Contract Engineer - Maritime & Shipping

Job Purpose

About The Maritime Cluster

Responsibilities

• Contract Review & Administration (Pre & Post Award)
• Review all client contracts, subcontracts, and agreements pre-award to identify commercial, legal, and operational risks.
• Support commercial and bid teams during tender phase by highlighting key contractual obligations, deviations, and risk areas.
• Ensure all awarded contracts are fully understood, documented, and transitioned effectively to execution teams.
• Maintain a centralized contract register and document control system for all active and legacy contracts.

Contractual Compliance & Deliverables Management

• Track and monitor contractual deliverables, milestones, and obligations across all projects.
• Ensure timely notification and communication of contractual requirements to internal stakeholders (QHSE, Operations, Finance, Procurement, etc.).
• Support project teams in maintaining compliance with contractual terms including reporting, documentation, and certification requirements.
• Assist in the preparation and review of contractual correspondence (notices, claims, variations, extensions of time).

Subcontract Management & Analysis

• Review and support the development of subcontract agreements ensuring alignment with main contract terms.
• Analyse subcontractor obligations, commercial exposure, and risk flow-down provisions.
• Monitor subcontractor performance against contractual requirements and assist in resolving contractual disputes or discrepancies.
• Ensure subcontract terms are commercially and legally aligned with the business units contractual commitments to clients.

Commercial & Financial Compliance

• Verify supplier and subcontractor invoices against contractual terms, agreed rates, and deliverables.
• Support Finance in validating billing, variations, and payment applications in line with contract provisions.
• Assist in identifying revenue leakage, cost risks, and contractual non-compliance impacting project margins.
• Support the commercial team in managing change orders, claims, and contract amendments.

Legacy Contract Review & Risk Management

• Conduct periodic reviews of existing and legacy contracts to identify risks, gaps, and improvement opportunities.
• Ensure ongoing compliance with contractual obligations across long-term and framework agreements.
• Assist in developing mitigation strategies for identified contractual risks.

Cross-Functional Coordination

• Act as a key interface between Commercial, Legal (if applicable), Operations, QHSE, Procurement, and Finance.
• Ensure alignment between contractual obligations and operational execution plans.
• Support internal awareness and understanding of contractual requirements through structured communication.

Governance & Continuous Improvement

• Contribute to the development of standard contract templates, clauses, and governance procedures.
• Support implementation of contract management systems, trackers, and reporting tools.
• Assist in improving contract lifecycle management processes across the business.

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in law, Business Administration, Quantity Surveying, or a related field.
• Contract management or legal certifications are advantageous.
• Excellent verbal and written communication in English.
• Arabic is advantageous but not mandatory.
• Minimum 3–5 years’ experience in contract administration, commercial management, or legal support within marine, offshore, construction, or industrial services sectors.

Required Skills

• Experience reviewing and administering contracts in offshore, marine, subsea, or industrial environments.
• Familiarity with EPC contracts, service agreements, and subcontracting structures.
• Exposure to ADNOC, AD Ports, or similar regional client contracting frameworks is an advantage.
• Understanding of commercial risk allocation, contractual claims, and variation mechanisms.
• Strong commercial and contractual acumen.
• High attention to detail with analytical mindset.
• Ability to interpret legal and contractual language into operational actions.
• Strong coordination and stakeholder management skills.
• Proactive, solution-oriented, and able to work under pressure.
• High integrity and commitment to compliance and governance.