Overview
Microsoft’s mission is to empower every person and every organization on the planet to achieve more. As employees we come together with a growth mindset, innovate to empower others and collaborate to realize our shared goals. Each day we build on our values of respect, integrity, and accountability to create a culture of inclusion where everyone can thrive at work and beyond.
Microsoft Cloud Operations and Innovation (CO&I) is the team behind the cloud. Within CO&I, the Engineering Procurement and Construction (EPC) team is responsible for delivering core datacenter infrastructure for Microsoft’s cloud business. The MS portfolio consists of complex, multi-disciplinary, large scale, multi-year datacenter construction and lease projects. We are looking for a passionate, high-energy individual to help build the cloud datacenters that power the world’s largest online services. In alignment with our Microsoft values, we are committed to cultivating an inclusive work environment for all employees to positively impact our culture every day.
Role Summary
The Sydney Metro Contract Manager will lead pre- and post-award contract activities for complex construction projects, adhering to Microsoft contracting policies and processes. This role involves developing and implementing multi-year sourcing strategies, leading supplier selection in collaboration with cross-functional project teams, driving contract negotiations, and establishing supplier performance standards to achieve project excellence. The individual will collaborate with the Sub-Regional Contracts Lead and other contract stakeholders to ensure awareness of Service Level Agreements (SLAs), and/or defined milestones and deliverables, and drive timeliness and consistency across supply chain requests. The individual will identify issues related to procurement requests and collaborate with business partners, create contract execution plans with control processes and approaches, develop and lead pricing and negotiation strategies, and secure management support both internally and externally. He/she will drive early business engagements for highly complex business areas or purchasing categories, manage supplier activity and progress, and develop and execute supplier account plans detailing mutual priorities and focus for the supplier relationship for the upcoming period.
The primary location for this role will be in Sydney, but it may require covering additional locations or projects as assigned. This is a 100% on-site role, remote working or WFH is not possible for this position.
Responsibilities
-
Lead project-specific contracting strategies across Sydney .
-
Define procurement approaches including competitive tender, framework drawdown, or single-source contracting where appropriate.
-
Partner with project management and cost management teams to optimise cost, schedule, delivery, and risk outcomes.
-
Own end-to-end RFP and contracting processes, including sourcing, prequalification, bid lists, commercial evaluation, and award recommendations.
-
Maintain a diversified and resilient supply chain, managing market capacity and programme risks.
-
Provide oversight of General Contractor procurement plans, subcontracting strategies, and key supplier performance matters.
-
Draft, review, and issue contracts in accordance with Microsoft-approved templates, approval pathways, and legal guidance.
-
Manage contractual exceptions, approvals, and compliance requirements in consultation with Legal, Procurement, Finance, and business stakeholders.
-
Review and support approval of change orders, contract amendments, and commercial modifications.
-
Administer contracts across the full lifecycle, including contractual notices, formal correspondence, change management, and commercial close-out.
-
Provide project teams with timely commercial and contractual advice to support decision-making and reduce claims exposure.
-
Support Lump Sum, GMP, ECI, framework, and other commercial models as required by the project portfolio.
-
Lead commercial assessment of EOT, delay, disruption, variation, compensation, and escalation claims.
-
Prepare Microsoft’s commercial position papers, negotiation strategies, and recommended responses.
-
Drive early dispute avoidance and structured resolution pathways where commercial issues arise.
-
Operate as the senior contracts point of contact across project teams, cost management, legal, procurement, finance, contractors, consultants, and suppliers.
-
Drive alignment across stakeholders and resolve cross-functional issues with minimal supervision.
-
Influence project outcomes without formal people management responsibility.
-
Ensure contract records, approvals, execution evidence, and correspondence are maintained to audit-ready standards.
-
Support use of Microsoft contracting and procurement systems such as LCE, Ariba, Icertis, Compass, and other approved tools as applicable.
-
Provide regular reporting on procurement plans, contract status, commercial risks, claims, and supplier performance.
-
Scope covers Sydney metro data centre construction projects, with flexibility to support broader projects as business priorities require.
-
Accountable for commercially sound contracting outcomes across complex workstreams, not limited to tactical contract administration.
-
Expected to identify and resolve issues that affect cost, schedule, supplier performance, claims exposure, and contractual compliance.
-
Role requires senior IC judgement, cross-team influence, and independent ownership of the “how” for contracts execution and governance.
Stakeholder Collaboration
-
Drives early business engagements for highly complex and/or undefined business areas or purchasing categories with cross functional leadership including product design, quality, and business teams, to share best practices, influence decision-makers, drive action, and optimize sourcing strategies, business requirements, spend, and short- and long-term priorities. Facilitates industry and ecosystem engagements and provides expert consultation with leadership teams on sourcing decisions and optimizations that can be deployed at scale.
- Develops and leads pricing and negotiation strategies for several complex purchasing categories, ensures that strategies clearly articulate tradeoffs, roles, and responsibilities across parties, and gains leadership support for strategies both internally and externally. Anticipates negotiation setbacks, proactively drives action to mitigate contract disagreements, and coaches others on negotiation best practices across internal sourcing teams.
- Manages supplier activity and progress across multiple accounts and complex purchasing categories, developing and executing supplier account plans detailing mutual priorities and focus for the supplier relationship for the upcoming period. Trains external stakeholders during onboarding and identifies engagement programs to improve supplier performance to achieve business goals.
Behavioural Attributes
-
Can create clarity, generate energy, and deliver success; always be planning for the future.
-
Have high integrity – must be ethical and strong value-based individual focused on fairness and maintaining confidentiality.
-
Bring high energy – a drive to achieve results in midst of ambiguity and a matrix organization.
-
Be a high performer – be able to fit the Microsoft “culture” by effectively multi-tasking and managing priorities; have a “sense of urgency” regarding issue resolution.
Team player & collaborative – Demonstrates an ability to foster collaborations across teams and stakeholders, leveraging diverse perspectives to achieve common goals. Actively participates in and drives cross-functional initiatives, balancing individual contributions with group success
Qualifications
Required Qualifications
Bachelor’s or Master’s Degree in Engineering, Supply Chain Management, Quantity Surveying, Construction Management, and/or Operations.
Proven mimimum of 10 years of experience managing construction projects, demonstrating the ability to lead and deliver complex, large-scale projects from initiation through to completion.
Extensive experience in supply chain management, commercial negotiations, and contracting, as well as external supplier/contractor management across multiple projects in diverse locations.
Deep understanding of Commercial Contracting language and terms with proven negotiation skills with external suppliers / service providers.
Significant experience in contract management, procurement, commercial management, quantity surveying, cost management, engineering, construction management, or a related discipline.
Experience managing complex construction contracts, change orders, claims, commercial negotiations, and contractor correspondence.
Demonstrated ability to work across multiple concurrent projects and stakeholders in a fast-paced capital delivery environment.
Strong written and verbal communication skills, including experience preparing contractual notices, commercial recommendations, and senior stakeholder briefings
Core Capabilities
Commercial judgement
Makes balanced recommendations that consider cost, risk, schedule, contract entitlement, and relationship impact.
Contract expertise
Applies strong construction contract knowledge to procurement, execution, change management, claims, and dispute avoidance.
Stakeholder influence
Builds alignment across project, legal, procurement, finance, and contractor stakeholders without relying on formal authority.
Risk management
Identifies commercial risks early, develops mitigation strategies, and escalates with clear options and recommendations.
Execution discipline
Maintains strong governance, documentation quality, approval control, and audit readiness across the contract lifecycle.
Onsite delivery mindset
Works closely with site teams and contractors to ensure contract decisions support construction delivery realities.
Other Requirements:
-
Ability to meet Microsoft, customer and/or government security screening requirements are required for this role. These requirements include, but are not limited to the following specialized security screenings:
-
Microsoft Cloud Background Check: This position will be required to pass the Microsoft Cloud Background Check upon hire/transfer and every two years thereafter.
This is a 100% on-site role, remote working or WFH is not possible for this position. Sydney based role.
This position will be open for a minimum of 5 days, with applications accepted on an ongoing basis until the position is filled.
This position will be open for a minimum of 5 days, with applications accepted on an ongoing basis until the position is filled.
Microsoft is an equal opportunity employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to age, ancestry, citizenship, color, family or medical care leave, gender identity or expression, genetic information, immigration status, marital status, medical condition, national origin, physical or mental disability, political affiliation, protected veteran or military status, race, ethnicity, religion, sex (including pregnancy), sexual orientation, or any other characteristic protected by applicable local laws, regulations and ordinances. If you need assistance with religious accommodations and/or a reasonable accommodation due to a disability during the application process.
