Contract Manager

Wärtsilä is an innovative technology company known for being a forerunner in the Marine and Energy markets. Every day, we – Wärtsilians - put our hearts and minds into turning Wärtsilä's purpose of enabling sustainable societies through innovation in technology and services into reality. Our ultimate aim is to provide increased value to both our customers and society. New, game-changing ideas and continuous improvement have been part of our DNA since 1834. Together, we can create new business opportunities and more sustainable future that we can all be proud of. 

We want to transition the world towards a decarbonised and sustainable future. By pushing the boundaries of engineering and technology, we can make it work. We are always on the lookout for future-oriented talent – want to join the ride?

Wärtsilä is leading the transition towards a 100% renewable energy future. We Wärtsilians help our customers unlock the value of energy transition by optimizing their energy systems and futureproofing their assets. Did you know Wärtsilä has delivered 73 GW of power plant capacity in 180 countries around the world, including 80 energy storage systems? In this era of innovation and fast changing world of energy, we are constantly on the lookout for future-oriented talent to join our team and to work towards enabling sustainable societies with smart technology - together. Want to join the ride?

Wartsila is expanding its Australian Energy business in response to Australia's transition towards a lower carbon emission energy market.

If you are a dynamic and energetic person and enjoy working in a challenging and exciting multicultural environment, are a team player who is creative and thinks outside the box, constantly seeking to improve performance by setting and exceeding your targets, read on!

In the Wärtsilä Energy – ES&O Projects Team, we are looking for a Contract Manager for a growing Energy Storage market in Australia. The position will report to the General Manager, Energy Storage Project Management MEA and be based in Sydney, Australia. The work requires regular travel to site locations and offices within Australia.

What you will be doing

In this position, your work will include ​providing contract and commercial support ​to Wartsila's Energy Storage and Optimization ​(grid scale batteries) organisation. This includes the full range of commercial functions for large construction projects, including requirement management, contract drafting and negotiations, ​execution administration, claims and change management. On a typical day, you might be starting with contract negotiations with our customer and end the day with coaching our international Project Management team in local legislation and regulations. You will not be working on this alone, even though the work requires a high level of independency, as you will have the support from our project teams, local organisation and our international team of Contract Managers. For us to be the best match, we expect you to understand the Australian ​energy business and lengthy experience from working with the local construction industry and supply chains. As an ideal candidate, you have good understanding of the legal requirements and framework applied required for Australian energy businesses, construction industry and contracting, while also understanding technical requirements and processes. Ideally you would have a university degree in either Contract Management, Construction Management, Engineering, Commerce or Law, and further professional achievements and work experience in contract management and/or project management.

As Contract Manager, your work will focus on these responsibilities:

- Leading the contract implementation by ensuring contract compliance and active change and claim management

- Drafting and negotiating subcontracts

- Identification and management of local legislation and regulations relating to ​energy projects

- Identifying possible contractual risks and mitigating/managing them through project lifecycle

- Assigning tasks and responsibilities within the project team to who they apply to (e.g. safety, quality, environment, technical – sections etc.)

- Drafting and managing contractual letters, notifications and claims

- Planning the change management system and ensuring that the project team members agree and understand their roles in it

- Cooperating with and supporting project scheduling and planning

- Coaching the project team and wider organisation in contract management

- Ensuring that subcontracts are back-to-back to the main contract and Wärtsilä’s interests are protected in them. Ensuring that contractual notifications and claims are made on time and answered on time towards subcontractors

- Participating in and being a member of internal and external project steering committees

- Encouraging and advising the sales team in systematic requirement clarification

- Reading through the tender documentation to identify the key contractual requirements effecting the future execution

- Assisting the Proposal Manager in assigning contract sections for detailed analyse to appropriate disciplines within the team (e.g. quality, safety, legal, etc.)

- Identifying any proposed contractual terms that are likely to cause harm or hindrance to the project execution. Communicating these terms clearly to the project team with proposals on customer communication (required changes)

- Assisting in identifying possible contractual and technical risks considering future execution of the project and proposing solutions to mitigate and manage the identified risks

- Co-operating with Legal on above mentioned tasks

- Ensuring that relevant contract documention is saved and stored according to policy

- Assisting in ensuring that remaining contractual risks for Wärtsilä are processed to risk management and budgeting

- Participating in customer meetings, where contractual issues are discussed

- Checking that all contractual requirements are fulfilled by Wärtsilä, by the Customer and by the subcontractors and that requirements for hand-over are met. Ensure that any contract non-conformities have been identified

- Ensuring that all remaining contractual issues are allocated to who it applies to, e.g. Legal, finance

- Ensuring that the contractual warranty requirements are understood by warranty organization

- Clarifying subcontractor warranties (contact persons and durations)

- If the project moves to O&M-phase, informing warranty team about requirements related to it

- Collaborating with Legal on any dispute resolution needs

To be successful in this role, we expect you to have:

- University degree in Contract Management, ​Construction Management, Engineering, Commerce or Law

- More than 10 years of work experience in construction or energy business project management, contract management or legal services

- Battery Energy Storage industry experience preferred

- Excellent interpersonal and communication skills and willingness to work in a multicultural matrix organisation

- Strong knowledge of local legislation, regulations and contract law

- Experience of dispute resolution procedures

- Entrepreneurial and proactive way of working

- Readiness and ability to travel and occasionally work outside of regular office hours

- Keen understanding of technical contract writing and writing to specifications

- Critical Thinking – Uses logic and reasoning to identify the strengths and weaknesses of alternative solutions, conclusions or approaches to problems

- Willing to work as part of a larger project team

- Able to multi-task to support Project Managers in both the proposal and project phase

- Eager to learn and bring new ideas to the team for continuous improvement

Why you and us?

We at Wärtsilä believe in empowerment, ownership and taking responsibility of our work. We support each other’s growth and co-creation is the true basis of our innovation. We have courage to see opportunities and take initiative.

 We are authentic and honest, and we strongly believe in that by being your own true self you can accomplish so much more. We want everyone to voice their opinions freely. That is why we have built an environment that empowers you and everyone around you, and where you can feel safe and cared for. Are you eager to be part of this ambition?

Contact & next steps

We hope to hear from you before the application deadline 25.11.2024, through submitting your application through our career’s portal. We aim to keep you updated on the process all the way.

Successful applicant must be authorized to work in Australia without sponsorship.

Last application date: 25/11/2024 

At Wärtsilä we value, respect and embrace all our differences, and are committed to diversity, inclusion and equal employment opportunities; everyone can be their true self and succeed based on their job-relevant merits and abilities. 

This is Wärtsilä 

Wärtsilä is a global leader in innovative technologies and lifecycle solutions for the marine and energy markets. Our team of 17,800 professionals, in more than 280 locations in 79 countries, shape the decarbonisation transformation of our industries across the globe. Read more on www.wartsila.com.