Step into a pivotal contracts leadership role where your commercial acumen and relationship skills will directly shape the success of a challenging, high-profile contracts. Working in an essential service, you will be the key figure stabilising and strengthening contracts that has tested previous managers. This is a prime opportunity for a commercially minded contracts professional who wants clear progression opportunity in future.
About the Role:
You will own and manage the council contract relationship, acting as the primary escalation point and relationship lead with council stakeholders. While not running day-to-day operations, you will guide and influence the operational team to ensure contractual obligations are met, risks are managed, and performance is consistently delivered, while having a small number of direct reports to oversee. While the site operations are based in Kopu, it is critical to ensure the right person leads this, so there is flexibility around where you may come from to deliver in the role. Also critical is the need to turn a challenging contract into a stable, commercially successful platform for future regional growth.
Key Responsibilities:
About Magnetic
We’re building a stronger New Zealand by connecting organisations with the professionals who keep industry moving. If you want your next move to have impact, we’ll make it happen.
About the Role:
You will own and manage the council contract relationship, acting as the primary escalation point and relationship lead with council stakeholders. While not running day-to-day operations, you will guide and influence the operational team to ensure contractual obligations are met, risks are managed, and performance is consistently delivered, while having a small number of direct reports to oversee. While the site operations are based in Kopu, it is critical to ensure the right person leads this, so there is flexibility around where you may come from to deliver in the role. Also critical is the need to turn a challenging contract into a stable, commercially successful platform for future regional growth.
Key Responsibilities:
- Lead the end-to-end management of key contracts and deliverables, ensuring all obligations, KPIs and service levels are met.
- Act as the primary relationship owner with stakeholder representatives, proactively managing expectations, issues and escalations.
- Provide direction and guidance to the operations teams to align delivery with contractual requirements.
- Negotiate contract variations, extensions and commercial terms that protect margin and support long-term growth.
- Monitor contract performance, identify risks and opportunities, and implement improvement plans in collaboration with operations.
- Oversee financial performance of contracts, including budgeting, forecasting and margin analysis.
- Coordinate supplier and vendor engagement related to the contracts, ensuring quality, compliance and cost effectiveness.
- Prepare and present clear reports, updates and recommendations to senior management on contract status, risks and commercial outcomes.
- Proven experience in contract management or a similar role, ideally within council, essential or infrastructure-related services.
- Demonstrated success in managing complex stakeholder relationships.
- Strong commercial acumen with experience in pricing, margin management and commercial decision-making.
- Track record of effective contract negotiation, including variations, dispute resolution and performance-based agreements.
- Experience working closely with operational teams, providing guidance rather than direct line management of day-to-day activities.
- Advanced communication and interpersonal skills, with the ability to influence and manage conflict constructively.
- Competence in financial analysis and budgeting, including interpreting contract performance data and implementing corrective actions.
- Ability to work autonomously in a regional setting and take ownership of outcomes in a challenging contract environment.
- Experience working with New Zealand local councils or government contracts.
- Background in municipal services, facilities management, civil works or similar operational environments.
- Exposure to branch or regional management responsibilities, with a clear interest in stepping into a branch manager role.
- Familiarity with supplier and vendor management in multi-site or multi-contract operations.
- Experience developing new commercial opportunities and growing contract scope or regional market presence.
- Tertiary qualification in business, commerce, law, engineering, or a related discipline is preferred.
- Formal training or certification in contract management, procurement or commercial management is advantageous.
- Relevant industry certifications or professional memberships in contract or project management are beneficial.
- Equivalent experience in contract management and commercial roles will be considered in lieu of formal qualifications.
About Magnetic
We’re building a stronger New Zealand by connecting organisations with the professionals who keep industry moving. If you want your next move to have impact, we’ll make it happen.