples, Māori and Pasifika Peoples, veterans, people with disability, and neurodivergent individuals. Even if your experience doesn't align perfectly with this role, we'd still like to hear from you. If it feels like the right fit, apply - potential counts, and so do you.

As a WORK180 Endorsed Employer, we support flexibility that works for your life, inclusive leadership that values your voice, and equitable access to opportunity so you can do your best work and bring your whole self to it.

If you need support or adjustments through the recruitment process, just let us know, we're here to help you put your best foot forward.

Pre-employment checks

The preferred candidate will be required to complete reference, criminal history, work eligibility and qualification checks, together with the applicable medical assessment and drug and alcohol screening.