Contract Manager CV example

From how to present your commercial wins, to how to write about the frameworks and contract types you know inside-out, this guide is tailored to help you impress the people who matter the most right now: hiring managers and decision-makers.

Whether you’re reviewing a £2M vendor agreement or applying for a senior role, clarity is key – and this guide shows you how to achieve it on every line of your CV.

A Contract Manager’s job is to eliminate confusion and minimise risk – your CV should follow suit. A well laid out CV ensures recruiters and hiring managers can quickly find the details they care about, from your negotiation experience to your contract values. Burying them in clutter and errors will only frustrate recruiters and make them move onto other applicants, so getting the layout right is vital.

Here’s the structure to follow:

• Name and contact details – Place your name and personal information prominently at the top of your CV for quick access. Adding a photo is up to you.
• Profile – Open with a compelling overview of your skills, experience, and career goals.
• Core skills – List your key abilities in this section, focusing on those that will be most relevant to the job.
• Work experience – Provide a detailed breakdown of your work history, starting with the most recent job first.
• Education – List your qualifications, including degrees and relevant certifications, in reverse chronological order.
• Additional info – Use this optional space for relevant hobbies or personal pursuits that enhance your application.
  

Use bullet points in each section to keep content easy to scan, and maintain clean spacing and consistent formatting throughout. Use a professional font which is clear and easy to read, and break up the document with clear section headings. Ensure your CV doesn’t run beyond two pages in length – your application should be as accessible and free from unnecessary complexity as a good contract summary.

This is your opportunity to show a hiring manager that you’re more than just a contracts administrator – you’re a strategic partner who understands legal nuance, business goals, and operational delivery. Use this section to demonstrate the value you’d bring to any organisation, making it clear to recruiters why they should reach out to you.

Your CV profile is the first thing they’ll read, so you need to quickly position yourself as a proactive leader who gets results while managing risk.

Make sure your profile addresses:

• Where you worked – You might have worked for government agencies, engineering firms, multinational corporations, or specialist consultancies overseeing procurement frameworks or bespoke agreements.
• Your top qualifications – You could hold a degree in Law, Business, Quantity Surveying, or Procurement & Supply Chain Management – along with CIPS, NEC training, or contract law certifications.
• Essential skills – You may bring expertise in drafting and reviewing contracts, risk mitigation, stakeholder negotiation, legal compliance, and contract lifecycle management software.
• Specialisms – Your work might involve construction contracts (e.g. NEC, JCT), government frameworks, large vendor agreements, or multi-year service arrangements.
• Value delivered – In previous roles, you may have reduced supplier disputes, secured cost savings through re-negotiation, ensured audit compliance, or streamlined contract handover processes.

At this level, your CV should focus on tangible, job-specific competencies – not soft statements like “strong communicator.” Recruiters want to see that you know how to manage the details of contract law and commercial risk.

Include CV skills and specific frameworks or contract types where relevant, and tailor this section to reflect the language and expectations in the job spec. Those are the sort of keywords any hiring manager will be scanning for when they open up your CV, so don’t disappoint them.

This is where you demonstrate your track record: which contracts you’ve overseen and what impact you’ve made. Walk through your experience in reverse chronological order, starting with the latest. 

Start each entry with a concise summary of the employer and your role. Then, use bullet points to break down key responsibilities and achievements – a good tip is to sprinkle in some figures wherever possible to make your impact feel more tangible. You want to show that you’ve not only managed contracts, but improved how they’re executed.

• Outline – Explain the company, your department or sector (e.g. engineering procurement, local authority, defence contracting), and the type and volume of contracts you managed.
• Responsibilities – Use action verbs like “negotiated” and “administered.” For example: “negotiated service level agreements with external suppliers” or “administered NEC3 contracts across £5M infrastructure projects.” Include tools or frameworks used.
• Achievements – Share tangible outcomes: savings achieved, disputes resolved, compliance scores raised, or timelines shortened. Back up with figures where possible.

Your academic qualifications should support your ability to navigate legal and operational aspects of contract management. While a degree is often expected, experience and professional certifications are just as important, so keep your education section concise.

List your most recent qualifications first, including any degrees or diplomas in relevant subjects such as Law, Construction, or Business. If you’ve taken courses in contract law, or commercial management, include them too – especially those aligned with current or target roles.