Commercial Manager - Rail

Job Description

Overview

Join us in our Rail team on some of the most exciting and prestigious rail projects in Ireland. Work with us and play a central role in making exciting projects and programmes a reality.

As part of a friendly, collaborative team, you'll be valued equally – and together, we'll deliver excellence for people and the environment. You'll also enjoy all the training and progression you need to take you through the glass ceiling.

We encourage our people to find a work-life balance that helps them thrive. So, ask us how our flexible and remote working policies can support your priorities. We hear and recognise all our people's different perspectives. Some of our recent pledges have been for Women's Equality and being a 'Disability Confident' and 'Inclusive Employer.'

Having achieved exciting and sustained growth and with further growth potential, we are looking to recruit more talent to bolster our client development and delivery teams in Ireland. We are looking for an Commercial Manager (Associate Director) to strengthen our Rail business in Ireland.

Based in Dublin, the role will provide commercial leadership across major rail and transportation programmes, ensuring robust commercial governance, effective risk management, and successful financial outcomes.

This role offers the opportunity to contribute to some of Ireland’s most significant rail and public transport programmes while progressing your career within a global engineering and professional services organisation.The individual must be ambitious, wanting to progress within our business and will play a key role in supporting the growth of our Business Unit. The role will involve the commercial and contractual delivery of complex rail projects in Ireland.

You will work closely with Project Directors, Project Managers, and Clients, playing a key role in shaping commercial strategy, managing contracts, and supporting the continued growth of the rail portfolio.

Your role

• Provide commercial leadership and oversight across rail projects throughout the full project lifecycle.
• Develop and implement commercial strategies aligned with project and business objectives.
• Lead the preparation and management of project budgets, forecasts, cost reports, and financial controls.
• Lead contract administration activities, including change management, compensation events, claims, dispute avoidance, and final account settlement.
• Identify, assess, and manage commercial risks and opportunities, ensuring appropriate mitigation measures are in place.
• Advise project and business leadership on contractual, financial, and commercial matters.
• Ensure compliance with AtkinsRéalis commercial governance, policies, and ethical standards.
• Support bid development, fee proposals, and framework opportunities within the rail sector in collaboration with the procurement team.
• Line manage, mentor, and develop commercial and quantity surveying staff, fostering high performance and continuous improvement.
• Support in the growth of a high performing commercial team.
• Build and maintain strong relationships with clients, partners, and key stakeholders.
• Lead and Support the project teams in resolving claims and exceling in disputes management and resolution.
• Provide guidance and support to ensure effective performance and development to successfully achieve commercial objectives of the unit and the projects.

About you

• Degree-qualified in Quantity Surveying, Commercial Management, Construction Economics, or a related discipline.
• Extensive experience in a commercial management role on large-scale infrastructure projects, ideally within rail or transportation.
• Strong understanding of contract forms (e.g. NEC and GCCC PWC preferred) and procurement models.
• Proven experience leading commercial teams and managing complex stakeholder environments.
• Strong financial, analytical, and strategic commercial skills.
• Excellent leadership, negotiation, and communication abilities.
• Ability to work collaboratively within a team environment.
• Strong written and verbal communication skills.
• Strong IT skills including competency in Microsoft Office applications (Excel, Word, etc.) and use of contract administration tools such as CEMAR / FASTDRAFT / ASITE.
• A Commercial acumen and mindset.
• Hold a full driving licence.
• Right to work in Ireland.

Desirable Attributes

• Chartered status (e.g. SCSI / RICS).
• Experience working within a consultancy or client-side environment.
• Excellent knowledge of the Irish and/or UK rail infrastructure market.
• Experience supporting framework delivery, bids, and business development activities.

Personal qualities

• Excellent interpersonal, verbal and written communication skills.
• Flexible approach with ability to be able to multi‑task and prioritise when necessary.
• Positive outlook and approachable manner.
• Well‑motivated, able to work alone or as part of a team when required.

Rewards & benefits

Explore the rewards and benefits that help you thrive – at every stage of your life and your career. Enjoy competitive salaries and a brilliant range of health, wellbeing, financial and lifestyle benefits. Make the most of a myriad of opportunities for training and professional development to grow your skills and expertise. And combine our hybrid working culture, international remote working opportunities, and flexible holiday allowances to balance a great job and fulfilling personal life.

Be rewarded. Find out more.

About AtkinsRéalis

We're AtkinsRéalis, a world-class engineering services and nuclear organization. We connect people, data and technology to transform the world's infrastructure and energy systems. Together, with our industry partners and clients, and our global team of consultants, designers, engineers and project managers, we can change the world. We're committed to leading our clients across our various end markets to engineer a better future for our planet and its people.

Find out more.

Additional information

We are committed to creating a culture where everyone feels that they belong - a place where we can all be ourselves, thrive and develop to be the best we can be. So, we offer a range of family friendly, inclusive employment policies, flexible working arrangements and employee resource groups to support all employees. As an Equal Opportunities Employer, we value applications from all backgrounds, cultures and ability.

Worker Type

Employee

Job Type

Regular

At AtkinsRéalis, we seek to hire individuals with diverse characteristics, backgrounds and perspectives. We strongly believe that world-class talent makes no distinctions based on gender, ethnic or national origin, sexual identity and orientation, age, religion or disability, but enriches itself through these differences.