Assistant Commercial Manager

About the Company

U+A, which operates within the Egis Group, is an established international architecture and design practice with capabilities spanning architecture, interior design, landscape architecture, urban planning, and master planning. The business is known for combining creativity with a practical, detail-oriented approach, and it works closely with a broad, multidisciplinary team across architecture, structural engineering, building services, and sustainability. With a strong track record of delivering notable projects across the Middle East, the company emphasizes local market insight, cultural awareness, and tailored solutions for clients.

Role Overview

The organization is looking for an experienced Assistant Commercial Manager with solid pre-contract expertise to support expansion plans and partner with key clients. This role is central to supporting major capital projects and programmes across a varied portfolio, while delivering accurate, high-quality commercial support within a collaborative, growth-oriented environment.

The successful candidate will be involved in the full commercial journey of projects, from early project concept and business case preparation through to completion. The role also supports project management with reporting, stakeholder coordination, and commercial oversight to help achieve strong delivery outcomes.

Key Responsibilities

• Handle commercial management activities from the earliest project stages onward.
• Promote high performance and technical quality through strong communication and use of performance management processes and internal technical practice networks.
• Build detailed cost forecasts and budget summaries, identify variations, and analyze trends to support informed financial decisions.
• Work with project managers and engineering teams to estimate project costs, including external sub-consultancy fees and overheads.
• Draft internal and external sub-consultancy agreements and coordinate with project managers, legal teams, and commercial teams until execution is complete.
• Carry out due diligence before engaging sub-consultants and confirm that required insurance coverage is valid.
• Raise and prepare change request forms in coordination with project managers and the design team, making sure inputs are complete and correct.
• Prepare variation order documentation in line with each client’s change-control procedures.
• Support quality assurance and quality control reviews of deliverables to ensure consistency and precision.
• Produce variation orders for internal and external sub-consultants after project changes are approved.
• Keep a master variation log updated for both active and legacy projects.
• Assist with group-level reporting and presentation materials for management and stakeholder use.
• Use CRM tools confidently and show readiness to learn new systems.
• Oversee the creation and upkeep of sub-consultant variation trackers aligned with approved project variations.
• Maintain an organized and fully auditable filing system for all commercial records.
• Apply cost control measures, track project spend, and resolve issues that may cause budget overruns.
• Review and approve invoices and claims from internal and external suppliers, ensuring charges are accurate and supported.
• Work in integrated, multi-organization collaborative teams to manage cost and commercial matters.
• Apply practical knowledge of FIDIC contracts and understand project management workflows.
• Complete post-project financial reviews to evaluate cost performance and capture lessons for future work.

Requirements

• A degree in accounting, finance, engineering, or a closely related field is required.
• At least 8 years of experience in cost and commercial management within the real estate sector.
• Strong analytical ability and negotiation skills.
• Working proficiency with cost, commercial, and finance management systems.
• Excellent communication and interpersonal skills, with the ability to guide and coordinate teams effectively.
• Good command of Microsoft Excel, PowerPoint, and Word.
• Exposure to Power BI, CRM tools, and Oracle systems is preferred, or a strong willingness to build capability in these systems.
• Working knowledge of FIDIC contracts and project management processes.

Additional Information

This role is a full-time onsite position based in Dubai, United Arab Emirates.

The position requires a strong pre-contract background and experience supporting commercial delivery in collaborative, multi-stakeholder environments.

Experience with cost/commercial management across integrated, multi-organization teams is considered an advantage.