Senior Commercial Manager / Associate Director (Commercial), Asia — Infrastructure & Energy

Job Description

Role Purpose

Drive commercial excellence across large-scale Asia projects in infrastructure, energy, and natural resources, ensuring robust contract strategy, disciplined cost control, and proactive risk management. You will lead negotiations for complex construction agreements, manage claims and disputes, and establish governance frameworks that protect margins and enable successful delivery of multi-billion-dollar projects.

Strategic Imperative

Transform commercial and contractual rigor into a strategic advantage: standardize contract playbooks, enforce risk allocation discipline (FIDIC/NEC/local forms), lead high-value negotiations, and institutionalize lessons learned to strengthen delivery certainty and profitability across diverse Asia markets.

Key Responsibilities

1) Commercial Strategy & Planning

• Develop and execute commercial strategies for major infrastructure and energy projects across Asia.
• Define procurement approaches for EPC, EPCM, Design & Build, and other bespoke agreements to regional market conditions.
• Establish and maintain contract playbooks and negotiation guidelines to ensure consistency and best practice.

2) Contracting & Negotiations

• Lead negotiations for large-scale construction agreements, ensuring optimal risk allocation and commercial value.
• Integrate technical and execution constraints into enforceable contractual terms, including LDs, performance guarantees, and incentive mechanisms.
• Collaborate with Legal and Project Delivery teams to ensure contracts are executable and aligned with delivery capabilities.

3) Cost Management & Financial Control

• Oversee project budgets, forecasts, and cash flow implement rigorous change control processes.
• Drive value engineering initiatives and monitor commitments against approved budgets.
• Provide executive-level reporting on commercial exposure and recovery strategies.

4) Risk & Compliance

• Identify and mitigate commercial, legal, and execution risks across multi-jurisdictional projects.
• Apply international and regional contract standards (FIDIC, NEC, local forms) and ensure compliance with regulatory frameworks.
• Conduct post-project reviews to capture lessons learned and improve future contracting strategies.

5) Claims & Dispute Management

• Lead complex variation and extension-of-time claims, ensuring timely resolution and margin protection.
• Manage dispute avoidance and resolution boards (DAB/DRB) and negotiate settlement agreements where necessary.
• Implement claims governance and early-warning systems to minimize escalation.

6) Stakeholder & Partner Engagement

• Act as the senior commercial representative with clients, contractors, lenders, and government authorities.
• Build strong relationships to facilitate approvals, resolve issues, and secure successful project outcomes.

7) Leadership & Team Development

• Mentor and develop Commercial Managers and Analysts foster a culture of accountability and continuous improvement.

Promote collaboration across Project Delivery, Engineering, Legal, and Finance teams

Qualifications

Essential

• 10-15+ years experience in commercial management for major infrastructure, energy, or natural resource projects.
• Degree in Quantity Surveying, Construction Management, Engineering, Finance, or related discipline.
• Proven track record in negotiating multi-million-dollar EPC and O&M contracts for large-scale projects.
• Expertise in claims management and dispute resolution for projects exceeding $500M.
• Strong knowledge of FIDIC/NEC and regional contract forms ability to tailor risk allocation by jurisdiction.
• Advanced negotiation, financial analysis, and stakeholder management skills.

Preferred

• Professional certifications (MRICS, AIQS, PMP or equivalent).
• Experience in renewable energy, power generation, or heavy engineering sectors.
• Familiarity with cultural and regulatory nuances across APAC markets.

Core Competencies

• Commercial Acumen: Understands full P&L impact and risk exposure.
• Contract Rigor: Crafts enforceable, practical agreements aligned with delivery.
• Claims Expertise: Strategically resolves complex claims with speed and integrity.
• Risk Discipline: Implements proactive controls and escalation frameworks.
• Leadership: Builds high-performing teams and drives accountability.
• Communication: Clear, persuasive, and data-driven executive presence.

Additional Information

Join our social media conversations for more information about Turner & Townsend and our exciting future projects:

It is strictly against Turner & Townsend policy for candidates to pay any fee in relation to our recruitment process. No recruitment agency working with Turner & Townsend will ask candidates to pay a fee at any time.

Any unsolicited resumes/CVs submitted through our website or to Turner & Townsend personal e-mail accounts, are considered property ofTurner & Townsend and arenot subject to payment of agency fees. In order to be an authorised Recruitment Agency/Search Firm for Turner & Townsend, there must be a formal written agreement in place and the agency must be invited, by the Recruitment Team,to submit candidates for review.