- Excellent defence organisation at pivetol point of growth
- Strong level of autonomy and project/company visability
- Competative Packaging

Your new company

This is a rare chance to join a growing Australian defence and advanced engineering organisation at a pivotal stage of its journey. With a strong pipeline of complex, high-value programs and continued investment in capability expansion, the business offers the stability of an established prime contractor with the agility and autonomy typically found in much smaller organisations.

Working directly with senior executives and project leaders, you will have genuine influence over commercial outcomes, strategic decision-making, and contract performance. This is an environment where initiative is valued, bureaucracy is minimal, and talented professionals are empowered to make decisions and drive results.

Your new role

As Contracts Manager, you will play a critical role in supporting the successful delivery of a major defence program. Partnering closely with senior project stakeholders, you will lead all aspects of contract and subcontract management, providing commercial leadership across the full project lifecycle.

Key responsibilities include:

- Managing complex head contracts and ensuring contractual compliance across commercial obligations, insurances, intellectual property, warranties, and performance requirements
- Providing commercial advice and guidance to project teams to minimise risk and maximise contract performance
- Leading contract change proposals, variations, negotiations, claims, extensions of time, and dispute resolution activities
- Developing and executing commercial strategies that support project delivery and business objectives
- Managing complex subcontractor relationships, including negotiations, performance management, compliance reviews, and commercial optimisation
- Identifying, assessing, and mitigating commercial and contractual risks
- Leading commercial negotiations with clients, subcontractors, suppliers, and strategic partners




- Maintaining strong contract governance, reporting, records management, and documentation standards
- Contributing to continuous improvement initiatives across procurement, contract management, and commercial frameworks
- Building commercial capability across project teams through mentoring, coaching, and stakeholder engagement

About you

To be successful in this role, you will bring:

- Degree qualifications in Business, Commerce, Law, or a related discipline
- Strong contract management experience within complex defence project environments.
- Experience managing contracts valued between $10M and $100M+ within defence or maritime.
- You will have working knowledge of ASDEFCON and Defence contracting frameworks
- Demonstrated experience in contract negotiation, claims management, dispute resolution, and commercial risk management
- Excellent stakeholder engagement skills with the ability to influence senior executives, customers, suppliers, and project teams
- Strong commercial acumen, analytical capability, and problem-solving skills
- Australian Citizenship and the ability to obtain and maintain an NV1 Security Clearance
- A proactive, outcomes-focused mindset with a strong ability to operate autonomously

What's in it for you?

- High-profile defence program with long-term growth opportunities
- Direct exposure to senior leadership and executive stakeholders
- Significant autonomy and ownership over commercial outcomes
- Opportunity to shape processes and influence strategic decisions
- Growing organisation with a strong project pipeline and expansion plans
- Collaborative and agile environment with less bureaucracy than traditional defence organisations
- Career progression opportunities as the business continues to scale
- Competitive salary package and benefits

What you need to do now

If you're an experienced Contracts Manager looking for a role where you can genuinely influence outcomes, work closely with senior decision-makers, and be part of an organisation entering an exciting growth phase, we'd love to hear from you.

Apply now or email your resume directly to ***********@hays.com.au

📌 Commercial Manager (Sydney)
🏢 Hays Recruitment
📍 Sydney