Laminar | "Competitive" comp not given
Steph's Notes:
You know, I'm feeling a lot of gratitude today. Because every once and a while I worry that I've used up all my funny, and then a job like this comes along and just writes my commentary for me. Thanks Laminar!
We aren’t a company, we are a team - We only recruit the very best both in capability and personality. People who join us develop fast as a whole person in ways they never imagined.
How exactly are you measuring personalities, Laminar? Are you measuring people's heads? Is that what's happening here, you're bringing back fucking phrenology?
As if that isn't weird enough, David (the CEO and co-founder), apparently felt the need to write candidates a letter.
This is what you can expect to be part of when you join our team. A team of friends. People who know, like and trust each other, solving interesting challenges together. This sounds a bit different doesn’t it?
No, David, it doesn't. What the hell do you think is happening at other companies, a fight to the death in corporate coliseums?
I was always frustrated with the culture of companies I had worked in. I wanted to spend my days with people that I like and admire. People who are authentic and care about each other.
Dudes out here founding companies instead of going to therapy.
I also felt that I was never really able to make much difference in what I was doing. People were put into senior positions mainly because of their age rather than their capability.
Woo, buddy. Tell me you don't have a functioning People Ops team without telling me you don't have a functioning People Ops team.
I wanted to leverage the challenges in my work to grow to become a more fulfilled and impactful person.
Just go to therapy, David!
We exist to enable everyone in our team to flourish in a high-impact community that:
Connects us with meaningful relationships
Inspires us to develop ourselves to become better humans
Empowers us to pursue our own learning adventures
We believe that, by first doing this, we can achieve the highest levels of value for the world.
You do know your company isn't therapy, right David? Right?!
In our team, we are all different in many ways but we have three things in common; we are all kind and authentic with an innate need to improve ourselves and those around us.
Look, I'm just going to say it: It's not normal to want to change the people you work with. This is weird. This is really fucking weird.
We are compassionately candid with each other. That means we put “Kindness” before “Niceness”. Kindness is acting for the long term best interest of the other. Niceness is acting for the short term emotional feeling of the other. Sometimes you can be both nice and kind but in many situations you can't be both. You have to choose. We aren’t the type of friend who tells you what you want to hear. We tell you what you need to hear to grow in the long term and help you to contribute positively.
REALLY FUCKING WEIRD
Joining us isn’t just some “job”, it is a transformative educational experience. The people around you will challenge you to be your best self in all aspects of life.
David. Is this a cult, David. Tell the truth.
You will be encouraged to see the daily challenges you face whether it be an ambiguous problem or a challenging client as exercises which you use to strengthen yourself as an individual. Skills that you can then apply in all aspects of your life.
IS IT A CULT DAVID IS IT A CULTY CULTY CULT DAVID
Any role that you start with at Laminar is only as a starting point. Our fast growth means that there are many diverse and interesting challenges available. An our meritocratic principles allow you to guide yourself into whichever areas you are most interested in – we will enable it. You can even call me if you feel stuck.
how long is this fucking letter oh my god
“Isn’t this all too good to be true?” You might ask.
that is not the question I'm asking, David
My answer is both, yes and no. Yes, it is too good to be true in that we are new, this vision is not yet fully realised, there are many more things to do! But I would also answer No, it is not too good to be true as what we have done so far has already changed many people’s lives - those are their words not mine. I am frequently told by people that they were a bit sceptical before starting because it can all sound too good to be true. But that once joining, reality had far exceeded their expectations. So we must be doing something right.
YOU SURE ARE DOING SOMETHING, DAVID
I need you all to know that I wrote all of this before I watched the absolutely bonkers featured video on the Join Us page and now I'm just kind of staring in gaping disbelief.
I was going to rate the Commercial Manager (which seems to be a CSM role), but you know what, this is too much for me if it's not a cult then it is at the very least just really fucking weird and I cannot. I'm gonna go take an aspirin.
Original Job Description: Commercial Manager (Construction)
We are Shape.Construction !
About the job
Contractors bleed margin on every project.
Unmanaged change. Disputed claims. Missing records. When field teams don't follow processes, events go undocumented. Commercial teams scramble for evidence that doesn't exist. Disputes drag on. Recoverable profit vanishes. On high-value projects, millions of pounds disappear.
Why?
- Field teams use clunky tools that are too complex and too slow. Critical events never get recorded. The audit trail has gaps.- Commercial teams fight disputes with weak evidence, chase missing records, and lose recoverable margin while the business faces unnecessary claims.
Shape fixes this once and for all.
Shape is the only platform simple enough for field teams to adopt instantly, yet powerful enough to drive real commercial outcomes.
Site teams capture every issue, event, and change in real time. Shape automatically builds the bulletproof evidence commercial teams need to defend and recover claims.
The result: Fewer lost disputes. Faster resolutions. Full subcontractor accountability. Commercial teams manage change proactively instead of reacting to it.
This is the problem we solve. But to really help our customers, we need experts who understand their pain first-hand. Many of our customers are Commercial Managers and Commercial Directors. Who better to consult them than other commercial professionals?
That's where you come in.
We are looking for a seasoned Commercial Manager ready not just for a change of role, but a change of industry. This is your opportunity to break away from the grind of construction and step into the fast-growing world of construction SaaS.
As our Manager of Commercial Strategy, you'll use your hard-won expertise to guide other commercial teams through the biggest challenge they face: change and claims. Instead of battling over margins on a single project, you'll be leading conversations that transform how entire companies protect their profit. This is consultative sales and customer success at the highest level - where your becomes the product and your impact scales far beyond any single contract._________________________________________________________________________________________
Purpose of the role To partner with our customers' commercial teams, helping them take control of change, disputes and claims using Shape. You will use your industry expertise to show them how to protect margin, build defensible records, and prevent the losses that most projects suffer today.
Your top 5 responsibilities
- Consult with commercial leaders to uncover where they are losing profit to change and disputes, and show how Shape stops margin leakage.
- Support customer adoption ensuring site and office teams use Shape consistently to capture changes, issues and claims.
- Coach customers on strengthening claims and defending disputes with documented, auditable records.
- Act as the commercial voice inside Shape, shaping product development to better match the realities of construction projects.
- Share best practice and lessons learned across our customer base, raising standards and outcomes for the entire industry.
Your Capabilities
- Significant experience as a Commercial Manager or in a similar construction role.
- Deep understanding of how unmanaged change and poor records erode project profitability.
- Strong communication skills - able to win trust and explain complex issues simply.
- Strategic thinker who can move from diagnosing problems to implementing solutions.
- Desire to make an industry-wide impact, not just improve a single project or business.
Nice to Have (If you don’t have it now you will after joining):
- Experience advising or consulting with multiple stakeholders.
- Knowledge of SaaS platforms or digital transformation in construction.
- Comfortable leading workshops, training sessions, or customer presentations.
- Ability to link commercial pain points to practical technology solutions.
Shape isn’t the place for you if any of the following is true:
- You want an easy, chilled-out role without much challenge
- You like to be the smartest person in the room
- You don’t like continuously receiving honest candid feedback
- You prefer to do your own thing rather than work with a team
At Shape we value diverse experiences and perspectives, empowering each member to contribute their unique capabilities towards our collective success, so if you don’t think you meet all the criteria but still are excited about this role we encourage you to apply anyway! _________________________________________________________________________________________
Salary and Benefits
Standard Stuff
- Extremely competitive
- Paid annual leave (varies by location) + statutory bank holidays
- Private health insurance
- In-house coaching sessions
- Discretionary bonus scheme for all team members
The Life-Changing Stuff
- 4 Day Weeks: that’s right, every week
- Flexibility: We care about outcomes, not clock-watching
- Grow your whole self: Access to a coach, mentor, well-being therapist and a development-focused environment designed to give you 5 years of growth in 1 year
- Be surrounded by the best: We only hire the top talent; progression is fast and development is unbounded.
- Long-term impact: Shape is tackling the single biggest issue in construction delivery, with solutions designed to spread and outlast us.
*Please do not book a demo via the Shape website as part of the application.
We may use artificial intelligence (AI) tools to support parts of the hiring process, such as reviewing applications, analyzing resumes, or assessing responses. These tools assist our recruitment team but do not replace human judgment. Final hiring decisions are ultimately made by humans. If you would like more information about how your data is processed, please contact us.
