Senior Contract & Claims Manager (Ref#067)

Position Overview

You will own the contractual and commercial side of major international engineering projects: heavy machinery, industrial equipment and complete plant builds. When a contract is signed, your work starts. When a claim or dispute comes up, you are the person at the table.

You will work with project management, legal, finance and sales to keep projects on schedule, on budget and protected from risk. Claims, variations and insurance matters land on your desk, and you see them through to resolution.

On projects of this size, one missed clause or poorly handled claim can cost millions. You get real autonomy here, and you will be expected to use it. If you know plant engineering contracts inside out and negotiate with confidence in English, this is a role where your judgement carries weight.

Key Responsibilities

Contract Administration & Compliance

• Manage national and international industrial engineering projects in line with their contractual obligations.
• Run contract administration, project schedules, cost control and contractual correspondence.
• Keep every project contractually compliant and protect the company's commercial interests from award to close-out.

Claims & Dispute Resolution

• Identify, prepare, negotiate and resolve contractual claims, variations and disputes.
• Manage project insurance requirements and handle insurance claims when they arise.

Risk & Commercial Control

• Assess project risks early and put clear mitigation plans in place.
• Monitor budgets, resource plans and cash flow across your project portfolio.
• Support tender preparation, change management and commercial negotiations.

Stakeholder Collaboration

• Work closely with project management, legal, finance and sales teams.
• Represent the company with clients, subcontractors, insurers and other external parties.

Qualifications

Experience

• At least 8 years in industrial plant engineering, project execution, contract management or claims management.
• A track record on complex international engineering projects.
• A Bachelor's or Master's degree in Business Administration or a related field.

Technical Knowledge

• Strong command of commercial contracts, claims, project cost control and scheduling.
• Hands-on experience with tenders, variations and change management on engineering projects.

Leadership & Communication

• Proven negotiation, conflict resolution and stakeholder management skills.
• Business-fluent English, with the ability to negotiate hard. German is a plus but not essential.
• Strong leadership and a structured, solution-focused way of working.
• Willingness to travel internationally when projects require it.

Work Environment

You will be based in Cologne with flexible working arrangements. The team is collaborative, and senior people are given significant autonomy and responsibility. Expect international travel when projects need you on site or at the negotiating table.

Compensation & Benefits

• Competitive salary plus additional employee benefits.
• Flexible working arrangements.
• A senior position within an established international engineering organisation.
• Exposure to complex international industrial projects.
• Long-term professional development and career growth.