Commercial Director – Future Materials Campus (FMC)

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Jim Newsom

Managing Director
jn@newsomconsulting.co.uk

Commercial Director – Future Materials Campus (FMC)

Sector: Major Infrastructure Programme

Location: Reading

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Description

We are exclusively retained with AWE to recruit the Commercial Director of Future Materials Campus (FMC).

This is a leadership role in a nationally significant infrastructure programme that is critical to the maintenance of UK defence. It has a current estimated value of £11bn over 10 years.

As Commercial Director – FMC, you will be the strategic lead for all commercial activity across the Fissile Infrastructure Programme. This includes responsibility for long-term supplier relationships, contract negotiation, procurement planning, and post-contract performance. The scale, complexity, and purpose of this programme make it a standout opportunity for anyone driven by impact and challenge.

You will work closely with senior stakeholders, including the Chief Commercial Officer, Commercial Infrastructure Director, and the Ministry of Defence. Your remit covers building commercial capability, ensuring good governance, and creating innovative commercial models that deliver against programme outcomes.

This is more than a leadership role — it's your opportunity to influence a once-in-a-generation programme.

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Key Responsibilities

  • Provide commercial leadership for the FMC programme, delivering across strategy, cost management, procurement, supplier relationships, and post-contract management.
  • Collaborate with Commercial Partnering and FMC stakeholders to develop and maintain the commercial strategy for the Fissile Infrastructure Programme, including leadership on creating an appropriate enterprise model.
  • Apply innovative commercial constructs that incentivise enterprise-wide alignment with programme outcomes.
  • Ensure effective programme governance in collaboration with Commercial Excellence.
  • Operate within all required management and control systems, supporting commercial commitments and governance standards.
  • Work closely with the Commercial Infrastructure Director, Chief Commercial Officer, and Chief Financial Officer to ensure alignment with HM Government’s Managing Public Money guidelines.
  • Partner with the Market Development team to develop a strong industrial strategy and market creation plan, including strategic supplier relationship management.
  • Lead the negotiation and award of FMC contracts, focusing on value for money, schedule certainty, and staff wellbeing.
  • Build and lead a high-performing commercial team, providing coaching, support, and direction.

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Experience

  • Significant experience leading commercial strategy and operations for major infrastructure or capital programmes, ideally within a highly regulated or government setting.
  • Proven expertise across the full commercial lifecycle including procurement, cost management, contract negotiation, post-contract management, supplier strategy, and commercial governance.
  • Understanding of UK government commercial frameworks is desirable, particularly Cabinet Office and Infrastructure and Projects Authority (IPA) policies, with evidence of practical implementation.
  • Demonstrated ability to lead commercial teams in complex, multi-stakeholder environments, with direct and indirect leadership across large teams and supplier ecosystems.
  • Experience operating at senior leadership level within large-scale infrastructure programmes (e.g. >£1bn in value).
  • Strong track record of collaborative working across diverse internal and external stakeholder groups, including government and private sector partners.
  • Experience of designing and implementing enterprise models and market creation strategies to support programme outcomes.
  • Skilled in leading negotiations using contemporary contracting models (e.g. NEC) and innovative commercial constructs.
  • Evidence of leading transformation and capability building within commercial functions, especially under high-pressure or ambiguous circumstances.

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Preferable Qualifications

  • Business degree or equivalent professional experience.
  • MBA or advanced business qualification, with membership or progress toward membership in a relevant professional body.

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All candidates must be willing and able to obtain and maintain the correct security clearance for this role.

AWE has exclusively retained Newsom Consulting to assist with the recruitment of this position.

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