Contract Manager

Thales people architect solutions that support 85 million mainline and suburban passenger journeys, worldwide, every day. Our Rail Signalling and Communication systems are used on metro lines across major cities, and 72,000 kms of route, 52,000 trains per day in 16 countries are controlled by our Traffic Management Systems. Together We deployed the first-ever nationwide ticketing system which processes over 50 million ticketing transactions in 100 cities daily.

Thales Romania is a major player in the Romanian rail transport industry delivering advanced signaling, supervision and control systems for railways, having a Competence Centre employing over 280 software engineers.

Thales Romania has significant collaborations with other Thales units, such as Thales Germany, Thales UK and Thales France. A short reminder of our projects should include safety critical systems for railway transportation for Denmark, Norway, Poland, Saudi Arabia, Portugal, Israel, Switzerland. Another project we embarked on is Integrated Supervision and Control System (ISCS) and Train management solutions.

Not to be missed is the ELI-NP- a laser with a power of 2x10 PW. The first components of the world's most powerful laser system have been delivered and installed on the ELI-NP site, in Magurele, Romania.

Our Assets

The chance to work in an industry that is building complex safety critical systems that require competencies from a wide range of technical knowledge;

The chance to get in contact with people having different cultural background from all around the world;

A young and enthusiastic team looking forward to taking new interesting projects on board;

A working environment that facilitates professional development through continuous learning, close collaboration in teams and solution oriented attitude.

If you are looking for a friendly environment, based on teamwork and responsibility, ethics and a can-do attitude, Thales Romania is your partner.

Job Overview

World-class technologies and the combined expertise of 67,000 employees in 56 locally based country operations make Thales a key player in assuring the security of citizens, infrastructure and nations. www.thalesgroup.com

In Romania Thales is active in the Transportation as well as Optronique domains. Thales Romania is in particular a trusted partner to the Romanian Railways, CFR, for developing and delivering leading signalling solutions for the Romanian railway market. The company currently employs more than 300 highly qualified people offering a wide range of technical skills. Together with our customers we make smarter solutions for better decisions. www.thales.com.

In 2018 Thales Romania has been subcontracted by a civil works company with the provision of the upgrade part of the existing railway line Sighisoara-Brasov (the Project).

Thales Romania is now looking for a senior Contract Manager fully dedicated to the Project which will have particular responsibilities linked to the execution of the Contract in a Prime-Sub structure and with several subcontractors. The Contract Manager will be in charge of ensuring fulfilment of contractual obligations in a timely manner, as well as change and variation management. Furthermore the Contract Manager will perform a key integrative function as a member of the project team and facilitate efficient and transparent coordination with internal departments and stakeholders of the Group (Legal, Finance, Commercial and Risks). His/Her role will be essential to maintaining a collaborative working relationship and good communications with the customer, the end-customer or other stakeholders.

The position reports to the Senior Contract Manager of Thales Systems Romania and functionally to the General Project Manager of the Project.

Key Responsibilities

The candidate is an individual contributor with a considerable, proven experience in applying contract management techniques and the ability and competence to give good commercial advice to secure Thales positions during execution of the Project, as well as motivate co-workers and administer tasks in an efficient way:

Develop and deliver the contracts management strategy for the project and provide strategic advice to the General Project Manager Identifying, administrating and maintaining robust contract documentation available at all times to claim or defend against claims, as needed; day-to-day review and follow up on contractual rights and obligations. Drafting and negotiating agreements with internal and external subcontractors and suppliers, to support the Project, including ensuring appropriate flow-down of the Customer’s requirements. Day-to-day commercial management of the Project, including inter alia preparation and submission of extension of time and or costs claims, defense against claims, contract amendments, identification and leverage of contractual opportunities through change request management Provide contract clarification and interpretation to the project team to minimize contractual risk and exposure, provide advice to maximize commercial opportunities for the project, and suggest actions accordingly to support Thales business objectives Ensure that the project team interprets and executes the terms and conditions of the Contract and subcontracts correctly, oversee follow-up of the on-going work orders to ensure that the customer, end-customer and sub-suppliers are compliant with the contract (T&Cs, Statement of Work, Specifications etc.) Draft important contractual responses to the customer and end-customer with the help of the project team, including change management activities such as change requests and change orders to contractual baseline and subsequent claims. Represent the project in meetings and negotiations regarding contractual issues with the customer, end-customer or (sub-)suppliers Contract administration of contract archives (baseline, correspondence, claims etc) securing the project team access to updated contractual information. Providing early warning and strategic advice to the Project Management and support in reporting.

Skills

Skills, Experience and Qualifications

• The ability to interpret complex contracts and agreements in a risk environment
• Proven experience in contract management practices
• Proven understanding and knowledge of FIDIC contracts
• High written and verbal communication skills
• A good negotiator
• High awareness of commercial issues, good technical and project understanding
• Strong interpersonal and social skills
• Good understanding of project, schedule and risk management impacts to anticipate forthcoming items requiring particular contract management attention
  

Behaviors

• Ability to work independently, as well as being a team player within a multidisciplinary and international network
• Displays energy, drive, agility and resilience in achieving work-related goals under challenging circumstances.
• Ability to interface well and effectively at all levels including internally and externally with customers, partners and suppliers
• Manage time effectively and prioritize workload
• Flexible and open to change.
• Pro-active attitude.
  
  

Experience

• University Degree, preferably in Engineering or Law, with a developed technical awareness and a high commercial orientation
• At least 5 years of relevant contract management experience, preferably from the Railway industry or similar large and long term infrastructure projects
• Good knowledge and experience of FIDIC contracts or comparable standards used in the Transportation sector
• Knowledge of Public Procurement practices is an advantage.
• Command of office tools and contract management tools
  
  

Languages

Excellent written and spoken command of both the Romanian and English language as both languages are working languages on a daily basis.

We offer

We offer a challenging position in an international company located in attractive offices in the centre of Bucharest. You will be part of a professional working environment with career opportunities. Competitive terms of employment and benefits schemes.

At Thales we provide CAREERS and not only jobs. With Thales employing 65,000 employees in 56 countries our mobility policy enables thousands of employees each year to develop their careers at home and abroad, in their existing areas of expertise or by branching out into new fields. Together we believe that embracing flexibility is a smarter way of working. Great journeys start here, apply now!