Commercial Lead - Commercial Innovation Hub (CIH) x 3

Job summary

The DSIT Commercial and Grants Team are responsible for supporting DSIT Policy and digital colleagues to deliver exciting initiatives UK Wide, from setting up policies promoting investment to protecting national security, to teams deliver grants and commercial arrangements that enable innovative and exciting policy outcomes.

You will join the Commercial Innovation Hub. The commercial team supports x-Whitehall within and will benefit from a portfolio of commercial activity delivering commercial pathfinders.

The Commercial Innovation Hub is a dynamic, solutions driven team that helps government buyers harness innovative markets, new technologies, and creative commercial models to deliver better public outcomes. It brings together commercial specialists, market analysts, and innovation experts to design smarter procurement approaches and open doors for emerging suppliers. Joining the Hub means working at the forefront of modern commercial practice: shaping strategy, solving complex challenges, and helping departments turn bold ideas into real world delivery that drives value, impact, and long-term capability.

This position is an opportunity to join a new but key team which often operates like a start-up. You’ll be working on a diverse range of projects, providing support to teams across government

The DSIT Commercial and Grants Team are responsible for supporting DSIT Policy and digital colleagues to deliver high profile and exciting initiatives UK Wide, from setting up policies promoting investment to protecting national security, to teams deliver grants and commercial arrangements that enable innovative and exciting policy outcomes.

The Commercial Innovation Hub (CIH) was set up in February 2025 and is a dynamic, solutions driven team that helps public sector buyers harness innovative markets, new technologies, and creative commercial models to deliver better public outcomes. The CIH brings together commercial specialists, innovation experts and market analysts to design smarter procurement approaches that support the delivery of innovative solutions into the public sector.

Joining CIH gives you the opportunity to work at the forefront of modern commercial practice and technology, using novel approaches to solving knotty public sector problems through engagement with innovative suppliers. We want to help departments turn bold ideas into real world delivery that provides better public services, drives value and has measurable impact.

Success in this role means you can be part of a team that supports and finds new ways for government to buy innovative solutions that can address significant challenges it faces.

Job description

The DSIT Commercial and Grants team is a diverse and supportive working environment, category teams include specialists in Innovation, project delivery, commercial, finance, legal, analysis, technology and policy. We have high engagement with ministers and senior stakeholders within government (central and local) and externally with key market vendors in the digital, telecoms and technology sectors.

As a G7 Commercial Lead within CIH you’ll gain a unique perspective across Government as you lead the commercial support for a diverse range of projects. You’ll work as part of a diverse and supportive team of other G7 Commercial Leads, Innovation experts, policy, project delivery and analysis teams.

In your role you’ll own the end-to-end lifecycle for your projects, drawing support from commercial and other colleagues within CIH where required. This will include providing expert commercial innovation advice to colleagues across different departments, for example those in other commercial teams, policy and delivery. The CIH generally supports novel approaches to procurement, so you’ll often be asked to provide advice and input into complex or non-standard procurements.

The CIH has key deliverables that span pan-government in addition to procurement of innovation initiatives. These include, but not limited to, creating an innovation marketplace for the UK public sector, developing innovation risk guidance frameworks with HMT/NAO/PAC, and leading commercial innovation capability building in the GCF. The CIH operates like a start-up with individuals having key deliverables, it is expected that individuals will support complementary workstreams and provide experience and insights into other CIH initiatives to avoid silo working. As the CIH’s work develops there will likely be opportunities to lead on different workstreams.

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:

• Identifies risks to delivery, as well as risks relating to fraud, works with stakeholders to minimise, manage or eliminate risks.
• Aware that innovation carries inherent risks and this risk must be proactively managed to ensure the integrity of innovative solutions.
• Communicates these risks effectively, ensuring that colleagues inside and outside of commercial are cognisant of risks in their chosen approach.
• Expected to run multiple, concurrent and complex initiatives; keeping projects on track, and briefing on key issues, developments and plans to senior stakeholders.
• Operate in a senior environment and delivering results, notably securing value for money.
• Build and maintain mutually beneficial relationships with stakeholders, through compelling messaging, collaborative working and effective delivery of commitments.
• Operate with autonomy, working flexibly and innovatively with policy colleagues across all of our work areas.
• Experience of building professional, dynamic relationships across the organisations and with stakeholders.
• Be commitment to personal development.
• Manage varied procurement operations working in a corporate procurement environment ideally subject to public procurement law.
• Develop knowledge of Public Sector Commercial and Procurement policies and procedures, PCR 2015 and the Procurement Act 2023.
• Research and development of emerging technology in a commercial environment, particularly relating to commercialisation and scale-up of innovative solutions.
• Be a proficient procurement professional and demonstrate relevant applied and/or theoretical knowledge, in management process development and implementation, category management, strategic sourcing, supplier relationship development and performance management, specification, report and recommendation writing.
• Expected to managing goods and services procurements and leading contract negotiations

Technical skills

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

• Identifies risks to delivery and communicates these risks effectively, ensuring that colleagues inside and outside of commercial are cognisant of risks. Aware that innovation carries inherent risks and must be proactively managed
• Ability to run multiple, concurrent and complex initiatives; keeping projects on track, briefing on key issues, developments and plans to seniors. Demonstrable experience operating in a senior environment and delivering results
• Evidence of building and maintaining mutually beneficial relationships through compelling messaging, collaborative working and effective delivery of commitments. Ability to work autonomously, flexibly, and innovatively
• Well-developed interpersonal and communication skills plus a track record of leadership, setting strategic goals, and driving commercial and procurement activities. Evidence of your commitment to personal development
• Sound knowledge of Public Sector Commercial and Procurement policies and procedures. Evidence of delivering innovation in a commercial environment; including digital, AI, and emerging tech connecting commercialisation to scale-up
• Proficient procurement professional with applied knowledge in end-to-end procurement, including change and contract management processes. Experience of leading commercial negotiations and supplier relationship development.

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 Tuesday 5th May 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-recruitment/
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 : Marina Dura
• 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, 64kB)453649 - Candidate Pack - DSIT - Commercial Lead - Commercial Innovation Hub CIH x3.docx Opens in new window (pdf, 1617kB)