Commercial Business Partner

Independent Parliamentary Standards Authority

South Western Scotland

Hybrid

Expires: Expiring in less than 3 weeks

Procurement

Full time

£70,000 per year

Job summary

The Commercial team is an enabler for IPSA, offering vital support to internal and external stakeholders to ensure MPs have the goods and services they need for their parliamentary work. The team is responsible for overseeing end to end procurement, operating within a hybrid commercial delivery model in which lower value, routine procurement activity is led by business areas while the Commercial team partner on higher value, more complex activity.

As part of its five-year strategy, IPSA has an ambitious plan to offer the UK’s 650 MPs access to centralised goods and services to reduce the administrative load, simplify purchasing and improve value for money and sustainability.

Reporting to the Head of Commercial, the Commercial Business Partner provides commercial and procurement support through a business partnering model aligned to IPSA’s purpose of supporting democracy with great service, fair rule and wise spending. The role builds strong relationships across IPSA to deliver compliant procurement, effective contract management, and practical commercial advice that supports organisational priorities. The role is responsible for ensuring procurement and contract management activity is compliant with relevant legislation, policies and controls.

The Commercial team sits within the Finance and Commercial function and works across the organisation and with external stakeholders.

Job description

Key responsibilities

• Building strong relationships with the business, engaging with key stakeholders and understanding budgets, pipeline planning, and commercial risks to ensure effective and compliant procurement performance across the end-to-end commercial lifecycle.

• Providing advice on all stages of procurement and completing administrative processes, from inception to contract management, ensuring procurement activity is compliant with legislation and policy and achieves its intended outcomes.

• Supporting procurement capability across IPSA through knowledge sharing and delivery of procurement training, while driving best practice and compliance.

• Working within IPSA’s supplier management framework, supporting IPSA to realise benefits and value for money in commercial-related projects.

• Helping to manage IPSA’s spend against strategic contracts, managing issues within the wider IPSA supplier base, including contract renegotiation, strategic issue resolution, and dispute or contract exit.

• Preparing and reporting timely and accurate contract and procurement information that assesses commercial performance.

• Undertaking autonomous projects and other ad-hoc pieces of work as well as contributing to wider IPSA projects, as required.

• Living IPSA’s values - staying connected, seeing the bigger picture, being open, doing the right thing and making a difference through all that you do.

IPSA is a learning organisation. We constantly review our work against our strategic objectives, actively seek views from our stakeholders and assess the environment in which we operate so that we can continuously improve. Therefore, the list of key responsibilities may adapt and change over time within the spirit and nature of organisational change and the development of the role.

Person specification

You’ll be an accomplished commercial professional, qualified at CIPS Level 5 or equivalent membership body (or through significant experience), with demonstrable knowledge of public sector procurement practices, procurement legislation, regulations and principles to keep IPSA safe.

You’ll care deeply about supporting democracy and delivering value for money for the taxpayer. You’ll bring clarity, credibility and calm to commercial activity, working collaboratively in a complex, high-profile environment to help deliver IPSA’s strategy, positively influencing how our stakeholders feel about us.

You’ll bring strong judgement, resilience, and curiosity and you’ll be comfortable challenging assumptions to help IPSA navigate opportunities and tough decisions. With deep expertise in commercial and procurement, you’ll deliver value for money and strengthen commercial capability across the organisation.

You’ll have an uncompromising approach to IPSA’s procurement and contract management processes, working confidently across IPSA, stakeholders and with suppliers to deliver fit for purpose and best practice solutions.

You’ll align with IPSA’s culture and be flexible and innovative in your approach to work.

The experience and technical level required for the role, along with personal qualities, skills, attributes, and qualifications (where relevant) are listed below:

Essential

• CIPS or equivalent qualification: (Level 5+) or significant demonstrable experience.

• Relationship building and business partnering skills: proven ability to build strong, collaborative relationships with a range of stakeholders, providing sound guidance, and influencing strong outcomes.

• Commercial lifecycle experience and knowledge: demonstrable experience in procurement of multi-category services, including contract processes, with practical knowledge of the UK’s regulatory environment.

• Public sector procurement: demonstrable experience of public sector procurement regulations and contract management, and up-to-date professional development on the Procurement Act 2023.

• Commercial capability: excellent commercial acumen, strong judgement and decision making and negotiation skills, with the ability to apply contract management principles to drive best practice and value for money.

• Excellent data and analysis skills: to provide insight, influence decisions, manage supplier performance and realise benefits.

• Motivated to deliver results and show resilience: outcomes oriented and able to manage multiple workstreams/projects, working across diverse teams, balancing competing demands and priorities.

• Communication, engagement and influencing skills: excellent written and verbal communication, aligned to IPSA’s brand and tone, with the ability to build collaborative relationships at all levels.

• Adaptable to change: possesses a flexible and positive attitude to work, change and continuous improvement.

Desirable

• Excellent IT skills including use of Microsoft Office, e-Tendering tools, and Purchase to Pay (ERP) systems.

Benefits

Alongside your salary of £70,000, Independent Parliamentary Standards Authority contributes £20,279 towards you being a member of the Civil Service Defined Benefit Pension scheme. Find out what benefits a Civil Service Pension provides.

A competitive salary which is regularly benchmarked against industry.
Hybrid and flexible working, with occasional travel to our London office for team meetings.
Generous contributions to a Civil Service pension.
Twenty-five days holiday entitlement (plus bank holidays), increasing by one day each year up to 30 days.
Option to purchase additional holiday days each year.
Access to learning and development tailored to your role with coaching opportunities.
Working in a high-performing organisation which supports democracy with a great team ethic.
A culture encouraging equity, diversity, and inclusion.
Time in your work to time to participate in our inclusive workplace networks.
Mental Health First Aid network and access to our Employee Assistance Programme.
Enhanced family leave provisions.
Workplace awards programme for living IPSA’s values and innovative ideas.
Season ticket/rent deposit loans.
Cycle-to-work scheme.
Volunteering days and "you" time.

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

If you're selected for interview this will be virtual and will take place on Microsoft Teams, so you’ll need access to a secure WIFI network and a private space.

Our interviews are competency and values-based. We’ll ask you a series of questions designed to help assess your suitability for the role and for IPSA.

The closing date for this role will be 21 June 2026, so we encourage you to submit your application without delay. Shortlisting will take place in w/c 22 June 2026. Interviews will take place w/c 6 July. Please make a note of these dates in your diary as we will be operating a tight interview schedule.

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

Security

Successful candidates must undergo a criminal record check.Successful candidates must meet the security requirements before they can be appointed. The level of security needed is counter-terrorist check (opens in a new window).

See our vetting charter (opens in a new window).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.

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.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 : The People Team
Email : people@theipsa.org.uk

Salary range

£70,000 per year