Gradiant is a Different Kind of Water Company. With a full suite of differentiated and proprietary end-to-end solutions for advanced water and wastewater treatment powered by the top minds in water, the company serves its clients mission-critical operations in the world's essential industries, including semiconductors, pharmaceuticals, food & beverage, lithium and critical minerals, and renewable energy. Gradiant's innovative solutions reduce water used and wastewater discharged, reclaim valuable resources, and renew wastewater into freshwater. The Boston-headquartered company was founded at MIT and has over 1,400 employees worldwide. Discover us at www.gradiant.com.
Job Overview
The Assistant Manager / Manager – Contract & Commercial (Assistant Manager/Manager) is a key member of the Gradiant Commercial Department (Global Commercial), which itself is an essential component of the Gradiant Group Legal, Compliance and Commercial Department (Group Legal). This role leads contract lifecycle management and partners business functions in risk-shielding by ensuring disciplined contract execution and effective commercial governance to protect value and enable sustainable growth. This role is expected to play a leading role in reducing late-stage disputes, improving margin protection and increasing predictability in commercial outcomes. This role will also be expected to understand and assist in the implementation of Global Commercial and Group Legal's governance and compliance policies where applicable to the work being handled by the Assistant Manager/Manager (e.g. Contract Playbook principles; approval processes; etc), all the while in constant consultation with Group Legal leadership.
Specific Duties/Responsibilities
Contract Management
Pre-Contract
- Deliver honest, sound and bankable commercial advice, especially in relation to payment milestones, liquidated damages exposure, bank guarantees and insurance requirements
- Check on accuracy and veracity of commercial numbers, submissions and positions, especially in relation to warranty provisions, risk contingencies, site preliminaries, labour cost, bank guarantees and insurance costs
- Lead commercial review of bids and contracts (EPC, O&M, BOT, DBOO, etc.)
- Lead commercial inputs into bids, proposals, and offer release approvals
- Identify and mitigate contractual risk at bid stage
Post-Contract
- Own contract administration, including:
- Bonds, insurances, guarantees
- Billing triggers and payment milestone alignment
- Contract notices and entitlement preservation
- Completion certificates and close-out documentation
- Lead preparation and negotiation of Extension of Time (EOT), variation, and commercial settlement positions
- Drive discipline in:
- Contract administration
- Maintaining audit-ready contractual documentation
- Maintaining accuracy in SAP data, e.g. forecast completion date, billing plan
- Contract terms flow-downs to key suppliers and subcontractors
- Serve as commercial escalation point for disputes with clients, suppliers and subcontractors
Commercial Governance & Controls
Pre-Contract
- Ensure proposal/offer release governance and escalation thresholds are respected
- Ensure policies for order booking and bonds/guarantees are respected
Post-Contract
- Govern project estimate cost at completion (EAC) accuracy, trend discipline and risk quantification
- Drive project close-out activities, e.g. final accounts statement
- Ensure EAC review and approval process are done timely
- Drive risks mitigation efforts to improve project profitability
Qualification, Skills & Experience
Qualification
- Bachelor's or Master's degree in Engineering, Business, Quantity Surveying or a related technical discipline is preferred
Skills
- Good (not necessarily expert) knowledge of necessary components of project proposal and project budget packaging (e.g. BOQs, star rates, at-large quantities and rates, balance-of-work, etc.) and the ability to conduct a sanity check on proposals, costs and budgets
- Ability to not lose sight of independence, honesty and objectivity of commercial advice, as if one was acting as an external consultant
- Familiarity with, understanding of and ability to assist in implementation of compliance and governance policies
- Strong negotiation and leadership skills
- Advanced knowledge of commercial/contractual structures and project delivery models (DB, EPC, O&M, BOT, DBOO)
- Proficiency in ERP systems (SAP S/4HANA or equivalent)
- Ability to manage complex risks and drive strategic decision-making
- Excellent communication and stakeholder management skills
- Proven ability to collaborate and build consensus across cross-functional teams—particularly with department heads—to resolve conflicts, align on commercial strategies, and drive project progress through decisive and timely decision-making
Experience
- 5-10 years of progressive commercial and contract management. Experience in EPC, water, or infrastructure sectors are preferred
- Mandarin proficiency (speaking and writing) is preferred however, not mandatory
- Demonstrated track record of contract negotiation success
Certificate
- Certification in a relevant commercial, contract management, or project management discipline (e.g., PMP, CCP, CIPS, or equivalent) is preferred
Equal Employment Opportunity (EEO)
Gradiant is an equal opportunity employer. Qualified applicants will be considered without regard to race, color, religion, creed, gender, sexual orientation, gender identity, marital status, national origin, age, veteran status, disability, or any other protected class.
