Contracts Manager – R&D Facility
What you will do
We are seeking an experienced Contracts Manager to support the delivery of a capital investment project to design and build a new R&D facility focused on thermal management technologies, including chillers, heat pumps, and advanced HVAC solutions.
This role will be critical in establishing, managing, and governing all contractual frameworks across the lifecycle of the project from design and construction through to commissioning and operational readiness ensuring commercial protection, risk mitigation, and compliance with corporate and regulatory standards.
How you will do it
Contract Setup
- Lead the development and implementation of the contracting strategy for the project, including selection of and adherence to appropriate contract models
- Draft, review, and negotiate contracts with contractors, consultants, suppliers, and specialist engineering consultants.
- Ensure alignment with corporate procurement policies, governance frameworks, and legal standards.
Commercial & Risk Management
- Identify, assess, and mitigate commercial and contractual risks associated with a large-scale capital build project.
- Manage contract performance to ensure cost control, schedule adherence, and quality delivery.
- Lead the resolution of commercial disputes, claims, and variations in collaboration with Legal and project leadership.
- Maintain robust change management processes for scope, cost, and schedule adjustments.
Project Delivery Support
- Act as a key commercial partner to the Director of Business Development and Engineering leads, providing contract guidance throughout all project phases.
- Monitor contractor performance against KPIs, SLAs, and contractual obligations.
- Ensure effective governance of milestones, deliverables, and payment mechanisms.
Stakeholder Management
- Collaborate closely with internal stakeholders and workstream owners (Engineering, Procurement, Finance, Legal, HR etc) and external partners.
- Act as the primary point of contact for contractual matters with main contractors and key suppliers.
- Support leadership with commercial reporting, insights, and decision-making.
Compliance & Governance
- Ensure compliance with relevant regulations, industry standards, and internal audit requirements.
- Maintain accurate and auditable contract documentation, RFIs, key meeting minutes, decisions and records.
- Support the implementation of best practices in contract lifecycle management and governance.
What we look for
Essential
- Proven experience as a Contract Manager or Commercial Manager on large-scale capital projects.
- Strong background in construction, engineering, or industrial projects ideally within HVAC, thermal systems, or manufacturing environments.
- Demonstrated expertise in contract negotiation, drafting, and administration.
- Strong knowledge of commercial risk management, claims handling, and dispute resolution.
- Excellent stakeholder management and influencing skills, with the ability to operate at senior levels.
Desirable
- Experience supporting the build of R&D facilities or manufacturing plants.
- Familiarity with thermal management technologies (chillers, heat pumps, HVAC systems).
- Experience working within a multinational organisation and complex matrix environments.
Qualifications
- Degree in Engineering, Construction Management, or related discipline.
- Professional accreditation is advantageous, e.g. PMP.
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Skills Required
- Proven experience as a Contract Manager or Commercial Manager on large-scale capital projects
- Background in construction, engineering, or industrial projects, ideally involving HVAC, thermal systems, or manufacturing
- Expertise in contract negotiation, drafting, and administration
- Knowledge of commercial risk management, claims handling, and dispute resolution
- Strong stakeholder management and influencing skills, including operation at senior levels
- Experience supporting construction of R&D facilities or manufacturing plants
- Familiarity with chillers, heat pumps, and HVAC systems
- Experience in multinational organizations and complex matrix environments
- Degree in Engineering, Construction Management, or a related discipline
- Professional accreditation such as PMP
Johnson Controls Compensation & Benefits Highlights
The following summarizes recurring compensation and benefits themes identified from responses generated by popular LLMs to common candidate questions about Johnson Controls and has not been reviewed or approved by Johnson Controls.
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Retirement Support — Retirement support is positioned as a meaningful part of the package through employer 401(k) matching, repeatedly framed as a strong pillar of the overall rewards mix. The matching contribution is described with specific match levels in multiple places, reinforcing perceived value for long-term saving.
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Leave & Time Off Breadth — Time off is presented as comparatively robust, with multiple paid holiday categories, vacation time, and sick time described as generous or “amazing” in places. Paid time off breadth appears to be a consistent contributor to total rewards attractiveness beyond base pay.
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Flexible Benefits — Benefits are described as broad and customizable, spanning standard medical/dental/vision plus optional add-ons like pet insurance, identity protection, and legal support. Tuition reimbursement is repeatedly highlighted as a high-value option supporting professional development.
Johnson Controls Insights
What We Do
At Johnson Controls, we transform the environments where people live, work, learn and play. From optimizing building performance to improving safety and enhancing comfort, we drive the outcomes that matter most. Dedicated to protecting the environment, we deliver our promise in industries such as healthcare, education, data centers and manufacturing. With a global team of 100,000 experts in more than 150 countries and over 130 years of innovation, we are the power behind our customers’ mission. Our leading portfolio of building technology and solutions includes some of the most trusted names in the industry, such as Tyco®, York®, Metasys®, Ruskin®, Titus®, Frick®, Penn®, Sabroe®, Simplex®, Ansul® and Grinnell®.
