Category Manager – Commercial Lead

Job summary

Welcome and thank you for considering joining us at the Department for Education.

We currently have openings for Commercial Leads in the Department for Education (DfE) across various commercial projects and locations and if you are an experienced professional in procurement and want to make a real difference, you should consider joining the DfE Commercial Team.

We are looking for people who are passionate about working with policy and operational teams to deliver commercial solutions that lead the way across government. The DfE spends £23bn on some of the highest profile and most rewarding government priorities across the educational sector.

We have a range of exciting opportunities available across the function, covering a broad spectrum of commercial activity. Our work includes delivering high-impact projects such as Schools Breakfast Clubs and school-based nurseries, developing procurement strategies, and conducting market appraisals across key technology categories including hardware, AI, and EdTech.

These roles play a vital part in helping schools make efficient, value-driven purchasing decisions. You will collaborate with partners in the Impact Economy to unlock additional value, while developing commercial strategies in markets that are critical to delivering the Department’s policy priorities.

This is a unique opportunity to work on innovative, high-profile initiatives while shaping the future of commercial strategy across the education sector.

If you want to use your procurement, strategic and commercial skills to help improve educational outcomes for thousands of children across the country, please see below for further details about our opportunities.

Job description

We currently have vacancies for a challenging and exciting role at the Department for Education where you can come in and make a real difference, working in our Commercial Delivery teams to deliver the Department’s commercial projects throughout their lifecycle.

You will be driving functional development, encouraging teamwork and building effective relationships to deliver great commercial outcomes with real accountability.

You will work closely with stakeholders to develop requirements and deliver procurements which ensure that DfE gains value for money from all of its contract and grant activity. You will run procurements which are compliant with commercial governance and assurance requirements, policy and processes and ensure strategies are in place to manage key stakeholder relationships.

You may be required to work across any of our teams depending on business requirements.

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:

• Lead and deliver procurement that conform to Departmental procurement procedures and comply fully with relevant procurement law, Departmental commercial policy and assurance processes.
• Responsible for ensuring accurate, comprehensive, and transparent analysis and advice, with recommendations to senior decision makers based on whole life costs that maintain full business ownership of the commercial outcomes.
• Manage the lifecycle of large, complex contracts and grants (existing and new) and the commercial management of key suppliers.
• Contribute to the creation and delivery of market-leading commercial strategy which develops and manages supply markets to meet current and future Departmental needs.
• Act as a source of insight and advice to policy and operational teams across your projects. Work with them to understand requirements and develop commercial strategies aligned to policy objectives, suppliers and supply markets.
• Ensure the team is creating positive supplier relationships, encouraging innovation, “value add” initiatives, a strong customer service ethic, and a culture of continuous improvement.
• May be responsible for line management / task management of staff and maintain a key role in coaching and developing staff.
• Represent the Commercial team at senior management meetings as required.
• Develop and deliver procurement savings plans for specific projects in collaboration with colleagues and customers/
• Effectively influence customers to deliver value-for-money, achieving savings targets and sustainable outcomes in the procurement of works, goods, and services.
• Provide expert advice on commercial risk management and deliver mitigation plans / strategies to manage identified risks at corporate level.
• Develop the commercial capability of customers and team members.
• Develop and continuously review market-facing, category-specific plans and framework management mechanisms delivering innovative propositions which meet the needs of schools and their Schools Business Professional populations.
• Establish and manage effective strategic category-level Public Sector Buying Organisation relationships including Crown Commercial
• Services to ensure schools-appropriate frameworks are being developed and effectively managed.
• Work collaboratively with the Data and Insight Team to harvest and analyse schools spend data to inform strategies that will meet influenced spend and savings targets.
  
• As the DfE Commercial function continues a transformational journey, you will be an advocate of change and continuous improvement, leading and supporting your team, engaging with stakeholders to communicate and embed improved ways of working, and delivering the benefits of transformation.
• You will have a commitment to high standards, demonstrate excellent influencing and relationship management skills, and contribute clear, incisive thinking on a range of areas relating to the department’s most important priorities.

Technical skills

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

• A creative thinker with experience of developing innovative commercial solutions and willing to take managed risks to achieve the best outcomes.
• A proven track record of successfully building capability within a commercial function and/or knowledge of how commercial solutions can help the Department or end users address key challenges.
• Evidence of influencing key senior stakeholders and suppliers towards commercial solutions in a complex commercial environment.
• Significant procurement and commercial experience. A proven track record of delivering procurements, ideally also with some knowledge of grants.

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 Monday 5th October 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 : Hayley Parfitt
• 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 Opens in new window (pdf, 70kB)474535 - Category Manager - Commercial Lead - Candidate Pack.docx Opens in new window (pdf, 709kB)