Associate Commercial Specialist – Estates

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 massive transformation exercise to develop into a world class Commercial function and is focused on continuously developing our achievement against Government Commercial Operating Standards.

The Estates Commercial Directorate procures services to help maintain the DWP Estates infrastructure. It delivers and manages contracts in a range of areas including Facilities Management (FM), Security, Furniture, Integrator services, Landlord and Lease Management (LLM), Property Legal Services, Projects and Professional Services. It is a lively team due to the large DWP Estate of circa 800 properties which include Job Centres and Health Assessment Centres and as a result, the contracts we let are specialised to accommodate the needs of every customer that visits one of our sites and all our staff while achieving value for money for the department. We also pride ourselves on developing the skills of everyone in the team, along with supporting other colleagues, to build a professional commercial community that progresses and supports everyone we work with.

This Associate Commercial Specialist role represents a unique 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. Our purpose is simple, we will 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.

Job description

We are seeking an experienced commercial professional to lead the Estates Facilities Management sub-category team. This senior leadership role presents an exciting opportunity to shape and influence the commercial management of one of the Department's most significant and strategically important contracts, ensuring the delivery of high-quality, value-for-money services across a diverse national estate.

The successful candidate will be responsible for developing and delivering the commercial strategy for a high value (£1.6bn), complex Total Facilities Management contract. Working closely with senior stakeholders across the Department, the role holder will drive contract performance, commercial governance, supplier relationship management, and continuous improvement to ensure service delivery aligns with organisational objectives and operational requirements.

A key aspect of the role will be building and maintaining strong, influential relationships with senior business leaders, operational stakeholders and strategic suppliers, providing commercial leadership and assurance across all aspects of contract management. The role holder will play a critical role in identifying opportunities to improve service outcomes, maximise value, manage commercial risk, and support the Department's wider estates strategy.

The postholder will lead a team of (currently) 5 commercial professionals located across Sheffield, Leeds and Newcastle, providing clear leadership, direction and development opportunities. They will bring the expertise and credibility required to oversee complex contractual arrangements, resolve challenging commercial issues, and ensure robust commercial governance throughout the contract lifecycle.

We welcome applications from experienced commercial leaders with a proven track record in managing complex outsourced service contracts, leading high-performing teams, and engaging effectively with senior stakeholders across multiple business areas. Candidates will demonstrate strong commercial judgement, experience of supplier and contract performance management, and a consistent record of delivering excellent commercial outcomes through effective governance, assurance and stakeholder collaboration.

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

Strategic Leadership and Management of the Estates Facilities Management Portfolio

• Lead a team of circa [5] commercial professionals, fostering an inclusive, high-performing culture and developing capability through coaching, mentoring and the sharing of commercial expertise and best practice.
• Develop and deliver the commercial strategy for the Department's Facilities Management portfolio, ensuring alignment with departmental objectives, estates priorities and wider government commercial policy.
• Provide commercial leadership for a high-value, complex Total Facilities Management contract, ensuring robust governance, effective risk management, and the delivery of contractual outcomes.
• Work collaboratively with senior internal stakeholders, suppliers and industry partners to drive a consistent approach to contract management, performance oversight and commercial assurance.
• Anticipate and respond to changing business requirements, operational priorities, legislative developments and estate transformation activities, ensuring contractual arrangements remain fit for purpose.
• Lead commercial input into strategic decisions relating to service delivery models, market capability, contract optimisation and future commercial opportunities across the estates portfolio.

Commercial Contract and Supplier Relationship Management

• Provide strategic commercial oversight of the Department's key Facilities Management contracts, applying proportionate contract management approaches based on contract criticality, risk and business impact.
• Drive supplier performance through effective contract management, performance monitoring, governance forums and structured supplier relationship management arrangements.
• Identify, assess and mitigate commercial, operational and financial risks throughout the contract lifecycle, ensuring appropriate escalation and management of issues.
• Ensure compliance with relevant legislation, government functional standards, commercial policies and departmental governance requirements.
• Lead the resolution of complex commercial issues, disputes and contractual challenges, protecting service continuity and delivering value for money.
• Promote continuous improvement, innovation and service transformation through constructive engagement with strategic suppliers and key stakeholders.

Stakeholder Engagement and Commercial Influence

• Build and maintain strong relationships with senior stakeholders across Estates, Finance, Commercial, Operations and Corporate Services, developing a deep understanding of business needs and priorities.
• Act as a trusted commercial adviser, providing insight and challenge to support strategic decision-making and improve commercial outcomes.
• Champion value for money, social value and sustainability objectives across the Facilities Management portfolio, ensuring contractual arrangements contribute to wider departmental priorities.
• Establish and maintain productive relationships with external organisations, government departments and commercial networks to share best practice and lessons learned across the Facilities Management sector.

Commercial Planning, Procurement and Continuous Improvement

• Maintain oversight of the Facilities Management commercial pipeline, ensuring appropriate planning for key contractual milestones, extensions, variations and future procurement activity.
• Lead commercial activities relating to contract mobilisation, transformation, re-procurement or service redesign initiatives, ensuring minimal operational disruption and maximum value delivery.
• Work closely with business stakeholders to define requirements, evaluate options and develop commercial solutions that meet organisational needs.
• Support the development of business cases and investment decisions, demonstrating value for money, affordability, risk management and anticipated benefits.
• Identify opportunities to improve commercial processes, strengthen governance arrangements and enhance contract management capability across the Estates function.

Technical skills

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

• Proven experience resolving complex issues in a dynamic Estates/FM environment, with personal resilience, managing competing priorities, and supporting team members. Lead Criteria: High number of applicants may result in an initial sift lead criteria
• Proven ability to analyse complex requirements, understand market capabilities, and identify optimal sourcing strategies to deliver sustainable value for money, support organizational goals, and manage commercial risk.
• Proven expertise in establishing commercial outcomes from early concept 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 effective contract and supplier management delivery in a Facilities Management environment.
• Proven expertise in leading commercial teams, 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 note: Only candidates that achieve an A grade at ADC will be invited to interview for this role.

Please be advised that the Virtual ADC is taking place on the 2nd of December 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 basic (or equivalent) 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 : Thomas McDonald
• 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)20261023 OFFSEN 487782 - Associate Commercial Specialist – Estates - Candidate Pack Opens in new window (pdf, 775kB)