Head of Commercial, Claims & Contracts Rail / Rail Systems

Head of Commercial, Claims & Contracts (Rail / Rail Systems)

Why You Should Apply

- Executive Leadership Seat: Take full commercial stewardship and P&L accountability for a prominent rail systems business division.
- High-Stakes Strategic Impact: Drive the successful close-out, commercial recovery, and final handovers of major transit networks, positioning the business for long-term sustainability.
- Elite Stakeholder Exposure: Serve as the primary executive interface and trusted negotiator with leadership teams across clients, consortium partners, and government regulators.

Key Responsibilities

- Commercial & Claims Stewardship: Provide comprehensive oversight for the financial health, cash flow optimization, and commercial performance of the rail systems portfolio.
- Contractual Forensic Analysis: Review contracts thoroughly to identify delay liabilities, evaluate past client agreements, manage changes of scope, and dissect complex work sequencing to determine responsibility for cost/time overruns.
- Expert Correspondence & Legal Defense: Lead the preparation of high-impact contractual letters, extension of time (EOT) claims, variation orders, and dispute documentation.
- Dispute Resolution & Governance: Actively manage contractual disputes, claims, and legal matters in collaboration with legal teams, driving strategic win-win outcomes to secure prompt sign-offs and payments.
- Strategic Interface: Establish and maintain high-trust relationships with client leadership teams, operators, and government agencies to safely resolve escalations while protecting the company's reputation.

Initiatives / Projects

- Project Close-Out & Handover: Manage the strategic operational pivot of mega rail projects moving from active execution into final contract close-out, handovers, and defect liability management (DLP).
- Maximizing Commercial Recovery: Proactively pursue outstanding receivables, variation claims, and final account settlements with target timelines to prevent commercial leakage.

About You

- Experienced Rail Professional: Minimum 15 years of experience in rail, infrastructure, or large-scale transportation engineering projects, with direct exposure to MRT, ECRL, ERL, or Double Track networks being highly suitable.
- Proven Commercial Leader: Minimum 8 years operating in a senior executive role managing complex rail systems contracts, P&L performance, and multidisciplinary teams.
- Contracts & Claims Expert: Advanced expertise in rail contract management, variation claims, and defending against time overruns. This role is specifically tailored for a commercially savvy contract manager and master letter-writer rather than a pure technical engineer or standard Quantity Surveyor (QS) profile.
- Arbitration & Dispute Savvy: Proven experience navigating high-level dispute resolutions, contract legalities, or formal arbitration and mediation settings.
- Academic Foundation: Bachelor's Degree in Engineering, Project Management, Commercial Management, Law, or a related business discipline.

Nice to Have

- Professional certificates, training, or active exposure to international commercial arbitration frameworks (e.g., CIArb) or statutory payment adjudication (e.g., CIPAA).
- Master’s Degree in Business Administration (MBA).

About the Company

- The client is a premier, multi-disciplinary leader within the Malaysian rail systems integration and technology landscape.
- As their flagship transportation infrastructure assets transition from major project delivery phases into long-term contract close-out, asset maintenance, and support, they provide a sophisticated, stable, and highly corporate environment.
- Dedicated to robust commercial governance and continuous improvement, this organization offers an exceptional platform for elite contract professionals to drive high-value, nation-building outcomes.