The Claims Manager is a forensic specialist responsible for maximizing financial recovery and securing Extensions of Time (EOT) from clients on major construction and engineering projects. Operating from the Main Contractor's perspective, this role focuses on identifying variations, disruptions, and client-caused delays. The candidate will mine project data to build, quantify, and successfully negotiate high-value contractual claims while protecting the company from liquidated damages (LDs).
Key Responsibilities
1. Claim Identification & Strategy (Revenue Recovery)
- Identify Variations: Systematically review project correspondence, site diaries, and instructions to identify hidden or unapproved scope changes and client-caused disruptions.
- Establish Entitlement: Map client breaches or delays directly to specific contract clauses to establish an absolute legal and contractual right to compensation.
- Formulate Strategy: Develop aggressive yet contractually sound strategies to recover prolongation costs, disruption values, and acceleration expenses.
2. Claims Preparation & Narrative Writing
- Draft Claim Submissions: Write highly persuasive, objective, and evidence-backed formal claim narratives for Extensions of Time (EOT) and additional payment.
- Evidence Gathering: Audit and compile contemporaneous project records (emails, minutes of meetings, daily logs, photographs) to serve as undeniable proof of impact.
3. Forensic Delay & Quantum Calculation
- Delay Analysis: Partner with project planners to perform retrospective critical path analyses (e.g., Time Impact, Windows Analysis) to prove client-caused delay.
- Quantum Quantification: Calculate full financial damages, including unabsorbed head office overheads (using formulas like Hudson, Emden, or Eichleay), lost labor productivity, and extended equipment costs.
4. Commercial Negotiation & Dispute Resolution
- Drive Settlements: Lead high-stakes commercial negotiations with clients and their consultants (Engineers/Architects) to secure favorable financial settlements.
- Defend Against Counter-Claims: Defend the company against client counter-claims, specifically pushing back on the imposition of Liquidated Damages (LDs).
- Legal Support: Prepare comprehensive dispute files and support external legal counsel if claims escalate to adjudication, mediation, or arbitration.
Required Qualifications & Experience
- Education: Bachelor's degree in Quantity Surveying, Civil Engineering, or Construction Management.
- Post-Graduate Qualification: A qualification in Construction Law (e.g., LLM, MSc, or Diploma) or fellowship with CIArb / RICS is highly advantageous.
- Experience: 8–12 years of construction experience, with a minimum of 5 years specifically preparing and winning claims for a Tier 1 or Tier 2 Main Contractor.
- Contract Expertise: Expert knowledge of standard contract forms from a contractor's defense perspective (e.g., FIDIC Red/Yellow Books, NEC4, JCT).
Key Skills & Competencies
- Commercial Drive: A sharp eye for identifying lost revenue opportunities and a relentless focus on maximizing financial recovery.
- Advanced Legal Writing: Ability to translate complex engineering and schedule data into clear, concise, and legally binding contractual arguments.
- Analytical Tools: High proficiency in analyzing Primavera P6 schedules to trace critical path movements.
