Commercial Manager

Salary: £30,000-£50,000 per annum, depending on experience

Who we are

We're Soul Spaces, an owner-led workplace design and build outfit based in Farringdon. Small, close-knit team, big appetite for creative projects, and a genuine love of turning empty floors into workplaces people actually want to be in.

Every project matters to us. Clients get direct access to the people making the decisions, no layers, no faceless account management. We've built the business on trust, transparency and doing right by people, and after 15 years in the industry we've earned the right to be picky about who we work with and who we hire.

We offer a proper 360 service: workplace strategy, property advice, design, procurement, construction, delivery. All of it. People are at the heart of it, both our clients' teams and our own. We work hard, we back each other, and we celebrate the wins.

We've got a brilliant portfolio, a strong network and big ambitions for what's next. Now we need someone who wants to grow with us and take real ownership as we write the next chapter.

The role

We're after a Commercial Manager to join the team. If you're looking to build a proper commercial career in design and build, this is the opportunity.

You'll take ownership of a big chunk of our pre-construction work, freeing up the Founder to focus on growing the business, building client relationships and driving things forward. That means managing the commercial side of every project before it goes on site: accurate costings, commercial viability, and making sure everything's ready to run smoothly once construction starts. You'll be working closely with our design team, our clients and our supply chain, right in the thick of winning and delivering brilliant workplace projects.

We'll train you up as you go, but we're looking for someone who already gets construction, thinks commercially and genuinely enjoys working with numbers.

Key responsibilities

• Cost planning & commercial management
• Review client briefs and put together accurate project cost plans
• Produce detailed cost breakdowns in Excel
• Develop project budgets and keep an eye on commercial viability through pre-construction
• Push back on subcontractor pricing to get the best value without cutting quality
• Get competitive quotes from subcontractors and suppliers
• Carry out site surveys to keep pricing accurate
• Review Employer's Requirements, fit-out guides and project documentation
• Prepare procurement schedules for long-lead items
• Support pre-contract programmes and project timelines
• Protect project profitability through sharp estimating and cost management

Pre-construction coordination

• Coordinate with designers, consultants and subcontractors through pre-construction
• Make sure design proposals stack up against budget
• Produce and manage RFIs
• Coordinate technical submissions and project information ahead of contract signing
• Help with procurement planning and contract documentation
• Set the delivery team up for a smooth, organized handover

Client relationships

• Get under the skin of client objectives and budgets
• Attend client meetings and site visits
• Present cost information confidently and clearly
• Build strong relationships with consultants, suppliers and subcontractors
• Back the Founder during pitches and pre-contract presentations when needed
• Keep projects compliant with Building Regulations and Building Control
• Support compliance with CDM Regulations and Health & Safety legislation
• Keep accurate project records and commercial documentation
• Keep our internal systems and project information up to date

About you

Ambitious, organised, commercially minded, that's the shape of person we're after.

Ideally you've got 12-24 months' experience in estimating, quantity surveying, construction, commercial management or something similar in pre-construction.

You don't need to know it all, we'll train you, but it'd help if you already understand:

• Building Regulations and Building Control
• Commercial fit-out or construction projects
• Procurement and subcontractor management
• Excel, and working confidently with numbers

We're also genuinely open to great candidates from different backgrounds. If you're sharp, analytical, good with numbers, strong in Excel and properly interested in construction, we want to hear from you regardless of your CV's shape.

Skills & experience

• Strong numerical and analytical skills
• Highly organised with a real eye for detail
• Strong communication and interpersonal skills
• Positive attitude and a willingness to learn
• Able to juggle multiple tasks and deadlines
• 12-24 months' experience in construction, estimating, quantity surveying or pre-construction
• Understanding of building control and construction costing principles
• Experience preparing estimates or cost plans
• Degree in Construction Management, Quantity Surveying or similar (nice to have, not essential)

What success looks like

• Produce accurate, competitive project cost plans
• Help projects move efficiently from enquiry through to contract
• Build trusted relationships with clients and subcontractors
• Protect project profitability through sharp commercial management
• Take real ownership of a large chunk of the Founder's pre-contract workload
• Keep developing your commercial and technical chops
• Join a growing, owner-led business where your work genuinely moves the needle
• Work directly alongside the Founder and senior team, no middle layers
• Be part of a friendly team based in Farringdon
• Get stuck into creative workplace projects for a great range of clients
• Real opportunity to progress as we grow
• Work with people who love design, construction and building a business
• A place you'll actually enjoy coming to, where you're trusted with responsibility and can build a proper long-term career

Timeline

We're looking to appoint between September and December 2026. We'll move fast for the right person, but we're just as happy to wait for the right fit.

Equal opportunities

Soul Spaces is committed to creating an inclusive workplace where everyone feels welcome, respected and able to thrive. We recruit on merit and are committed to equal opportunities for all applicants, regardless of background, identity or protected characteristic. Diverse teams build better ideas, better workplaces and better outcomes for our clients.

"Unbelievably happy and extremely impressed!

From start to finish Soul Spaces have been faultless. Their attention to detail, vision, experience, delivery, attitude and workmanship have all been first class."

Matthew Cassel - Time Retail Partners

"I cannot recommend Soul Spaces enough!

The team is talented beyond words. I would work with them again in a heartbeat! I am sooo in love with our new office space."

Eve Sherling - Tech Target

"A big thank you to Soul Spaces for finding our dream office space.

Soul Spaces were extremely communicative and full of professional advice that ended up securing us with a place that ticked all the boxes."