Overview
Commercial and Contract Specialist Jobs in North Sydney, New South Wales, Australia at SMA Australia
Title: Commercial and Contract Specialist
Company: SMA Australia
Location: North Sydney, New South Wales, Australia
SMA Australia has a full-time opportunity for a Commercial and Contract Specialist within our Large Scale team. This role would suit somebody based in Sydney. The position is located at our North Sydney office, with hybrid working conditions available.
Who we’re looking for:
Reporting to the Head of Commercial and Contract Management, this is a developing commercial role with real portfolio exposure. You will take ownership of an assigned set of contracts across their full lifecycle – supporting negotiations, administering agreements post-award and applying the company’s templates, playbooks and governance processes with growing autonomy. The role serves the Australia and New Zealand market while operating within an international business, interfacing with a broad international counterparty base and coordinating with the group’s legal, commercial and supply functions in Europe and the United States.
Key Responsibilities:
- Draft, review and administer contracts across an assigned set of projects – supply and service agreements, non-disclosure agreements, variations and ancillary agreements – supporting negotiation and execution under guidance.
- Apply SMA Australia’s standard contract templates, playbooks and negotiation position papers, escalating deviations for review.
- Identify and assess commercial risk on assigned contracts, including liability, indemnity, warranty and defects liability, intellectual property and compliance obligations, escalating material issues.
- Prepare and track the security instruments supporting your contracts – bank guarantees, letters of credit and parent company guarantees, together with insurance requirements.
- Support the management of commercial disputes, claims and defect and warranty notices, including preparing correspondence and supporting evidence.
- Provide first-pass review of customer and subcontractor terms and support commercial input to project bids and pricing.
- Maintain the compliance of assigned contracts with applicable Australian law, including the Corporations Act, the Australian Consumer Law and the Personal Property Securities Act and register, and with SMA AG’s global policies on sanctions, anti-bribery and corruption, modern slavery and data protection.
- Support commercial negotiations with customers, EPC contractors, subcontractors, financiers and insurers, and liaise with SMA AG’s legal and commercial project management functions on routine matters.
- Maintain contract records in the contract lifecycle management system, prepare contracts and commitments for authorisation under the delegation of authority framework, and keep project trackers and status reporting current so that portfolio risk
remains visible. - Maintain the lessons-learned register and contribute to the ongoing development of the function’s templates, playbooks and processes.
- Provide responsive commercial support to the sales, project management, service and engineering teams.
Ideal candidate profile:
- 3+ years’ experience in commercial management, contract management, contract administration or a related commercial or legal discipline.
- Exposure to the energy, infrastructure, construction or technology sectors – utility-scale solar, wind or BESS is an advantage.
- Demonstrated experience drafting, reviewing and administering commercial contracts, and supporting negotiations with EPC contractors, developers, suppliers and other counterparties.
- A working knowledge of Australian contract law and a developing command of contractual risk – liability, indemnity, warranty, liquidated damages and insurance.
- Familiarity with security instruments such as letters of credit, bank guarantees and parent company guarantees, with the Personal Property Securities Act and register, with contract lifecycle management systems, and with energy sector regulatory frameworks (NER, AEMO), is well regarded.
- Strong attention to detail and organisational skills, with the ability to manage multiple tasks and competing deadlines with growing autonomy.
- The judgement to work within established frameworks – to determine what may properly be decided at your level and when a matter should be escalated.
- Clear written and verbal communication, with the ability to convey commercial matters effectively to technical, operational and executive audiences.
- A preference for a small, hands-on team in which each member takes full ownership of their work, including administrative tasks.
Qualifications required:
- A Bachelor’s degree in the area of Law, Commerce, Business, Engineering or a related discipline is required.
Candidate value proposition
“This role offers genuine commercial ownership, strategic influence and the opportunity to shape the commercial success of critical renewable energy projects while building a pathway into executive commercial leadership.”
About Us
SMA Solar Technology are a global renewable energy pioneer, facilitating access to clean energy through state-of-the-art technology. SMA has 45 years of expertise and passion in renewables to drive the worlds energy transition. We are a diverse and global organisation. SMA Group employs over 3500 people globally, with more than 500 focused on research and development to ensure we remain at the forefront of technology. SMA Australia is a subsidiary of SMA Solar Technology, we are a dynamic and entrepreneurial team of over 80 people from a wide range of cultural, education, and employment backgrounds. We value team spirit, performance and trust. Would you like to play a part in shaping the energy supply of the future?
This position is open to all Australian citizens or Permanent Residents. Please note that only shortlisted candidates will be contacted. Thank you.
