Commercial & Governance Manager

Overview

As Commercial & Governance Manager at Cambridge Aerospace, you will connect Procurement to Finance, legal and the wider business. You will combine hands-on commercial and contracting experience with financial understanding to help teams make sound purchasing decisions, manage supplier commitments and build the controls needed for rapid growth.

Working closely with Finance, Legal, Engineering, Programme Management and Operations, you will turn business requirements into commercially sound agreements and practical processes. You will understand how price, contract terms, delivery and supplier performance affect cost, cash flow and programme outcomes, and help stakeholders work through the trade-offs.

You will lead procurement governance across company sites, supporting an initial centralised model and building the foundations for a hybrid or centre-led model as Cambridge Aerospace grows towards the end of 2027. Some business travel will be required.

This role can be based from either our Cambridge or London based offices


Responsibilities

•  Act as the commercial link between Procurement and Finance, aligning sourcing decisions and supplier commitments with budgets, forecasts, approval limits and business priorities.
•  Work with Buyers, Finance and technical stakeholders to assess supplier proposals, cost breakdowns and total cost of ownership, challenge assumptions and develop clear commercial recommendations and business cases.
•  Support and, where delegated, lead supplier negotiations on pricing, payment terms, milestones, delivery, change control and other commercial terms, working within agreed authorities and involving Legal on legal risk.
•  Assess the financial implications of purchasing decisions, including cash flow, working capital, advance payments, minimum commitments, indexation and termination exposure; agree appropriate protections with Finance and Legal.
•  Partner with Finance to improve visibility of committed spend, forecast expenditure and savings, distinguish negotiated savings from cost avoidance, and support accurate accruals and reporting through reliable procurement data.
•  Work across Engineering, Programme Management, Operations and Procurement to translate requirements and delivery plans into sourcing strategies and contractual commitments, identify dependencies and resolve competing priorities.
•  Own and improve procurement policies, standard operating procedures, approval routes, decision rights and responsibility matrices across direct and indirect procurement, aligned with delegated authority and Finance purchase-to-pay controls.
•  Govern supplier onboarding, changes and offboarding, coordinating commercial and financial due diligence and maintaining clear ownership of supplier risks, performance issues and corrective actions.
•  Develop reporting on spend, sourcing pipelines, contract coverage, supplier risk, policy compliance and approval lead times; use the findings to improve decisions, processes and data quality across sites.


Requirements

•  Significant experience in commercial management, procurement, supply chain or contract management, with responsibility spanning supplier agreements, financial analysis and business governance.
•  Experience working closely with Finance on budgets, committed spend, forecasts, payment structures or cost reporting, with a practical understanding of how procurement decisions affect cash flow and financial performance.
•  Hands-on experience reviewing, drafting and negotiating commercial agreements, assessing contractual exposure and managing changes, obligations or supplier issues through the contract lifecycle.
•  Experience delivering work across functions, particularly Procurement, Finance, Legal and technical or operational teams, and securing agreement between stakeholders with different priorities.
•  Experience developing or improving policies, processes, templates, approval frameworks and management reporting, and taking changes through to adoption.
•  Experience in a fast-paced technology, engineering, manufacturing or regulated environment. Right to work in the UK and ability to meet role-related screening or security requirements.
•  Commercial judgement: weighs cost, delivery, contractual exposure and business need; makes clear recommendations and knows when specialist advice or escalation is required.


Preferred Qualifications/Experience

•  Experience in defence, aerospace, advanced engineering or another highly regulated or security-conscious business, including relevant customer and supplier requirements.
•  Experience helping a growing organisation establish or improve procurement operating models, purchase-to-pay controls, supplier assurance or commercial reporting.
•  Experience using or implementing enterprise resource planning, procurement or contract management systems, with an understanding of the links between process, data and financial control.
•  CIPS, commercial or contract management, legal or finance qualifications, or equivalent professional experience. 


What We Offer

•  Competitive compensation and stock options
•  Private Medical & Dental
•  Cycle to work scheme
•  Lunchtime catering on site


About Us

The mission of Cambridge Aerospace is to eliminate the risk of existential war in Europe. That risk comes from the air - low-cost drones and cruise missiles now manufactured in colossal volumes by our adversaries, ballistic missiles capable of ending the world as we know it, and a new generation of hypersonic weapons that evade every existing defence.

We are building low-cost interceptors that defeat these threats, and the surveillance systems to detect and target them - at a cost taxpayers can afford, at the pace the threat demands, and with sovereign supply chains that assure delivery.

We have immense backing from the world's best venture funds. We are one of the fastest growing defence technology companies in history. And we are hiring the best people to prosecute the mission.
If you are in the top 1%, willing to work harder than you ever have, build capability better than anyone else, and contribute to the defining challenge of our time, now is the time to join us.
Our Commitment to InclusionWe are committed to building a diverse and inclusive workplace. If you are excited about this role but do not meet every requirement, we still encourage you to apply.