Commercial Specialist

Commercial Specialist

Location: Warwick - 1 or 2 days per week on site (hybrid working)
Contract: Employed Consultant Model via Ajilon (initial temporary contract with potential to become permanent)

About the Role
We're leading the delivery of Early Competition - a new, competitive process to procure the design, build, and ownership of onshore transmission solutions. Unlike traditional procurement, this process begins before detailed design, surveying, and consenting, giving bidders the opportunity to shape innovative, cost-effective solutions from the outset. By opening the market to competition early, we aim to secure the best outcomes at a fair cost for consumers while encouraging fresh ideas and new ways of working.

As a Commercial Specialist, you'll play a key role in supporting the Head of Commercial Finance and the Early Competition team. You'll provide financial analysis, commercial insight, and market intelligence to shape tenders, assess bids, and strengthen long-term commercial strategy.

This is an exciting opportunity for someone who thrives at the intersection of finance, regulation, and infrastructure delivery - someone analytical, commercially curious, and confident engaging across technical and investor interfaces.

Key Responsibilities

• Support the design and closure of commercial framework elements (eg refinancing, securities, PPWCA, reopeners).
• Run and update cost-benefit analyses (CBAs) for potential projects, sourcing and validating cost inputs and assumptions.
• Maintain and refine CBA methodologies to ensure robust, consistent decision-making.
• Build and maintain financial models, including cash flow, WACC, debt amortisation, and NPV sensitivity testing.
• Conduct research and analysis on investment structuring, risk allocation, and cost treatment approaches.
• Contribute to investor strategy and explore new funding mechanisms such as milestone-based payments.
• Assess the financial standing of bidders through analysis of audited accounts, liquidity, solvency, gearing, and turnover.
• Provide commercial insights and analysis to support internal decision-making and external engagement.
• Support development of new commercial structures, such as availability-based or DBO (design, build, operate) contracts.
• Contribute to contract evaluation and negotiations, including resolving commercial disputes.
• Identify, assess, and manage risks, embedding mitigation strategies in frameworks and contracts.

About You
You'll bring experience or aptitude from a finance, procurement, commercial legal, contract management, or accounting background, ideally with exposure to infrastructure or regulated environments.

You'll also demonstrate:

• Strong analytical skills, with experience in cost-benefit analysis and financial scenario modelling.
• Understanding of commercial parameters (cost of capital, gearing, financing strategy).
• Ability to interpret financial statements and assess counterparties' financial standing.
• Familiarity with finance concepts such as WACC, risk-sharing, debt structuring, and project finance principles.
• Knowledge of bid assessment for large-scale infrastructure procurement.
• Awareness of availability-based models, DBO contracts, and best-practice contract management.

Working with Ajilon
You will be employed via Ajilon's Employed Consultant Model (ECM) - giving you the security of a permanent salary and benefits, while delivering on long-term assignments within the national energy system. This model provides flexibility, professional development support, and the potential to transition into a permanent role with the organisation in the future.

Pontoon is an employment consultancy. We put expertise, energy, and enthusiasm into improving everyone's chance of being part of the workplace. We respect and appreciate people of all ethnicities, generations, religious beliefs, sexual orientations, gender identities, and more. We do this by showcasing their talents, skills, and unique experience in an inclusive environment that helps them thrive. If you require reasonable adjustments at any stage, please let us know and we will be happy to support you.

Interested?
If you're passionate about shaping the commercial frameworks that will define the future of the UK's energy infrastructure, we'd love to hear from you.