Contracts and Procurement Advisor

POSITION SUMMARY The Contracts & Procurement Advisor (Early Career) is an early-career role within the Castle Controls team, providing contracts administration and procurement support across a portfolio of client engagements in the oil and gas and mining sectors. You will work embedded within different client organisations and project teams while remaining part of the organisation, building your commercial and contracts capability under the guidance of senior team members. Day to day, you will support the preparation and administration of contracts and purchase orders, assist with tendering and bid evaluation processes, track commitments and variations, and work closely with client project managers, contract engineers, and fellow project controls professionals. You will be comfortable moving between projects and adapting to different client environments, systems, and ways of working — and you will take pride in delivering accurate, well-organised, and commercially sound contracts and procurement outcomes. This is a hands-on commercial role suited to someone with 2–10 years of contracts, procurement, or commercial experience, ideally gained within oil and gas, mining, or major capital projects, and the drive to continue developing their contracts and procurement capability in a diverse and supportive team environment. KEY RESPONSIBILITIES Contract Administration & Compliance – Prepare, issue, and administer contracts, purchase orders, and variations in line with client project control procedures – Maintain contract registers, tracking key dates, deliverables, insurances, bonds, and guarantees – Monitor contract compliance and flag emerging issues to senior team members and client stakeholders – Support contract close-out activities, including final reconciliations and lessons-learned documentation – Assist with drafting and reviewing scopes of work, contract terms, and commercial schedules Procurement & Tendering – Support preparation and issue of RFTs and RFQs, including scope, commercial, and evaluation documentation – Assist with contractor and supplier prequalification, and maintain vendor records – Support bid evaluation processes, including compilation of technical and commercial comparisons – Track procurement schedules and milestones, escalating delays or risks to project and commercial leads – Assist in negotiating terms and conditions under the guidance of senior contracts and procurement staff Commercial Support & Reporting – Assess and process progress claims, invoices, and variations against contract terms and approved budgets – Track commitments, expenditure, and forecast costs against contract value and project budgets – Prepare commercial and procurement status reports for project and client management – Support the identification and management of contractual risks, claims, and disputes – Liaise with cost, planning, and risk teams to ensure commercial data is accurate and consistent Project Controls Collaboration & Continuous Improvement – Work as part of integrated project controls teams alongside cost controllers, planners, and risk engineers – Maintain contract and procurement data in client systems and document control platforms as required by each engagement – Participate in project meetings, progress reviews, and contractor coordination sessions – Contribute to the development and refinement of Castle Controls' internal contracts and procurement templates and tools – Stay current with developments in contracting models, procurement practices, and industry best practice – Support junior team members and contribute to a collaborative, high-performing team culture EXPERIENCE & QUALIFICATIONS Qualifications – Bachelor's degree in Business, Commerce, Supply Chain, Law, or Engineering, or equivalent relevant qualification Experience – 2–10 years' experience in contracts administration, procurement, or commercial roles on capital projects – Exposure to oil and gas, mining, or major project environments – Experience preparing and administering contracts, purchase orders, and variations – Experience supporting tendering, prequalification, or bid evaluation processes – Comfortable assessing progress claims and variations against contract terms and budgets Skills – Working knowledge of common contracting models (EPC, EPCM, lump sum, schedule of rates, reimbursable) – Ability to draft and review scopes of work, contract terms, and commercial schedules – Familiarity with ERP or contract management systems (e.g. SAP Ariba, Oracle, JDE, Coupa) – Strong attention to detail and ability to manage contract registers and documentation accurately – Clear and confident communication with technical, commercial, and management stakeholders – Ability to work collaboratively within integrated project controls teams – Strong organisational skills and ability to manage workload across concurrent engagements – Adaptability to different client environments, systems, and project phases – Commitment to continuous learning and improvement in contracts and procurement practice Preferred – Experience within oil and gas or mining operator, EPC, or EPCM environments – Exposure to claims administration or contractual dispute support – Advanced MS Excel skills and experience with Power BI or other reporting and visualisation tools – Prior experience in a consulting or multi-client service delivery environment