Role: Senior Commercial Manager – Customer
Location: Hybrid, based from Derby, Warrington or Manchester
Salary: £75,400 – £93,188, dependent on experience + bonus + excellent benefits
Our mission is to deliver clean, affordable energy for all. Rolls‑Royce SMR provides a British solution to a global energy challenge, leading the way in Small Modular Reactor technology and shaping the UK's premier green export opportunity.
Our Customer Commercial team plays a critical role in shaping the commercial foundations required to secure our first SMR order and deliver future fleet deployment. We partner with strategic customers, developers, suppliers and global partners to establish robust commercial frameworks, negotiate complex agreements and support the long‑term commercial success of the SMR programme.
In this context, we're looking for a Senior Commercial Manager – Customer to lead complex commercial negotiations, shape commercial strategy and mature the commercial capability of a rapidly evolving organisation. Reporting into senior leadership, this role provides the opportunity to influence strategic customer relationships, develop pricing and contracting approaches, and guide the successful delivery of a first‑of‑a‑kind power station and future deployments.
We'll need you to:
* Lead the drafting, negotiation and management of complex commercial agreements with customers and key partners, ensuring strong risk management and commercial clarity.
* Shape and deliver customer‑focused commercial strategies, including pricing models, risk allocation approaches, incentivisation structures and contract frameworks.
* Develop the maturity of the commercial function through improved governance, processes, templates, training and commercial awareness.
* Provide leadership, guidance and direction to Commercial Managers/Officers, supporting their development and resolving complex commercial issues.
* Build strong relationships across internal senior stakeholders, influencing decision‑making in a fast‑paced and ambiguous environment.
* Represent the Commercial Directorate internally and externally, deputising for senior leadership where required.
* Analyse and present complex commercial and technical information in compelling and actionable formats.
As you can see, this is a senior, high‑profile role at the heart of our commercial strategy, and you'll bring strong judgement, leadership capability and first‑class commercial expertise to help shape the UK's clean‑energy future.
You'll bring:
* A degree (or equivalent experience) in Commercial Management, Business, Law, Finance or a related field.
* Proven experience negotiating high‑value and complex commercial contracts, ideally using NEC, FIDIC, JCT, IChemE or bespoke forms.
* Strong knowledge of commercial mechanisms including KPIs, target cost models, pain/gain, variations, milestone payments and cost analysis.
* Experience developing pricing models and analysing cost components including labour, materials, subcontractors and manufacturing.
* Experience leading commercial teams and mentoring more junior staff.
* Experience working in highly regulated environments or similarly complex industries.
* The ability to influence and challenge stakeholders at senior levels, with confidence operating in ambiguity.
* Excellent communication and presentation skills, including experience preparing senior‑level commercial reporting.
* Strong Microsoft Word and Excel capability.
Location & Ways of Working
This role can be based from our Derby, Warrington or Manchester offices, with hybrid working and regular weekly attendance expected. Some UK and international travel may be required depending on customer and project needs.
What's In It for You?
The salary band for this role is £75,400 – £93,188, dependent on the skills, experience and values you bring. We also offer a comprehensive benefits package, including:
* Bonus – performance‑related up to 17%
* Benefits Allowance – £5,000 for a bespoke benefits package
* Pension – 12% employer and 6% employee contributions
* Holidays – 28 days (+ public holidays), with the option to buy/sell up to 4 days
* Private Medical Insurance – BUPA single cover
* Life Assurance – 6× pensionable pay
* £250 one‑off payment for home‑office set‑up
You'll be joining a forward‑thinking organisation that values transparency, fairness and innovation. We offer:
* A flexible, inclusive and supportive working environment.
* Opportunities for career growth in a rapidly scaling business.
* A culture that values diversity, innovation and continuous learning.
Why Join Us?
We are an equal‑opportunities employer and welcome applications from all backgrounds. As a Disability Confident organisation, we are committed to fair, supportive and continually improving recruitment practices that ensure everyone has the opportunity to thrive.
Confidence can sometimes hold people back from applying — but there's no such thing as a "perfect" candidate. If you meet most of the requirements, we would love to hear from you. We also welcome applicants with transferable skills, including those considering a sector‑change.
Our Application Process
Due to safety regulations within the nuclear industry, applicants will be required to participate in additional screening, including:
* Baseline Personnel Security Standard (BPSS) clearance
* Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) check
* Basic financial probity check
LI‑LK1 #LI‑Hybrid
Why Join Us?
You'll be joining a forward-thinking organisation that values transparency, fairness, and innovation. We offer:
* A flexible, inclusive, and supportive working environment.
* Opportunities for career growth in a rapidly scaling business.
* A culture that values diversity, innovation, and continuous learning.
We are an equal opportunities employer and welcome applications from all backgrounds. Inclusivity is important to us, and as a Disability Confident organisation, we are committed to fair, supportive, and continually improving recruitment practices that ensure everyone has the opportunity to thrive.
Confidence can sometimes hold us back from applying for a job. But we'll let you in on a secret: there's no such thing as a 'perfect' candidate. If you feel you meet 75% of the requirements for this role, we would love to hear from you.
Also, if you are considering a career move or a sector-jump, please get in touch – we welcome applications from people with transferable skills.
Our Application Process
Due to the safety regulations within the nuclear industry, applicants will be required to participate in additional screening. These are:
* Obtaining Baseline Personnel Security Standard (BPSS) clearance
* Satisfactory completion of a Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) check
* Satisfactory completion of a basic financial probity check
.