Commercial Manager (Electrical)

ROLE OVERVIEW:

The Commercial Manager serves as the operational backbone for the company, taking full operational ownership of job costing, progress billing, cash flow forecasting, and renewable project administration. Reporting directly to the Indigenous Founder and Managing Director, this role decouples business-critical financial controls from field operations so executive leadership can focus purely on winning tenders and delivering client work. It bridges the gap between field execution and financial viability.

RESPONSIBILITIES:

Commercial & Financial Management

* Job Costing & Budget Control: Set up baseline budgets for won tenders. Continuously track actual versus estimated costs across direct field labor, plant, materials, and subcontractor packages.
* WIP (Work In Progress) & Margin Tracking: Monitor project margins in real time, forecast final cost-to-complete figures, and identify margin drift before it impacts company profitability.
* Progress Claims & Variations: Manage the complete billing lifecycle—preparing and submitting compliant monthly progress claims, managing client payment schedules, rigorously pricing and documenting contract variations, and mitigating disputed claims.
* Cash Flow & Working Capital: Build and maintain rolling 4- to 12-week cash flow forecasts. Oversee AP (Accounts Payable) payment runs and actively manage AR (Accounts Receivable) debtor collections.
* Procurement & Liabilities: Audit PO (Purchase Order) commitments against supplier invoices, verify subcontractor delivery dockets, and maintain absolute visibility over ongoing project liabilities.

Solar & Renewable Energy Operations Administration

* Network & Utility Approvals: Coordinate and lodge grid-connection applications and pre-approvals with local service providers, including PWC (Power and Water Corporation).
* Rebate & Compliance Paperwork: Manage end-to-end processing of STC (Small-scale Technology Certificate) documentation, Clean Energy Regulator compliance, and electrical safety certificates.
* Installation Logistics: Compile comprehensive job packs (drawings, site safety documentation, equipment manifests) for field electricians and subcontractors.
* Project Coordination: Track approval milestones, schedule installations, manage customer delivery updates, and lead final handover and warranty documentation.

Systems Architecture, Reporting & Business Intelligence

* Executive Dashboard Delivery: Design and maintain a streamlined, weekly commercial dashboard giving executive leadership clear visibility into:
* Job-by-job gross profit and cost variances.
* Under-budget and over-budget project alerts.
* Upcoming and overdue progress claims.
* Rolling 30-day cash flow commitments and debtor exposure.

* Process Optimization: Migrate manual project workflows into standardized, repeatable digital systems using trade ERP (Enterprise Resource Planning) tools.

Requirements

* 5+ years of direct experience in construction commercial management, project financial control, contract administration, or quantity surveying within an electrical, civil, or commercial subcontracting business.
* Demonstrated mastery of construction job costing, including tracking daily labor burn rates, WIP (Work In Progress) allocations, and material reconciliation.
* Proven hands-on experience submitting progress claims and variations under standard commercial subcontracts and Australian statutory requirements.
* Proficiency with cloud accounting and construction platforms, specifically Xero, SimPRO (or equivalent systems like Jobpac, AroFlo, or Procore), and advanced Microsoft Excel.
* Strong commercial diplomacy: the assertiveness to track down supplier invoices, negotiate claim certifications with head contractors, and enforce timesheet compliance with field teams.
* High autonomy: track record of establishing financial processes and reporting cadences from the ground up without daily supervision.