Wood (trading locally as WOOD KSS LLP) is looking to hire a Commercial Director with extensive experience in the oil and gas petrochemical industry to join our Operations business, based in Atyrau, Kazakhstan.
The Commercial Director is accountable for defining, governing, and delivering the Company’s commercial strategy across business development, tendering, contract execution, and close out, ensuring value creation while managing risk and compliance.
Wood is a global leader in consulting and engineering, helping to unlock solutions to critical challenges in energy and materials markets. We provide consulting, projects and operations solutions in 45 countries, employing around 25,000 people. www.woodplc.com
Diversity Statement We are an equal opportunity employer that recognises the value of a diverse workforce. All suitably qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment on the basis of objective criteria and without regard to the following (which is a non-exhaustive list): race, colour, age, religion, gender, national origin, disability, sexual orientation, gender identity, protected veteran status, or other characteristics in accordance with the relevant governing laws.
Responsibilities:
- This role operates primarily within EPC and EPCM contracting environments, including lump sum, target cost, and cost reimbursable forms, with full accountability across Fixed Budget Contracting (FBC), contract execution, claims management, and final account close out
- Maximize commercial performance while managing business/project risk
- Always act ethically and with the utmost integrity
- Promote and demonstrate safety leadership behaviors
- Implement the commercial strategy for the Company and ensure alignment of objectives with the Company strategy
- Commercialization of Wood’s service offerings to support business growth through actively promoting and enable the sale of Wood Solutions by encouraging and supporting cross selling of services across all markets
- Developing teams with in-depth commercial and cross-functional expertise to support the assigned business
- Ensure compliance with relevant commercial/contracting policies
- Resolution of disputes/claims and cash collection issues
- Embedding effective commercial governance and assurance
- Managing the tender governance process for the company
- Manages and provides team members with the general direction in commercial activities during the contract life cycle from input into tenders through contract delivery to contract commercial closeout
- Ensure structured commercial handover from pre award / acquisition into post award delivery teams, confirming that contractual obligations, risk positions, financial assumptions, and governance requirements are clearly understood and embedded within project execution teams
- Champion and promote the application of Wood’s internal Financial Management Framework (FMF) to ensure disciplined governance of commercial risk, financial controls, forecasting, performance monitoring, and value realization across the full contract lifecycle
- Champion and follow the relevant DOA and commercial / contracting policies
Leads and directs the management of:
- Pre-award activities, including support to the proposals team in terms of performing a commercial review of tender documents, reviewing commercial proposals prior to submission for internal approval, preparing pricing and commercial qualifications
- All activities within the Tender governance processes
- Compliance with Wood’s commercial policies, processes, and procedures (tender governance, financial instruments, contracting policy, etc.)
- Ensure incorporation of proposal best practices into all customer responses for Wood KSS
- Oversee pre-proposal positioning where appropriate, as well as proposal development strategies and implementation
- This includes development of capture plan and proposal planning document development, facilitation of strategy sessions to develop the win strategy and theme/value proposition for proposals
- Oversight of customer responses (proposals, pre-qualifications, requests for information, and presentations) as appropriate to ensure quality, compliance, and best practice incorporation
- Ensure the maintenance of list of all active proposals, pre-qualifications and other customer responses with status and submission dates for assigned business
- Support and contribute to the continual improvement of proposal procedures and processes
- Provides executive leadership and governance over end to end proposal development through the Lead Proposals Coordinator, including capture strategy, win themes, compliance, quality assurance, and final approval
- Proactively directs and provides interface management to a team of complex skills and functions. Where required by project risk, scale, or strategic importance, directly assume hands on commercial or contracts management responsibilities to safeguard contractual and financial outcomes
- Lead the risk management process in conjunction with operations, including risk identification, mitigation planning, administration of project risks, oversight of post award commercial risk registers, confirmation of risk ownership, and regular review of mitigation effectiveness throughout the delivery lifecycle
- Ownership of EPC claims and variations strategy, ensuring timely identification, notification, substantiation, and negotiation of entitlements (including time related and cost related claims), effective management of time bar risk, and maximization of commercial recovery
- Contractual negotiation strategies for client contracts, JVs, and teaming agreements in conjunction with the bid team and key stakeholders
- Negotiation of Terms and Conditions with clients and suppliers
- Lead main contract administration, including timely provision of commercial deliverables (e.g., bonds, PCGs, evidence of insurance), correspondence management, and disciplined change management to optimize commercial entitlements, supported by robust contractual notice protocols and compliance with contractual timelines and time bar provisions
- Development, implementation, and maintenance of project commercial handover/plans, including commercial strategy, subcontracting commercial strategy, and profit improvement plans
- Technical commercial analysis, contract review, and detailed advisory activities are delivered by the Lead Commercial Advisor under the direction and approval of the Commercial Director
- DOA is maintained, communicated, and complied for WoodKSS
- Provides oversight and approval of proposal and project cashflow forecasts and payment strategies, ensuring alignment with contractual requirements and Company processes
- Developing subcontracting commercial strategy in conjunction with Project Management, supply chain, and other functions, as required
- Oversee compilation of subcontract documents, including main contract flow downs, pricing, and payment prior to execution, subcontract filing/retention of records
- Provides commercial and financial governance over project cost performance, including approval and challenge of forecasts, ensuring maximization of recoverable costs, minimization of disallowable costs, adequacy of accruals and provisions, and alignment with contractual and taxation requirements
- The preparation, delivery, and analysis of inputs to key contract and internal project reporting requirements, ensuring the accuracy of project forecasts. Commercial representation and participation in monthly Company project reviews providing active commercial challenge on cost, schedule, productivity, risk exposure, and emerging opportunities to protect and enhance project returns
- Ensure commercial records, correspondence, and supporting documentation are complete, accurate, and audit ready to support entitlement realization and dispute resolution
- The preparation and delivery of main contract and subcontract (if applicable) close-out requirements in full accordance with contract requirements while optimizing Woods commercial recovery. This includes oversight of commercial obligations during the Defects Liability Period, and the resolution of outstanding claims, variations, and contractual obligations through final close out
- Align project/ BU specific commercial requirements with Wood commercial processes and procedures and communicate to relevant personnel
- Ensure resourcing of competent commercial personnel
- Manages and supervises personnel development and training of the designated commercial and proposals teams
- Coordination of contract reviews and the development of qualifications/redlines in conjunction with the Contracts function to ensure the balance of risk is appropriate for the associated services and remuneration model
- The pursuit of Wood's assertive claims and/or defending claims against Wood, as required, and ensuring appropriate interface with in-house legal is in place when required
Qualifications:
- Degree required in one of Law, Quantity Surveying, or a Business Degree
- Master’s degree and/or professional qualification (preferred)
- 12+ years’ experience in a similar role with 10+ years of leadership/management experience
- Comprehensive understanding of risks inherent in Engineering & Construction contracts
- Demonstrated senior commercial experience on EPC projects, including leadership in Fixed Budget Contracting (FBC), management of lump sum and risk bearing contracts, and hands on delivery of claims, variations, and final accounts throughout the project lifecycle
- Experience in managing a global team
- Awareness of all relevant corporate and project procedures
- Experience in dispute resolution (including arbitration, litigation, and mediation)
- Experience in contract negotiations
