Senior Contracts Manager (Engineering Heavy Maintenance)

Heavy Maintenance is crucial for keeping Northern’s fleet safe, reliable, and ready for service. As Senior Contracts Manager, you will play a pivotal role in ensuring this operational success.

Responsibilities:

• Lead and assure the delivery of Heavy Maintenance (HM) by Northern and third-party providers, ensuring work is completed safely, to specification, and with available materials.
• Collaborate closely with Train Control Centre (TCC) management, depots, engineering teams, and suppliers to maintain HM activity flow and resolve issues promptly.
• Manage HM contracts and significant budgets with a strong commercial focus, protecting Northern’s interests and ensuring supplier delivery.
• Oversee Additional Arising Work (AAW), assess proposed work value, and pursue warranty claims and liquidated damages when appropriate.
• Lead and direct the HM team to ensure contracted workloads are delivered safely, efficiently, and to required standards.
• Manage approximately £15m of HM materials and £7m of external HM contracts, controlling spend and ensuring alignment with budgets.
• Monitor supplier safety, quality, performance, cost, and contractual compliance.
• Work closely with TCC management, depots, engineering teams, and the supply chain to ensure HM work is delivered on time and to specification.
• Oversee additional arising work, ensuring requests are assessed, challenged, and delivered using the best-value solution.
• Identify opportunities to reduce HM material costs, including evaluating in-house component overhauls for commercial benefit.
• Ensure warranty claims and liquidated damages are pursued to protect Northern’s financial and contractual position.
• Monitor supplier performance and take action when delivery, quality, safety, or contractual commitments are not met.
• Build strong working relationships with Depot Production Managers, HM Team Leaders, Depot Planning Managers, Engineering Finance, Production Support, and Technical teams.
• Engage with external partners including rolling stock operating companies (ROSCOs), Wabtec Rail, and Unipart.
• Lead contract review meetings to ensure performance, safety, quality, and commercial issues are understood and addressed.
• Provide clear assurance to senior colleagues on contract performance, costs, risks, and delivery.
• Deputise for the Fleet Commercial Manager as required.
• Uphold safety as paramount, challenging unsafe or unacceptable delivery and taking appropriate action when HM work does not meet standards.

About you:

• Strong experience in contract management within an engineering, rail, or similarly complex operational environment.
• Proven People Management experience, including contract management.
• Experience managing suppliers, contracts, and significant budgets.
• Good understanding of heavy maintenance and depot working environments.
• Knowledge of rail vehicles and their maintenance requirements for safety and reliability.
• Strong commercial awareness with the confidence to challenge costs, performance, and contractual commitments.
• Excellent communication skills and ability to build effective relationships with internal teams and external suppliers.
• Sound judgment to make decisions, manage competing priorities, and take action when standards or commitments are not met.
• Proactive approach to improving supplier performance, controlling costs, and finding better-value solutions.
• A management qualification is beneficial, but experience and leadership in contract and supplier management are key.

What's in it for you:

• Free Travel: Unlimited free travel for you, your partner, and dependents on Northern services, with discounts on other UK and European networks.
• Generous Pension Scheme: Employer contributions match 1.5 times your contribution.
• Enhanced Family Benefits: 9 months full pay for maternity leave and 2 weeks for paternity leave.
• Cycle to Work Scheme: Save up to 42% on a bike with spread payment options.
• Exclusive Discounts: Access to Northern Perks for shopping and wellbeing.
• Employee Assistance Programme: 24/7 support for family and lifestyle matters.
• Training and Career Development: Tailored training, recognised qualifications, and enhanced career pathways.
• Recognition Schemes: Northern Lights and Northern Sparks Awards to celebrate achievements.

Northern is committed to connecting communities, creating opportunities, and driving sustainable growth. Join us at a pivotal moment in rail history as we enhance rail travel and the customer experience.

Northern is dedicated to building an inclusive team where everyone feels they belong. We offer reasonable adjustments during the application process and are a Level 2 Disability Confident employer.