Title:  Senior Commercial Manager

Senior Commercial Manager

We bring the energy – through purpose and people -

Not just through the infrastructure we operate, but through the way we show up for each other, our customers’ and our communities. The future of energy is in our hands. Let’s shape it together.

We’re all about building an energy future to be proud of. Sound like a challenge you’ve been looking for?

We have an opportunity for a Senior Commercial Manager to join our team. Reporting to the Director, Contract Management (WRL), the Senior Commercial Manager is a team‑lead role responsible for overseeing the management and administration of complex commercial positions and processes supporting the delivery of a major transmission infrastructure project. This role plays a critical part in translating complex contractual requirements into effective, practical outcomes by leveraging cross‑functional teams and strong upstream client relationships.

The Senior Commercial Manager is accountable for the operationalisation and implementation of key contractual requirements, ensuring AusNet’s commercial protections are regularly reviewed, risks are proactively identified and managed, and the upstream/head contract is administered efficiently and effectively in line with agreed commercial returns and risk appetite.

Strong stakeholder engagement is central to the role, with a focus on building trusted relationships internally and externally and maintaining alignment with client representatives throughout the project delivery phase.

Operating within a large‑scale, complex project environment, the role requires a solution‑oriented and commercially sound approach to managing change, navigating competing priorities, and addressing emerging commercial risks. As part of a precedent‑setting infrastructure project at the heart of the energy transition, this opportunity offers a challenging and rewarding environment to lead and develop junior team members while making a tangible contribution to AusNet’s growing energy transformation project portfolio.

What you’ll be doing in this role:

• Proactively manage the project head contract, minimising and managing commercial risk, optimising returns, and effectively leading and supporting a small team of direct reports in line with AusNet’s People Leader expectations.
• Manage and administer the head contract, including implementation of obligations lists and compliance plans, and oversight of upstream contractual obligations across project leadership and the AusNet base business.
• Lead the assessment and review of contract claims, supporting upstream claims with downstream input as required, and overseeing dispute resolution where necessary.
• Coordinate contractual variations and claims across functions and organisations, ensuring clear visibility of active, pending and withheld changes and alignment of functional processes with commercial requirements.
• Provide timely and relevant commercial support across a broad range of project activities, including land, vegetation and stakeholder matters.
• Prepare guidance notes, summary documents and approval papers to support understanding and alignment on contractual and commercial matters.
• Review change requests and develop, submit and track contract notifications, claims and correspondence within contractual timeframes, maintaining registers for clear traceability.
• Develop and maintain contract issues and risk registers, advising on the identification, assessment and mitigation of commercial risks.
• Participate in commercial working groups, build trusting relationships with upstream clients, and contribute to reporting, continuous improvement of project procedures, and broader safety, governance and commercial excellence throughout the project delivery phase.

You don’t need to check every box, however we’re looking for a good combination of:

• Degree in Engineering, Construction Management, Accounting, Law or a related discipline.
• 10+ years’ post‑graduate commercial and/or project management experience delivering large‑scale infrastructure projects.
• Proven experience managing contractual processes, including claims, notifications, KPIs and large‑scale procurement contracts through all phases of project execution.
• Demonstrated experience with Incentivised Target Cost contracts, cost control, forecasting and core financial concepts, including time‑value of money.
• Strong track record influencing and leading multi‑disciplinary teams within asset‑intensive environments.
• Highly capable negotiator, delivering successful commercial outcomes with internal and external stakeholders in collaborative settings.
• Advanced capability in Microsoft Office and related tools to track, analyse and communicate commercial matters across broad teams.
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills, with the ability to produce high‑quality quantitative analysis and materials for senior management.

The AusNet experience is all about…

• Growing your impact: We’ll support you to build your career through real opportunities and strong connections.
• Solving some of the most complex energy challenges of our time: We love unpacking complex challenges in clever ways and looking at things differently.
• Being apart a team that cares deeply about each other: We share in the good times. We support in the tough times. And we’re humble through and through.

We’re committed to building an inclusive culture and a diverse workforce. We believe different perspectives are essential to our success, and we encourage all applicants to apply. If you need any adjustments during the recruitment process, we're happy to discuss how we can support you.

AusNet. We bring the energy. Want to be part of it too? Apply now.