Senior Contract Manager

An experienced Senior Contract Manager to lead the commercial and performance management of a key ICT managed service provider. This is a senior role focused on contract performance, supplier accountability, service levels, and financial management ensuring the supplier delivers against agreed outcomes and supporting delivery of critical projects and service improvements.

You will operate at a senior level, confidently engaging “head-to-head” with supplier leadership and internal stakeholders to drive performance, resolve issues, and ensure value for money.

• Lead day-to-day management of ICT contracts, ensuring delivery against contractual obligations and agreed outcomes.
• Hold suppliers to account through robust governance, performance management, and escalation where required.
• Drive continuous improvement across service delivery, ensuring issues are managed to resolution and lessons learned are embedded.
• Prepare and lead supplier meetings, governance boards, and performance reviews, producing clear actions and measurable outcomes.

• Manage and improve service performance against SLAs/KPIs, ensuring effective reporting, insight, and corrective action plans.
• Apply ITIL-aligned approaches to incident, problem, change, and service management (as appropriate to the contract).
• Ensure operational service delivery supports wider ICT priorities and policing outcomes.

• Provide strong commercial oversight including cost control, forecasting, and contract financial management.
• Challenge supplier charges, monitor spend, and ensure effective management of invoicing, variations, and contract changes.
• Support contract negotiations, renewals, and variations to secure best value and reduce risk.

• Build trusted relationships across ICT, finance, procurement, and operational policing stakeholders.
• Communicate clearly and confidently with senior stakeholders, providing honest updates and pragmatic recommendations.
• Act as a senior point of contact to drive delivery of priority projects and improvements through the supplier.

• 5+ years’ experience in commercial/contract management roles, ideally within large, complex organisations (public sector desirable).
• Strong track record of supplier performance management and accountability, including managing strategic suppliers.
• Confident operating at senior level, able to challenge constructively and negotiate effectively with supplier leadership.
• Practical understanding of ITIL concepts and managing services via SLAs/KPIs (certification beneficial but not required).
• Experience of ICT financial management: budgeting, forecasting, invoice validation, and value-for-money focus.
• Strong governance, reporting, and stakeholder management capability.

• Experience managing contracts with large ICT managed service providers.
• Public sector / policing / emergency services experience.
• Knowledge of commercial/procurement frameworks and contract change control.

• Calm under pressure, outcome-focused, and able to take control quickly in an interim environment.
• Assertive and credible, with a collaborative style and strong professional judgement.
• Highly organised, comfortable handling multiple workstreams and priorities at pace.