The Commercial Agreements Manager is responsible for protecting the financial and commercial integrity of customer agreements. The role works across Finance, Legal, Sales and Operations to ensure all commercial terms are financially sound, contractually clear and operationally deliverable.
This includes pricing structures, billing models, payment terms, rebates, discounts, commissions and other commercial mechanisms. The role helps the business win profitable deals while reducing margin leakage, billing issues, cash collection risk and revenue recognition errors.
Key Responsibilities
- Review and approve the financial terms of customer contracts, proposals and commercial agreements.
- Ensure all agreements protect margin, cash flow and budget targets.
- Confirm that pricing, billing methods, payment terms and collection mechanisms are clearly defined and aligned to what has been sold.
- Partner with Sales to structure complex or non-standard commercial deals.
- Assess the financial impact of discounts, rebates, incentives, commissions, service credits and payment profiles before approval.
- Identify hidden costs, operational risks or terms that could create margin leakage.
- Act as the Finance gatekeeper for commercial agreement approval.
- Ensure agreements comply with internal policies, approval limits and commercial standards.
- Standardise financial clauses, templates and approval processes to improve speed and consistency.
- Review active agreements to ensure the business and customers are meeting their contractual obligations.
- Monitor risks such as underbilling, missed indexation, incorrect rebates, delayed payments and unclaimed charges.
- Act as the lead Finance representative in commercial disputes, audits or contract interpretation matters.
- Provide clear financial analysis and recommendations when contract terms are unclear or disputed.
- Ensure agreements support accurate billing, reporting and revenue recognition.
Candidate Profile
- Degree in Finance, Accounting, Economics, Law or a related discipline such as ACA or equivalent qualification preferred.
- 5+ years’ experience in Commercial Finance, Contract Management, Deal Desk, Revenue Operations or a related role.
- Advanced Excel and financial modelling skills.
- Experience using CRM and ERP systems and other finance platforms.
- Strong commercial judgement with the ability to assess whether a deal is profitable, executable and aligned with company policy.
- Confident stakeholder manager with the ability to challenge poor commercial decisions while maintaining strong working relationships.
- Strong analytical skills with the ability to identify hidden costs, ambiguous terms and financial risks in complex agreements.
- Excellent attention to detail and ability to review complex contractual and financial information accurately.
Core Competencies
- Strong commercial acumen and understanding of how contract terms affect revenue, margin, cash flow and billing.
- Ability to identify risks in pricing structures, rebate mechanisms, payment terms and service obligations.
- Strong financial control mindset with a focus on governance, accuracy and risk management.
- Ability to influence Sales, Legal, Finance and senior leadership with clear, practical recommendations.
- Process-driven approach with the ability to improve templates, controls and approval workflows.
- Confident communicator with the ability to say no to poor commercial terms while remaining constructive and solutions-focused.
Success Measures
- Reduced Finance review turnaround time without weakening commercial control.
- Reduction in margin leakage caused by poor agreement setup, unclear terms or incorrect billing.
- Improved alignment between signed agreements, invoicing, payment terms and cash collection.
- Accurate revenue recognition in line with agreed contract terms.
- Improved consistency, profitability and governance of approved commercial agreements.