Associate Commercial Specialist – Digital

Job summary

The Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) touch the lives of everyone in the UK in some shape or form, delivering services and support to help people find work, assist with a disability or provide support through their retirement. As a key part of DWP, the Commercial Directorate (CD) shapes how services are delivered across 100’s of 3rd party contractual arrangements; with an annual procurement spend in the region of £3bn with some of the largest industry suppliers. CD has undergone a transformation exercise to develop into a world class Commercial function and is focused on continuously developing our achievement against Government Commercial Operating Standards.

This role represents an opportunity to join the Senior team in DWP commercial, one of the largest and highest performing commercial teams in central government. The DWP commercial team manages third-party delivery, providing services to 80 thousand staff and over 20 million customers, with an annual contracted expenditure of almost £3bn. We support DWP to achieve its objectives by ‘enabling effective and value-for-money delivery of DWP policies and programmes, driving better outcomes for citizens through best use of commercial partnering and third-party supplier delivery opportunities.

This role reports directly to: Neil McCann who has overarching SCS1 responsibility for 6 of the 10 Digital subcategories

• Customer Contact Team,
• Core Digital Services Team,
• Data & Analytics and Digital Health Services Team,
• Fraud Error & Debt (FED) Team
• Children, Later Life, Bereavement, Care and Supporting Services
• Benefits Efficiency & Administration Management (BEAM) project Team

As a sub-category within the Digital Category, the role holder will work with Neil as part of the Senior Leadership Team to support DWP’s transformation of its digital services.

DWP’s Commercial Directorate (CD) is organised in an “end to end" category management model to support the Departments strategic objectives. Individual CD team members own all aspects of the commercial lifecycle, from pre-procurement, through to sourcing (Tendering and Contracting) and In Life Management (including Contract Management and Supplier Relationship Management).

CD plays a crucial role in driving DWP’s efficiency agenda, half of DWP’s controllable costs is represented by third party spend. Early engagement with stakeholders and use of market intelligence and other insights are critical to delivering better commercial outcomes.

We work closely with Government Commercial Authority who bring together policy, advice and leveraged multi-client buying.

Job description

We are seeking an experienced commercial professional to lead the Fraud Error & Debt (FED) Digital sub-category team. This senior role represents an exciting opportunity to influence and shape DWP’s strategy to enhance its offer to ensure delivery of a wide variety of contracts supporting a series of DWP critical programmes across the sub-category.

The role holder will be responsible for continuing the development and implementation of a commercial strategy that meets Departments’ FED requirements. With this the role holder will be required to build strong working and influential relationships with the Directors across the breadth of stakeholder Directorates.

The role holder will lead a team of circa 5 commercial colleagues (across Manchester and Blackpool) and will have the expertise to shape the future direction of commercial enablement for the Digital FED Team.

We welcome applications from experienced commercial leaders who have demonstrable success in engaging stakeholders across multiple business areas, managing diverse teams and delivering excellent commercial outcomes with their underpinned commercial assurance.

Locations
The successful candidate(s) will be able to agree a contractual workplace from those locations listed in this advert. When selecting your location listed in this job advert please be aware that this will be your contractual base location with a requirement to spend a minimum of 60% of your working time in this organisational workplace.

Your time spent on official duties at workplace locations other than your contractual office such as supplier, customer or partner locations required to perform your role is included in the 60% attendance.

This requirement will however take into consideration any reasonable adjustments agreed upon appointment for people with a disability, flexibilities agreed for those with specific caring responsibilities, or other similar temporary flexibilities.

Person specification

The successful candidate will be responsible for:

Strategic delivery and management of the Fraud Error & Debt (FED) Digital Sub-Category:

• Lead a team of circa 5 Commercial experts, maintaining an inclusive and supportive team culture and ensuring capability and skills are built and developed through coaching, mentoring, and sharing of expertise and experience.
• Develop and deliver key procurements for the FED sub-Category including Future Debt Solution, Debt & Fraud Augmented Resources, Transcription Services, Appropriate Adult Services, Counter Fraud & Error Management System.
• Work with relevant internal and external stakeholders driving consistency in the approach and management of pipeline of commercial services, prioritising compliance with governance and legislative requirements.
• Work with stakeholders to understand and gain insight regarding future demand and any shift in departmental priorities, increased and/or changed demand, including changes in Policy and Legislation.
• Support ‘make v buy’ decisions and where the recommendation is to buy, assess the markets capability to meet the business needs.

Understand the relevant sourcing options, delivering positive outcomes through the procurement process:

• Work with key stakeholders to build and maintain the pipeline of contractual activities.
• Deliver the pipeline of contracts and other activities associated with sub-category.
• Work closely with GCA to ensure their Frameworks are future proofed to meet pipeline of category requirements.
• Work closely with senior stakeholders, including requirement owners, finance and other Digital support functions.
• Support the development of business cases, demonstrating value for money, benefits of the preferred options and outlining any associated risks.

Ensure effective Commercial Contract and Supplier Management within the category:

• Commercially manage the live contracts within the sub-category pipeline, applying relevant treatment strategies and risk based commercial management according to their Bronze, Silver and Gold contract classification, contributing to SRM activities where appropriate.
• Assure compliance with regulatory and policy requirements and functional standards.
• Work with cross cutting business areas to ensure end to end processes are in place that support Digital enablement of sub-category.
• Engage suppliers to drive improved performance and deliver quality of service, continuous improvement, and innovation.

Build and maintain key relationships across the department and with external stakeholders:

• Develop and own relationships, building a detailed knowledge of stakeholder needs to deliver value through sourcing and contract management activities.
• Provide commercial insight across the department to support the achievement of value for money, whilst driving social benefit aligned to the department’s priorities.
• Build key relationships with external stakeholders, working closely with OGD’s to share knowledge and expertise.

Technical skills

We'll assess you against these technical skills during the selection process:

• Experience resolving complex issues within demanding & dynamic Digital environments, supported by proven personal resilience & the ability to manage competing priorities while providing effective support to team members. (Lead Criteria)
• Demonstrated ability to employ risk management & collaborative approaches to drive effective outcomes at pace, achieving strong commercial results aligning with business strategy in a large, complex organisational environment.
• Establishing commercial outcomes from initial conception through to final delivery, effectively communicating benefits, opportunities, & risks, while consistently achieving business-oriented results in a Digital environment.
• Proven experience in establishing strategic stakeholder & supplier relationships to commercially influence decision-making at senior level to shape strategy & pipeline delivery in a digital environment.
• Demonstrated expertise in leading commercial teams and fostering capability through effective coaching. Providing leadership under demanding conditions, supporting staff wellbeing, resilience & ensuring consistent delivery.

Benefits

As a valued employee of the Government Commercial Organisation (GCO), you will have access to all the benefits the centre has to offer; including flexible working, generous benefits, Career Coaches, Mentors, L&D, a Commercial College, active talent management and, most importantly, access to commercial projects that will far exceed the scale and complexity on offer elsewhere in the UK.

For existing Civil Servants: For full details of the impact on any move across the civil service on your existing terms and conditions, please read the candidate pack. Please note that any move across the Civil Service may have implications on your ability to continue to claim childcare vouchers.

Kindly refer to the following link for the GCF Rewards and benefits page.

https://www.civil-service-careers.gov.uk/gcf-benefits/

Things you need to know

Artificial intelligence

Artificial intelligence can be a useful tool to support your application, however, all examples and statements provided must be truthful, factually accurate and taken directly from your own experience. Where plagiarism has been identified (presenting the ideas and experiences of others, or generated by artificial intelligence, as your own) applications may be withdrawn and internal candidates may be subject to disciplinary action. Please see our candidate guidance (opens in a new window) for more information on appropriate and inappropriate use.

Selection process details

This vacancy is using Success Profiles (opens in a new window), and will assess your Experience and Technical skills.

Your application will be reviewed by a panel and should you be successful at sift we will invite you to attend a Virtual commercial Assessment and Development Centre (VADC). The panel will review results of the VADC and determine which candidates will go through to a subsequent final panel interview.

Please be advised that the Virtual ADC is taking place on 18 August 2026 and will require a full day's attendance.

If you are invited to attend a virtual ADC, but for any reason are unable to meet the date outlined then please get in touch with the team on commercialresourcinghub@cabinetoffice.gov.uk as soon as possible. The ADC is booked and paid for in advance by departments, therefore it is only in certain circumstances we are able to accommodate alternative dates.

For full details of our process, and a likely timeline, please read the attached candidate pack.

Throughout our selection process, we will make decisions about your capability to do the job, based on evidence you provide against the Technical Skills (essential criteria) and your Job History (CV) that you will be asked to provide during the application process. Further help and advice on our application and selection process can be found at this web address https://www.civil-service-careers.gov.uk/gcf-how-to-apply/

Artificial Intelligence can be a useful tool to support your application, however, all examples and statements provided must be truthful, factually accurate and taken directly from your own experience. Where plagiarism has been identified (presenting the ideas and experiences of others, or generated by artificial intelligence, as your own) applications may be withdrawn and internal candidates may be subject to disciplinary action.

Please see our candidate guidance for more information on appropriate and inappropriate use.

https://www.civil-service-careers.gov.uk/artificial-intelligence-and-re…

IMPORTANT: If you do not receive an acknowledgement of your application within 2 working days please contact: commercialresourcinghub@cabinetoffice.gov.uk

Feedback will only be provided if you attend an interview or assessment.

Security

Successful candidates must undergo a criminal record check.People working with government assets must complete baseline personnel security standard (opens in new window) checks.

Nationality requirements

This job is broadly open to the following groups:

• UK nationals
• nationals of the Republic of Ireland
• nationals of Commonwealth countries who have the right to work in the UK
• nationals of the EU, Switzerland, Norway, Iceland or Liechtenstein and family members of those nationalities with settled or pre-settled status under the European Union Settlement Scheme (EUSS) (opens in a new window)
• nationals of the EU, Switzerland, Norway, Iceland or Liechtenstein and family members of those nationalities who have made a valid application for settled or pre-settled status under the European Union Settlement Scheme (EUSS)
• individuals with limited leave to remain or indefinite leave to remain who were eligible to apply for EUSS on or before 31 December 2020
• Turkish nationals, and certain family members of Turkish nationals, who have accrued the right to work in the Civil Service

Further information on nationality requirements (opens in a new window)

Working for the Civil Service

The Civil Service Code (opens in a new window) sets out the standards of behaviour expected of civil servants.

We recruit by merit on the basis of fair and open competition, as outlined in the Civil Service Commission's recruitment principles (opens in a new window).The Civil Service embraces diversity and promotes equal opportunities. As such, we run a Disability Confident Scheme (DCS) for candidates with disabilities who meet the minimum selection criteria.The Civil Service also offers a Redeployment Interview Scheme to civil servants who are at risk of redundancy, and who meet the minimum requirements for the advertised vacancy.

Diversity and Inclusion

The Civil Service is committed to attract, retain and invest in talent wherever it is found. To learn more please see theCivil Service People Plan (opens in a new window) and the Civil Service Diversity and Inclusion Strategy (opens in a new window).

Apply and further information

This vacancy is part of the Great Place to Work for Veterans (opens in a new window) initiative.The Civil Service welcomes applications from people who have recently left prison or have an unspent conviction. Read more about prison leaver recruitment (opens in new window).Once this job has closed, the job advert will no longer be available. You may want to save a copy for your records.

Contact point for applicants

Job contact :

• Name : Ashlene Doherty
• Email : commercialresourcinghub@cabinetoffice.gov.uk

Recruitment team

• Email : commercialresourcinghub@cabinetoffice.gov.uk

Further information

If you feel your application has not been treated in accordance with the Recruitment Principles, and you wish to make a complaint, you should direct this to the Head of Commercial Resourcing Hub at the following email commercialresourcinghub@cabinetoffice.gov.uk quoting the vacancy reference number (if applicable) and the details of your complaint. If you are not satisfied with the response you receive, you can contact the Civil Service Commission via the following web page: http://civilservicecommission.independent.gov.uk/civil-service-recruitm…

Attachments

Guaranteed Interview Schemes (GIS) Opens in new window (pdf, 70kB)